Most Durable Spincast Reel for Young Kids

[Hog Basser]

My kids really enjoy fishing and want to graduate beyond just dropping their line in the water and catching panfish off the dock all day.  I have bought several cheap Zebco combos over the years and the components just don't hold up with regular use.  My boys are about to turn 3 and 5 and are not ready to master casting a spinning reel yet.  We currently have one working spincast combo and they fight over it constantly, wanting to "cast the farthest".  We had another of the exact same model and it broke after just a few uses, I figure the same will happen to the surviving rig in short order.  I've done some research on "higher quality" Zebcos and other rigs, I just don't know enough about them to commit to paying a little more.  The comment sections on the sale sites are all over the place.  So I want to pose this question to you guys, based on your experience:

 

What is the most durable spincast reel out there?

 

A few considerations:

1. I will want to load it with heavier line for bass fishing. 

2. What line is good to use for spincasters?  Will they take braid?

3. Any recommendations of a rod to pair it with?  Probably not much more than 6ft. based on their size, but durable enough for some decent sized bass.  Will fish mainly crankbaits, spinners, and stuff that they can constantly reel, they don't do sitting still very well. 

[tkunk]

My kids won three Zebco dock demons in a raffle a two years ago, and two of the combos have survived to this day (one is at the bottom of Lake Michigan). The drag is not in any way buttery smooth, but the reels are durable for how cheap they are. I use 8 lb yo-zuri hybrid line, because of its low memory. We mostly use them for small fish, but my kids have landed many 3+ lb smallies with them. Nothing over 5 though.

 

If your oldest kid is coordinated for his age, you might have some luck if you have him use a baitcaster with all the brakes on and spool tension set high. Kids (and many adults) seem to have a lot of trouble with spinning reels. For my 7-year-old I use a cheap rod with decent reel. Make sure to tape a foam noodle to the rod butt so that it floats.

[roadwarrior]

http://shop.zebcobrands.com/omega-pro-zo3pro-10-bx3.html

 

No braid.   #6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid ~ 11.9 lb breaking strength.

 

[snake95]

3 hours ago, Hog Basser said:

I have bought several cheap Zebco combos over the years and the components just don't hold up with regular use.

I have two kids that I take fishing regularly.

 

By cheap Zebco combos vs. more expensive ones, what is your cutoff?

 

I have made the mistake of buying 202's and I think 404's and none of those cut it.

 

I've had better luck with 33's and found the platinum 33's to work well.

 

I have not gone up to the Omegas, because they are all using spinning or baitcasting now at 6 and 9.

 

Honestly I have my 6-yo. girl (size of a 4-yo.) using an ultralight spinning combo, and my boy was using spinning at the same age.  I found the pickup speed of the spinning reels vs spincast is a key advantage for kids fishing for bass every bit as much as it is for adults.  I have not found it difficult for them to learn spinning at all.  You just have to commit the better part of one trip to coaching them.  After that they have been self-sufficient.

[WRB]

Young kids in the 5 to 6 years old have small hands that make it difficult to cast Zebo 33 combo's. I started my 6 year old with a Zebco Omgea Micro trigger spin reel on a 5' medium spinning rod re wrapped with casting rod guides. 

Tom

[fishwizzard]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Zebco Omgea Micro trigger spin reel

Oh man, I had never heard of one of those before, they look kinda fun.  

[Bluebasser86]

You can get nicer, and more durable ones, but for all the longer they'll use them, the Zebco Dock Demon combos are a great option for $10. My son has the spinning combo that has been through a lot and survived. I swapped the reel to a nicer one, not because it needed it, but because I found an ultralight Browning laying in a bush along the shoreline that I had no other use for. The reel was surprisingly good for how cheap it was. 

[Catt]

Zebco 33 Platinum, 4.1:1 gear ratio, 5 stainless bearings, aluminum frame, continous anti-reverse, mirco fine drag control all for $35.

[snake95]

18 hours ago, WRB said:

Young kids in the 5 to 6 years old have small hands that make it difficult to cast Zebo 33 combo's.

Just wanted to amend my previous comment by echoing the comments from Tom and Bluebasser. 

 

Particularly for small kids, the smaller metal Zebcos have been better than the bulk of a regular Zebco 33.  My girl has tiny hands and was using the Zebco 33 micro and it worked well for her.  Did not try the triggerspin but can see that would work well, too.

