+1 for the Zebco 33

I have 4 or 5 AbuMatic 170�s of various ages, a Zebco Bullet, and a closed face by Bass Pro. I�ve always been an AbuMatic fan and have one or two that are very old. I rebuilt one today using parts from another one. I spent all day today putting new line in all the reels (spinning, baitcasting, and closed face) and then fishing in my pond to make sure they were ready for use. That Zebco bullet is the smoothest closed face I�ve used, and the wife has claimed it. Still, nothing I have is as smooth as my baitcasting reels, and I�m not as smooth with the baitcasters as I would like to be.

Those old Zebco 33�s are sure easy to get parts for and rebuild. I have a few of those that the wife�s parents left her, and I rebuilt them so she could use them, but she parked them and went to the Bullet.

I caught 7 bass, by the way. We are catch and release except for catfish.

I did a lot of research on this subject bringing up my kids fishing. So many of the spincast reels have a low rate of retrieval. You have to reel uncomfortably fast to keep your rooster tail spinning or to keep your squarebill bumping into the cover.

We ended up using BPS Extreme Lightweight reels. 27" per turn, similar to regular spinning reel (zebco 33 is only 19").

They have held up well, and at $30 it's an okay price point. Sometimes they go on sale and you can get them cheaper.
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-extreme-lightweight-spincast-reel