CPSC, Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Division Announce Recall of Children's Fishing Poles

The recalled Shakespeare® brand fishing kits feature the following characters: TAZ® (Tazmanian Devil®), Tweety®, Mucha Lucha® and Spider-Man®. Other fishing kits feature Fishing Heroes™, sold with a silver-colored badge; Kids Kits™, sold with tackle boxes; and Shark™ and Dolphin™ Kits, which have reels in the shape of a shark or dolphin. The fishing kits have brightly colored red and yellow fishing rods, and "Shakespeare" is written on the reels. Fishing kits with purple, blue and pink rods are not included in this recall. Certain translucent red and yellow and metallic-colored red rods also are not included in this recall.. Recalled by Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Division, of Columbia, S.C.. Units affected: About 438,000.

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.

Consumers should stop using the recalled fishing poles and contact Shakespeare Fishing Tackle for information on receiving a free replacement fishing kit.

This recall was issued by the CPSC on June 17, 2005. Severity: Moderate. Recall number: 05199.