CONSERVATION CORNER
June 19, 2006
ZEBCO: From Bombs To Bait Casting Reels
by James L. Cummins

It was the late 1940s when R.D. Hull of Roten, Texas, knocked on the door of Zero Hour Bomb Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hull was a watchmaker who loved to tinker. He had an idea of a new type of fishing reel that wouldn't backlash and wanted someone to build it. The Zero Hour Bomb Company, who started in 1932, had patents that were about to expire. In addition, the technology of explosives was changing due to extensive research and developments from World War II, causing the company to begin looking for new business opportunities.

Hull showed the company, using a model made of wood and a coffee can top to demonstrate to the leadership of the Zero Hour Bomb Company how a stationary spool solves the problems of a revolving spool of the baitcast reels of that time period. He told the officials how the idea came to him from watching workers in a meat department of a grocery store wrap meat with a spool of twine.

The officials of the company liked Hull's presentation and decided to manufacture Hull's fishing reel. By May of 1949, the first ZEBCO "Standard" was produced. Word of the new reel spread fast and sales flourished. Bill Carter and George Goetz, who were knowledgeable about tackle sales, conducted the marketing. With boxing gloves on both hands, Goetz demonstrated the ease of casting and pinpoint accuracy of the reel anywhere he found a crowd. Carter traveled to fish and wildlife expos with an identically dressed chimpanzee, passing the rod and reel to the primate as he said, "this ZEBCO reel is so easy to cast even a monkey can do it."

The earliest models, such as the Model 22 which sold for $17.50, carried the name Zero Hour Bomb Company. By 1956 the company name ZEBCO had been adopted. Soon, only fishing products were being made at the company. ZEBCO now had 365 employees.

In 1961, Brunswick Corporation purchased ZEBCO. In 1984 the company acquired MotorGuide trolling motors and introduced the Quantum brand of rods and reels. ZEBCO later acquired Martin fly reels, Lew's fishing reels and introduced the Rhino brand.

In 2001, the W.C. Bradley Company purchased the fishing rod and reel business from Brunswick. At this point, MotorGuide remained with Brunswick and remains a part of Mercury Marine.

Since being acquired by Bradley, ZEBCO, has bought high end Van Stall spinning and fly reels, as well as Fin nor reels. ZEBCO also doing well with launch of Quantum PT (Performance Tuned) products for fresh and saltwater.

Today, the ZEBCO markets a full line of rods, reels and fishing accessories under the ZEBCO, Quantum, Martin, Rhino, Van Stall and Fin Nor brands.

And, Hull, who died in 1977, has a legacy that lives on.