 

As for the Dock Demons, those have also worked well for my family and kids we've brought along. The dock demon deluxe spinning combo has been the best of the very inexpensive kid-friendly combos.  The longer rod is worth the few extra dollars over the shorter "regular" version, even for short kids.

 

Yes... I have tried just about everything at one time or another.

[Jaderose]

Well....we just debated this not too long ago but there is THIS.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Zebco-ZB310BX3-Bullet-Spincast-Reel/dp/B01N5ISGFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504721616&sr=8-1&keywords=zebco+bullet

 

Personally, I'd go with Diawa Silvercast.  Terrific Spincaster for around 30 bucks

[Catt]

@Hog Basser

 

If you want to teach your boys how to catch bass don't waste you time or money on reels that will not hold up.

 

My grandson Aiden is very small for his age but he quickly adjusted to the size of the Platinum plus he now had a reel capable of landing anything he hooks.

 

I understand some kids don't have the drive to become an angler but some do & for those give them a reel with the gear ratio to make fishing easier & a drag system to land something besides tighteyes.

[Hog Basser]

Wow, thanks for all the replies....I forgot to check back when I got busy at work! 

 

1. Dock Demons - we have 4 of them (2 working) and they want something bigger then can cast for bass now.  They have lasted two seasons (mostly), but it is time to move up. These are all spinners. 

2. Coordination - not a strong suit for either right now, but the younger one will have more of a chance as he gets older.  That's why I'm not going the spinning or baitcast reel route at this time.  Spincast is it, just needs one of the most durable ones out there.

3. Hand size - they are big boys for their age, I don't think this will be a huge issue, at least not for long. 

 

I'm eyeballing that 33 platinum, seems the right price range for the kids.  Might get my wife the Bullet or Omega Pro to get her started.  Think I'll try one 33 platinum out and see how it does for them. 

[Catt]

@Hog Basser

 

Most  closed faced spin cast have 3 inherent problems.

 

1: gear ratio is to slow making it harder to fish with

2: drag; will not hold up under the strain of multiple decent size fish.

3: reel foot (the part that attaches to the rod) is plastic & breaks easily 

 

The Platinum all metal eliminates all 3 problems!

 

As for durability Aiden worn one out but only after catching 675 bass in 8 months including several Hawg!

[Damn Yankee]

Maybe take a look at the bass pro extreme.  Star drag and offset thumb bar make it comfortable for smaller hands.Not to expensive. 

[Sword of the Lord]

I second Catt. My 9 year old son uses a Zebco Platinum 33 on a Shakespeare Excursion casting rod. $30 for the reel and $20 for the rod at Wal-Mart. It's been really great for him. The Platinum 33's are really good spincast reels at a good price.

 

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

@Hog Basser

 

Most  closed faced spin cast have 3 inherent problems.

 

1: gear ratio is to slow making it harder to fish with

2: drag; will not hold up under the strain of multiple decent size fish.

3: reel foot (the part that attaches to the rod) is plastic & breaks easily 

 

The Platinum all metal eliminates all 3 problems!

 

As for durability Aiden worn one out but only after catching 675 bass in 8 months including several Hawg!

I recently got a Bullet and it's a beast. The Bullet on a M/F Lightning Rod and an AG Silver Max on a MH/F Lightning Rod is all I've been taking out for almost a week. Nobody will believe that the Bullet is everything it claims to be and more without seeing firsthand. This is 2017, not 1987; spincast these days isn't what grandpa used.

[WRB]

The difference between a 6 year old and 9 year old is night and day in regards to hand /eye skills level, kindergarten/1st grader vs 3 grader....no comparison.

My son didn't come close at 6 years old matching Catts grandsons record. Tommy did manage to catch a 26 lb channel cat ( In-Fisherman Master Award winner) , 2 1/2 lb crappie, 10 lb class carp and lots of LMB between 1 1/2lbs to 2 1/2 lbs, plus 2 bass in the 6 to 7 lb range on his Zebco trigger spin reel and rod combo. I don't recommend using micro underspin reel for big fish. When Tommy was 9 years old I bought him a Shimano Stratic 1000 spinning reel in a Boys & Girl auction with Phenix Iovino Doddle rod that he still uses today, he is 35 now.

Every youngster is different, teach them to take care of their tackle and it will last a long time.

Tom

[Catt]

I don't hamstring kids by telling em they're to young or to small...it ain't the size of the dog in the fight... it's the size of the fight in the dog!

