Fishing reels explained

By Robert Thornton

Fishing tackle can sometimes seem overly complex and daunting, especially to those new to the sport. Nowhere is this truer than when it comes to fishing reels.

Sure, fishing reels are intricate pieces of machinery with lots of moving parts and they require grease and semi-regular maintenance to function properly. On the other hand, they are an important tool in fishing that, if understood and employed smartly, can really improve your catch rate.

In this blog we’re going to look at reels! We’ll look at reel evolution, different types of reels, the pros and cons of each, setting them up and some maintenance tips.

Hopefully by the end, you’ll have a better idea how different reels work and will be able to choose a reel to suit your style.

THE HISTORY REEL 

We know that fishing reels have existed for at least a few hundred years, going by early literature on fishing. It’s likely that various proto reels existed in other parts of the world too.

Reels are an important part of modern angling, and while they may have changed significantly in the past few generations, their basic function remains the same. Reels act as a ‘reservoir’ for your line, they help to maintain line tension, and they often assist in casting.

One of the main drivers for change has been leaps in line technology. In the early 20th century, anglers used natural materials for fishing line, such as stretched animal gut, plant fibres or other things fashioned at home. Reels were often large, unwieldly and heavy devices that needed to be big to house thick, cumbersome line material.

With the advent of Nylon in about 1940, anglers quickly adopted this new synthetic material. With Nylon being relatively thin and supple, reels also started to change, and more compact designs became the norm.

Once braided fishing lines hit the scene in the 1990s, reel technology adapted once again, becoming even more compact and put together with precision to make them smoother, lighter and needing less maintenance.

No doubt reels will continue to change into the future, and I look forward to seeing where reel technology goes in my lifetime.

WHAT FISHING REEL DO I NEED?

If you’re just getting into fishing, it’s important you pick the right reel for what you want to do. We’re now going to look at the different sorts of reels, how they work, how they’re used and how to get the most out of them.

Spin reels

Spin reels are so named because of a design that makes the line roller spin when retrieved. As the line roller spins, the spool oscillates to evenly spread the line across it.

Also known as ‘eggbeaters’, this style of reel is probably the most widely used, due to their ease of use and reliability. These days, spin reels come in all shapes and sizes from tiny palm sized models used for flicking small lures in trout streams, all the way up to huge contraptions employed in GT stickbaiting and popping jaunts. Realistically though, there is a spin reel to suit just about every fishing situation, and it’s no surprise that anglers often start their angling journey with a spin reel.

Spin reels shine when delivering light presentations or casting long distances, and are sometimes favoured for their ability to retrieve line quickly. What they lack is constant direct contact with the other end of the line (more on that later), line capacity, and sometimes drag pressure. With that said, if you’re trying to decide which reel to start with, 95% of the time a spin reel will do the job just fine.

Setting spin reels up is fairly simple. To spool them with line, you only need to wind your line on with a bit of tension (if using braid, you might need backing monofilament to help the braid ‘bite’ and to stop it sliding on the spool). Always make sure your line feeds through the line roller before it goes onto the spool.

Regular maintenance is as simple as giving them a quick spray with freshwater after saltwater use (always tighten the drag up before spraying and loosen off after drying). You should also regularly check that your line roller bearing spins freely, otherwise it can damage and cut your line. Finally, check every so often that the line is being distributed evenly on the spool.

Baitcasters/overheads

This family of fishing reels is probably the second most widely used in the country, but they have a reputation that can deter people from trying them. For the sake of clarity, ‘baitcaster’ refers to a reel designed mostly for casting lures, where the spool sits side-on to the user, the line feeds on with a ‘level wind’, and the reel is disengaged with a button or ‘thumb bar’. ‘Overhead’ reels are the same in their spool design and release mechanism, but tend to be bigger for use in the bluewater, often lack a level wind, and while can be cast are not designed for it.

On the casting side of things, baitcasters offer a level of control that spin reels lack, with the thumb acting as a useful brake. Good-quality baitcaster reels will also have some sort of ‘cast control’, which is a mechanism that kicks in as a brake while casting. The cast control can be magnetic, centrifugal or anything else designed to mitigate ‘backlashes’.

Backlashes, overruns or ‘birds nests’ occur when the spool keeps spinning after the cast is completed, resulting in tangles that can be difficult to undo. Overheads also experience overruns, but this they usually occurs when the angler loses concentration while letting line out, not while casting. 

Both baitcasters and overheads offer more direct contact than spinning reels, as the line goes straight onto the spool, unlike spinning reels where the line goes through a line roller before turning 90 degrees onto the spool. What this means is more sensitivity and feel through the rod, which is a great advantage when retrieving lures through snags, hopping lures on the bottom, or trolling.

These reels should be spooled up under tension, with braid requiring a little more tension than braid. One trick I like to employ once the reel is spooled up is to let a lure or something heavy out behind a moving boat (about 2-3 cast length back) before winding it back under consistent tension. All baitcasters and overheads have a tension knob, which controls the residence when the reel is out of gear, and many baitcasters will also have a cast control (usually a dial on the side of the reel). It’s worth making small adjustments with the cast control when starting out, as a well-tuned baitcaster can really make the difference out on the water.

Once again, a quick spray with freshwater after saltwater use is recommended for maintenance.

You can read more about baitcasters and overheads here.

Spincast reels

A less common reel is the spincast, or closed face reel. While not something we see much of anymore, they are still around and have a small but loyal following, especially in the United States.

Spincast reels are like a hybrid between spin and baitcast reels, consisting of a line roller system like a spin reel, but with a thumb bar for releasing the line like a baitcaster. As its alternative name suggests, the spool itself is covered.

Spincasters fit onto a baitcaster rod and offer similar levels of control when casting lures. The main difference is that where a baitcaster needs can be ‘feathered’ with the thumb on the spool, the spincast is feathered by gradually releasing the thumb bar.

These reels are great for kids or people without a lot of dexterity, as they are incredibly simple to operate.

One criticism of spincasters is their tendency to develop line twist, which can’t be easily dealt with due to the closed face design. They also tend to lack the smoothness of a good-quality baitcast or spin reel.

Setting them up is pretty straight forward, just unscrew the housing that covers the spool, tie the line to the spool, and make sure it feeds out through the line roller before winding it on. Once again, a little bit of tension will ensure it comes off the spool freely when casting.

Other reels

There are other reels out there, such as electric reels, centrepin reels, sidecast reels, fly reels and more, however they aren’t in the realm of beginners and are usually used is more specialised settings. Many of the basic principles still apply with these reels, especially when it comes to spooling them up and maintaining them.

REEL TALK

Deciding which reel you should use when starting out can really stump some newbies, but hopefully this blog has given you some idea of where to begin. My advice would be to start with a spinning reel and work your way up from there, but this isn’t the only way to go by any means. Pick something that’s right for you and you’ll never look back.  

The main take away is that no one type of reel is better than another, they all have strengths and weaknesses, and where one reel struggles in a certain situation, another will shine.