As you can see in the photos below, they made a few other changes as well. The new Zebco 33 reel will have a matte finish on the cover, and it no longer has “33” stamped on the crank handle. It’s also a fully enclosed cover, as opposed to the current model, which has holes.

It was fun testing it out for an afternoon. I had no tangles whatsoever, but that’s the 33 for you – it’s made to function flawlessly for years. No surprise there. I was most impressed with the faster retrieval rate. It meant that I could get more casting in, and I’m all about creating more opportunities to catch fish.