Zebco Bullet/ rod combo for wife

[brent245]

I'm looking at getting the new zebco bullet and a rod for the wife. She's never fished before. I haven't seen a lot of info on this reel but it intrigues me as well since I started on spincasts when I was a kid. 

I was thinking of pairing it with a dobyns fury cranking rod.

 

Thoughts on the reel?

[Quarry Man]

get a spinning reel

[brent245]

I have spinning reels, however I suspect those would tangle and cause trouble.

[fishnkamp]

My personal opinion is that combo will work if all you are going to do is throw a bobber and chase panfish. My wife and I fish for bass, catfish, stripers and ;pts more. Periodically we pull out a pair of 5 1/2 foot ultralight spinning combos and chase crappie, bluegill, perch and other panfish  There is nothing wrong with that at all.  We enjoy some easy worm and minnow dunkin sometimes. We also fill the freezer doing it often.   That spincast could easily work for this.

 

However, if you want to fish for bass seriously, than forget that setup. Instead buy her a Dobyns Fury 663SF or 703SF.  Match it up with a Pflueger 6935 or 6930 spinning reel.  Spool it half way with Stren 12 pound mono.  Fill the rest with Berkley FireLine in 14 pound test. This line is the same size diameter as 6 pound mono.  I like a 4 foot leader made of  either Stren 8 or10 pound test mono. I also use a lot of P Line CXX in the 8 pound test,. I use the moss green colored line, it breaks way above 8 pounds.  This is the setup my wife regularly uses on 4 of her 6 reels. We fish 30 Pound Power Pro Spectra on her heavy frog combo and also the same on her 7 ft MH combo she uses for bottom contact baits, like carolina rigs and jigs.  She has much less issues when fishing grubs, tubes, Ned rigs, and many other standard finesse baits while fishing with the FireLine.   It is very rare that she gets a tangle or a birds nest coming off the reel,

Several good habits help control this as well.  Make sure she ALWAYS stops the line, after a cast, using her finger. Make sure she ALWAYS flips the bail by hand and it help to sorta lift the rod as you do i, just to help tighten the line a bit just before you start to reel.  This helps to eliminate that first loose line coil and also the twist you can get.  Lastly, never let her reel when a larger fish is pulling line off under the control of the drag. 

[Catt]

 

[brent245]

I've got a nice pfluger president spinning reel already, I was intrigued by the bullet because of the 29" per handle turn retrieve rate. Its unlike other spincasts. Lets face it, it would be for me really lol.

[bassman92681]

I've read some really good reviews online about the new Zebco Bullet. Some say it's changing the game for spincast. I'd love to hear your feedback if you decide to give it a try. Fishnkamp said you'd only need it for a worm and bobber, but heck you can get a $10 202 combo for that which will do the same thing. Apparently the Bullet is built tough and it's faster than a 6.3:1 baitcaster, so I think a buzzbait or other fast baits will be no issue.

[J Francho]

It's no joke.  Definitely not a "toy" reel.  It basically picks up where the Daiwa Goldcast left off.  Adds high speed machine cut gears, a second pickup pin, which btw is bearing supported to eliminate twist, and uses an oscillating spool.  Considering all the upgrades over my nearly 30 year old 33 that still can and does work for bass, I'd say it's a no brainer.  You're wive will be able to fish heavier lines that she wouldn't dare put on a spinning reel, and enjoy trouble free casting.  Would I recommend it to seasoned baitcast user?  Probably not.  But there's a time and a place for it.

[Ratherbfishing]

On 4/30/2017 at 9:10 PM, brent245 said:

I have spinning reels, however I suspect those would tangle and cause trouble.

Ugh.   I've yet to see a spincast worth a hooey.  

[Stasher1]

On 5/25/2017 at 2:18 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

Ugh.   I've yet to see a spincast worth a hooey.  

 

 

Then you need to get out more. Zebco's higher-end spincast reels (Bullet, Omega, Delta, and even the 33 Platinum) get excellent reviews from just about everyone who has actually used them. The only folks talking trash are the ones that are worried about how they'll look to other anglers with a spincast outfit in their hands.

 

I've owned an Omega Z03 since shortly after it came out, 33 Platinum since '07, have a Delta due to be delivered within the next few days, and may pick up a Bullet this summer just for the hell of it. The Platinum had a minor assrmbly problem when it was brand new, but customer service was on the ball and had replacement parts in the mail right away. It has been flawless since then, and the Omega gas been flawless since day one.

 

Admittedly, I don't use mine for bass, but they've had no problems with decent-sized cats and panfish. I have added two more Emmrod Packers to my collection in the past week or so, which means they'll be seeing even more use as "spur of the moment" fishing setups to keep in the truck or in the panniers of my motorcycle.   

 

Omega Z03, Delta ZD3, Platinum 33...

 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

22 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

Ugh.   I've yet to see a spincast worth a hooey.  

Spincasts are about all I use anymore for bass, outside of the telescopic spinning flipping stick that plays double duty as a backup flathead rig and the spinning finesse/topwater rig. and I've been looking at the bullet for it's speed and matching it with a rod purely for light topwater spinning gear. These reels have a 6:1 retrieve ratio where most of the other spincasts on the market are 4:1 and it's 29ish inch per turn ratio is roughly 150% faster than a Daiwa Goldcast GC100 that's around 20 inches per turn. The Daiwa Silvercast A is 4.3:1 and an SC100A is 25 IPT, halfway between the 2. I love my Daiwas, they are certainly worth a hooey, although I will suggest not taking them to a tournament when they're brand new, as the quality improves greatly after the first day of break in. The smaller the reel, the slower the reel is something else to remember with all other brands, larger spools produce a faster final drive. If you're looking for a quality one reel fits all, I would look to Daiwa or the Zebco Omega PRO. If I had to pick one of my spincast combos to fish anything forever, it would probably be my SC80A mounted to a 6'6 MH fast rod made by the numerical corporation that cannot be mentioned here. (it would be the lesser number brand, and the discontinued model is named after a popular hot rod paint technique where clear is added to a solid color, usually red, and sprayed over a metallic base coat, and available on eBay at a cost of 2 for $49.99). 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

Looking at a few other specs, while a hell of a lot bigger and bulkier, the Daiwa GC170A is faster than the bullet at 29.4" LPT.