 

Two concerns with the Bullet; longevity & $100 price tag!

[Jaderose]

57 minutes ago, Catt said:

I don't hamstring kids by telling em they're to young or to small...it ain't the size of the dog in the fight... it's the size of the fight in the dog!

 

Two concerns with the Bullet; longevity & $100 price tag!

and the fact that it weighs close to a pound

[NYWayfarer]

I bought my son a couple of Pflueger Spincast models years ago. The underspin and the Trion I believe. They were pretty tough reels. I would recommend them over the plastic kiddie reels or the budget Samurai combos places like DSG sell.

 

I still have the underspin and it works fine on an ultralight set-up. 

[Hog Basser]

16 hours ago, Catt said:

@Hog Basser

 

Most  closed faced spin cast have 3 inherent problems.

 

1: gear ratio is to slow making it harder to fish with

2: drag; will not hold up under the strain of multiple decent size fish.

3: reel foot (the part that attaches to the rod) is plastic & breaks easily 

 

The Platinum all metal eliminates all 3 problems!

 

As for durability Aiden worn one out but only after catching 675 bass in 8 months including several Hawg!

I ordered the 33 platinum yesterday afternoon and it should be here Friday.  My youngest son's 3rd birthday is this weekend.  Guess who's getting a good present!  I'm going to attach it to the rod of the broken plastic zebco reel for now and get him practicing in the driveway.  The other working cheapo will hopefully hold up until my older son's birthday in December and I can give him one too.  I plan to figure out if it will hold up to their beating before then. 

[Sword of the Lord]

11 hours ago, Catt said:

I don't hamstring kids by telling em they're to young or to small...it ain't the size of the dog in the fight... it's the size of the fight in the dog!

 

Two concerns with the Bullet; longevity & $100 price tag!

We don't know anything about the longevity of the Bullet yet being that it is just a year old. However, it is all metal, and there's a YouTube video of a guide who got the Bullet out of curiosity; he's had it about a year, using it himself and lending it out to others on the boat, and it's held up flawlessly. He caught one with it using braid and a spinnerbait in the middle of demonstrating on video.

 

The price does suck. It really does. I guess when nothing else on the market in its class can truly compete with it, they can afford to jack the price up because they know interested parties will pay it. If there were a bunch of others like it, I bet it would be no more than 80 bucks.

 

The weight of the Bullet balances out on the rod. It's seriously not even heavy. I wouldn't use it with arthritis though.

[Big-Bass]

How about a Daiwa MiniCast or GoldCast (classic)?  The SilverCast is nice too.  One of my kids has a MiniCast and it works nicely.  Best wishes on the water and have fun fishing with your children!

[Hog Basser]

15 hours ago, Big-Bass said:

How about a Daiwa MiniCast or GoldCast (classic)?  The SilverCast is nice too.  One of my kids has a MiniCast and it works nicely.  Best wishes on the water and have fun fishing with your children!

The jury will still be out until I give the 33 platinum a serious try.  I'm interested in the Daiwa spincasts, just don't know anyone who's put them to the test and can report back. 

[Iowa Basser]

On 9/6/2017 at 1:15 PM, Jaderose said:

Well....we just debated this not too long ago but there is THIS.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Zebco-ZB310BX3-Bullet-Spincast-Reel/dp/B01N5ISGFM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504721616&sr=8-1&keywords=zebco+bullet

 

Personally, I'd go with Diawa Silvercast.  Terrific Spincaster for around 30 bucks

I second the Diawa Silvercast reccomendation... that's what I grew up using until I turned about 14.  If you want to spend a little more money, the Diawa Goldcast would be my first choice.  The grandmother of one of my friends used a Goldcast forever to troll for northern pike!

It's been a lot of years since I turned 14, so I'm not sure how well any spincast performs over time with braid?  I would think the braid will eventually wear a groove in the little pin that wraps the line around the spool.

[Hog Basser]

Well, the Zebco 33 platinum has stood up so far....no real fishing yet, but lots of practice casting in the yard....and let me tell you, this thing casts a mile!  I am really impressed with the casting ability with just a short pole attached.  I may get a longer pole for actual fishing.  So while the other cheapo plastic Zebco reel is starting to fail, I'm thinking of replacing it with this one as well.  I think we have a winner for my kids.  I may get a few extra of these for inexperienced guests as well.