CPSC, Zebco Announce Recall of Children's Fishing Poles

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #05155) was formally reported on April 13, 2005. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. W.C. Bradley/Zebco Holdings Inc. doing business as Zebco, of Tulsa, Okla. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 1.5 million fishing poles units are affected.

The documented reason for this recall is: The paint on the rods of these fishing poles contains lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers should stop using the recalled fishing poles and contact Zebco for information on receiving a free replacement fishing pole. — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 21 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.