[frosty]

6 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

6'6 MH fast rod made by the numerical corporation that cannot be mentioned here. (it would be the lesser number brand, and the discontinued model is named after a popular hot rod paint technique where clear is added to a solid color, usually red, and sprayed over a metallic base coat, and available on eBay at a cost of 2 for $49.99)

I'm sorry but this is pure marketing genius right here 

 

i have a pflueger spincast that my wife uses. It's drag isn't very good, it's heavy, it's slow, and if I don't hold it just right I hit the spool release when setting the hook, but, she doesn't get birds nest or line twist and she can cast a good distance with light lures. I'll stick with my baitcaster, but I'd still use a spincast if it's all I had. 

[greentrout]

Own the Bass Pro Extreme Lightweight spincast reel that brings in 27 inches per handle turn at 4:6:1 pre spooled with 10lb. test. Smooth with absolutely no problems with an excellent star drag. Good for small spinnerbaits & crankbaits. Bass Pro says 12 lb. ok on it. It's the medium fishing applications. Will get the heavy later on with 12lbs pre spooled at 29 inches per handle turn. 29.99 plus tax.

 

When you get older and have arthritis set in your hands the old spincast comes in handy every now and then and this reel is NOT a toy.

 

Has its place.

 

 

 

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 5/26/2017 at 8:09 PM, frosty said:

I'm sorry but this is pure marketing genius right here 

Wasn't really my intention and this is not a compensated endorsement lol but if you can figure out the riddle, the eBay seller with the deal above is someone I'd definitely deal with again. 

[frosty]

3 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Wasn't really my intention and this is not a compensated endorsement lol but if you can figure out the riddle, the eBay seller with the deal above is someone I'd definitely deal with again. 

Oh I didn't think you were pitching anything, but the unspecific description was awesome 

[fishnkamp]

Creativity just has to be admired!  

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 5/28/2017 at 0:20 PM, frosty said:

Oh I didn't think you were pitching anything, but the unspecific description was awesome 

Curiosity may kill the cat, but did you figure out which rod is my favorite?

[frosty]

5 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Curiosity may kill the cat, but did you figure out which rod is my favorite?

I figured out the brand, but I'm not real familiar with their line of rods so I can't name a specific model but I do know what that paint style is!

[Lures'n'Liberty]

3 minutes ago, frosty said:

I figured out the brand, but I'm not real familiar with their line of rods so I can't name a specific model but I do know what that paint style is!

The paint style is the model name, and the shiny red rod with chrome plated eyes and aluminum accents on the cork handle looks awesome when paired with a shiny chrome Daiwa SC80.

[frosty]

7 minutes ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

The paint style is the model name, and the shiny red rod with chrome plated eyes and aluminum accents on the cork handle looks awesome when paired with a shiny chrome Daiwa SC80.

That does sound pretty sweet, I'm going to have to take a look!

[Lures'n'Liberty]

There's a guy on ebay that has the casting model at 2 for under $50, everyone else has the series at $50 each

 

[Buzz1520]

Today i purchases the new Zebco Bullet reel and paired it with a 7 ft Quantum KVD mh rod for my wife. I have to say that I am very impressed with this reel. Very smooth reel that casts a very long distance. I am 54 yrs old and been bass fishing all my life. All of my gear is high end. My wife is retired now and wanted to start fishing with me. After several of the common spincast reels and their cheap quality, i wanted her to have something nice. Its a little heavy but when i put in on that rod it balanced out nicely. I caught some nice large mouth and one smallmouth on it and i am definitely sold on it. To me it was worth the price especially after going through several cheap reels. Now she understands the difference and appreciates trouble free fishing. Thanks.

On 5/25/2017 at 0:20 PM, bassman92681 said:

I've read some really good reviews online about the new Zebco Bullet. Some say it's changing the game for spincast. I'd love to hear your feedback if you decide to give it a try. Fishnkamp said you'd only need it for a worm and bobber, but heck you can get a $10 202 combo for that which will do the same thing. Apparently the Bullet is built tough and it's faster than a 6.3:1 baitcaster, so I think a buzzbait or other fast baits will be no issue.

Just bought the Bullet today for the wifey. Its awesome. Definitely worth the money if you can find one. These reels seem to be flying off the shelf as quick as they come in. Nice reel very well made and very smooth.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

On 6/24/2017 at 0:03 AM, Buzz1520 said:

Today i purchases the new Zebco Bullet reel and paired it with a 7 ft Quantum KVD mh rod for my wife. I have to say that I am very impressed with this reel. Very smooth reel that casts a very long distance. I am 54 yrs old and been bass fishing all my life. All of my gear is high end. My wife is retired now and wanted to start fishing with me. After several of the common spincast reels and their cheap quality, i wanted her to have something nice. Its a little heavy but when i put in on that rod it balanced out nicely. I caught some nice large mouth and one smallmouth on it and i am definitely sold on it. To me it was worth the price especially after going through several cheap reels. Now she understands the difference and appreciates trouble free fishing. Thanks.

Just bought the Bullet today for the wifey. Its awesome. Definitely worth the money if you can find one. These reels seem to be flying off the shelf as quick as they come in. Nice reel very well made and very smooth.

Did you by chance compare it side by side with the Daiwa models before buying it?