XYZ:
ZERO HOUR BOMB CO.
Tulsa, Oklahoma. The original name of Zebco. Originally a manufacturer
of oil field explosive devises. In 1947 they hired R. D. Hull, the
inventor of the original Zebco reel, and expanded it into a large tackle
conglomerate. Zebco became the official name of the company in 1956. The
first model closed face spinning reel bears the Zero Hour Bomb Co. name.
ZWARG,
OTTO. (1899-1958) A German dentist who immigrated to the U.S. in
the 1920s. He took a temporary job as a machinist for the Edward vom
Hofe Company in Brooklyn NY. He stayed at this reel making job, and
eventually worked his way up to foreman of the company’s reel
production. After the sale of the Edward vom Hofe Company in the 1940s,
he purchased much of the vom Hofe machinery and tooling, and started
building reels with his own label in Brooklyn in 1946. At this time he
also repaired Edward vom Hofe reels, and refinished bamboo rods. In 1947
he moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, establishing the Otto Zwarg Co,
where he continued in the machining business. At this time he was
building fishing reels only as a minor part of the business. Although
the company remained in business., no reels were produced after the
death of Otto Zwarg.
