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Fishing Reels

There are many different types of fishing reels used for various styles of fishing. Essentially a fishing reel is a spool mounted on an axle that is used for casting the line out into the water and also for retrieving the line to either cast again or to bring in the snared fish. Most commonly, the reel is mounted on to a fishing rod and held in the fisherman’s hands; however the pole may also be mounted on the side of the boat or on its transom.

Fly fishing reels and baitcasting reels are the most prevalent types of reels, especially on rivers and lakes. Spinning reels are also common and they were developed to eliminate the problem of ‘backlash’ which is common in baitcasting reels. ‘Backlash,’ also known as a bird’s nest, refers to the line snare that sometimes happens during a cast when too much line is released too fast.

The earliest depiction we have of a fishing reel, seen in the painting ‘Angler on a Wintry Lake’ painted by Ma Yuan in 1195 A.D shows a Chinese fisherman using a rather sophisticated reel and rod. It is of note that the first written records of fishing reels date to the Third Century A.D. in Chinese texts. The rest of this site will explore all types of fishing reels in greater detail. Nowadays fishing reels are basic camping gear.

 

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