What was you first rod and reel?

[JD]

I was 7 years old and my grandpa took me down to the Ben Franklin and bought me my first fishing pole, a Zebco 202!!!  I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.  We then went to the lake and I caught my first Muskie, a 30 incher, but when you weigh 60 pounds, it felt like a whale.  I was so sad to see it released back into the water. :'(  I fished with that pole for 7 years, that was the beginning to the best hobby ever.

[Bufflehead]

 a Diawa Spin Cast

 My dad bought it for me on the way to the cabin at willey's' Bait and Tackle by Big Sandy Lake  north of McGregor

I remember Loren Willie the Org. owner. He alway wore a flannel shirt and smoked a pipe the smelled so good to me.. a sweet smell.

 I still have it and every rod and reel since..several Mitchell 300s and a nice 308

[jigglestick]

L.A., I dont rightly recall my very first fishing pole, but I do remember a zebco 202, most likely bought at K-MART where midway stadium is now. I also remember a couple of cane pole sets putz bought on blue light special. two or three piece units with a plastic carrying case.
probably paid a buck a piece ...or less knowing putz 
I think we all owe ZEBCO a huge thanks, for the memories 

[WoodChuck]

  just memories of a cane pole and then graduated to a black zebco 202 and a white fiber glass rod . probably bought at ericksons service station? in brainerd, then on to neshiems bait, to fish the ole mississippi river.? just memories for a 49 year old fart.?

[Big Slick]

Dad bought a diawa on a red fibrglass rod for me about 32 years ago from a Holiday store located on Lincoln Ave on the East side of St.Cloud,MN. Dang handle nut kept falling off.

[GRIZ]

Can't remember forsure. It was a blue rod and a maroon reel. Both of which were dug out of gramps garage and put together to form the mightiest fish slaying weapon known to modern man (or so I thought).

[labs4me]

Zebco 202 on a white 6' fiberglass spinning rod.? My grandpa bought it right before our big family vacation 36 years ago!? Went to a cabin for a week on Round Lake in Squaw Lake... caught a bunch of Walleyes and perch!? Then we fished the bridge over the Sandy River and filled up on sunnies, crappies and bass.? This was only 1 year after moving here form Chicago!.? It literally turned me into an outdoor junkie.? Nobody in my family ever fished or hunted, but I changed all that! ? That rod hung around for years... my mom's house sustained severe damage in a storm in '98 and I think it ended up getting pitched then.

Several cane poles in plastic packages also made the trip because my dad thought my bro and I would get our rods tangled all the time when we were casting... little did he know we practiced casting in the front yard for 2 weeks before vacation with 1/2" nuts tied to our line... we were aces!? The cane poles sat in the joists of the basement for years too, only to disappear.... I was adament as a kid that I wasn't going to use one of those!

Good Luck!

Ken

[GRIZ]

I love dem cane poles. Not the 2-3 piece ones but the full ones. I've had 2 of them both 30 footers and I'll tell ya if ur after bass it's the fastest way to cover water you could imagine. They are a pain to haul around since they are longer than my truck.

[LokoLobo]

At 5 years old I got a cane pole.. and I guess my parents saw how much I loved fishing that when I turned 6 they bought me a rod and tackle for my birthday..  My first rod was a white solid fiberglass pole with a cork handle about 5ft. long with a Zebco 202 real on it..  I had it for many years and it caught many many fish.. 

[rchaze60]

 my first one was a Zebco 202. My dad and grandpa were going fishing and I was buggin the heck out of them to take so we stopped at the local hardware store and that is where I got this awesome pole or so I thought. I felt like a pro with that rod and reel I was walking on cloud 9. Had that pole for years to come lost the nut on it and my dad would fix it all the time. Thanks for the memories Dad and Papa Rest in peace

[tripnchip]

The first pole I rember useing was a steel rod with what would be considered a bait cast reel now but it didn't have any of those fancy settings on it, just throw the hook out and give the spool a light touch with your thump to control any back lash. When I got my first fiberglass rod for $3& somthin, i thought i was realy in the swing of things. My how things change over just a couple years. lol

[captkev]

  I know I don't remember my first, but I have seen many Pic's of several different combos each time

I think this is a Zebco on Twin Lake...?

[Rugs]

Zebco 202  :rock: :rock: :rock:

[holdemtwice]

 zebco 202   

[DaveO]

my first was forsure a cane pole,,,,,,,,,first combo I think was a johnson century