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Shakespeare Children's Fishing Kits

June 17, 2005
Shakespeare Fishing Tackle is recalling about 438,000 children's fishing kits. 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.

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.

The gear was sold at discount department, sporting good and toy stores nationwide from August 2001 through June 2005 for between $9 and $13.

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

Consumer Contact: For more information, call Shakespeare Fishing Tackle toll-free at (866) 466-0559 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.shakespeare-fishing.com/recall.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

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