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A fishing
reel is a device used for
the sport of angling for the
deployment and retrieval of
fishing line using a spool
mounted on an axle. They are
most often used in
conjunction with a fishing
rod. The first illustration
of a fishing reel is from
Chinese paintings beginning
about 1195 A.D.
English
literature first reported a
"wind", placed within two
feet of the lower end of the
fishing rod in 1651. This is
usually accepted as the
first reference to a reel.
And the first picture of a
fishing reel is mentioned
above. Until the 1800's the
fishing reel was not much
more than a storage place
for excess line. The British
claim to be the originators
for the multiplying reel,
but the fishing reels of
George Snyder, of Kentucky,
have become the most famous
19th century multipliers.
Snyder's reels were
developed in the 1820's, and
are what you think of as an
"old fishing reel". From
these reels came what we
think of today as a fishing
reel. With various changes
and developments along the
way.
1) Fly casting -
These fishing reels are
traditionally fairly simple
in terms of mechanical
construction, though this
has been changing with
developments in technology.
A fly reel is normally
operated by stripping line
off with one hand, while
casting the rod with the
other hand. Another
development in fly reels has
been a larger design to
increase the speed of
retrieve and keep a tight
line in the event a hooked
fish makes a sudden run
towards the angler.
2) Bait
casting – These reels in
which line is stored on a
revolving spool. When a cast
is made, line is pulled off
of the reel by the weight of
the lure. Because the
momentum of the forward cast
must rotate the spool as
well as propel the lure,
bait casting designs
normally require heavier
lures for proper operation
than most other types of
fishing reels. On most newer
reels spool tension can be
adjusted to reduce spool
overrun during a cast. The
result of spool overrun is
the famous "birds nest". And
dealing with a "birds nest"
is no fun at all.
3)
Spinning – Spinning
reels were originally
designed to allow the use of
lures that were too light to
be cast by bait casting
reels. Because the line
didn't have to pull against
a rotating spool, much
lighter lures could be cast
than with a bait casting
reel. Spinning reels do not
suffer from backlash,
although the line can become
trapped underneath itself on
the spool or even detach in
loose loops of line. Various
level-wind mechanisms have
been introduced over the
years to attempt to solve
this problem. Most spin
fishermen manually
reposition the bail after
each cast in order to
minimize line twist, which
is exactly what I do.
4) Spin
cast reels – These
fishing reels were developed
by the Johnson Reel Company
in the early 1950's. Just as
with the spinning reel, the
line is thrown from a fixed
spool, and can therefore be
used for throwing light
lures and bait. This fishing
reel eliminates the large
wire bail of the spinning
reel in favor of two pickup
pins. The spin cast reel is
then fitted with a nose cone
that encloses and protects
the fishing line and spool.
Pressing a button on the
rear of the fishing reel
disengages the line pickup
thus allowing the line to
fly off of the spool. Upon
cranking the handle, the
pickup pin immediately
re-engages the line and
re-spools it onto the reel.
Many of you probably used a
Zebco reel when you were a
kid. This is a spin cast
reel.
5)
Underspin or Triggerspin
– These are spin cast reels
that are mounted underneath
a standard spinning rod. A
lever or trigger is grasped
with the forefinger. During
the forward cast, this lever
is released, and the line
flies off the fixed spool.
Like spin cast reels, there
is no wire bail to hold the
line, rather two pickup
pins. Basically these
fishing reels are a
combination of #3 and #4.
We have provided a brief
history of fishing reels as
well as the various types
fishing reels that you may
encounter throughout your
fishing excursions. Just
click on the word
Fishing Reels, if
you would like to check out
the quality fishing reels
that JRWfishing.com has
available for you.
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