How Fishing Reels Work

• Fishermen use fishing reels to hold the line, cast, and retrieve the fishing line and lures they use to catch fish. Fishing reels come in a number of shapes and sizes, but the two most common varieties are spinning reels and baitcasting reels. While each type is built differently and used for different purposes, their primary purposes are the same.
  
  

• The primary objective of any fishing reel is to hold fishing line. The line is held on the spool. When the handle of the reel turns counterclockwise, line is taken onto the spool. On some reels, the reel handle can be turned clockwise, which results in line being removed from the spool.
  
  

• Another main objective of fishing reels is to cast the line, and the lure that is attached, into the water. Spinning reels have a bail that does not allow line to come off when it is closed. But line can flow freely off the spool when the bail is open. As a result, when fishermen want to cast a spinning reel, they open the bail, hold the line with an index finger and cast. Baitcasting reels do not have bails; instead, they include a clutch bar and a line guide that is located at the front of the reel. When the clutch bar is depressed, line flows freely off the spool through the line guide. So when anglers want to cast a baitcasting reel, they depress the clutch bar with their thumb, apply a small amount of pressure on the line with their thumb, and then cast.
  
  

• Whether using a baitcasting or spinning reel, after anglers cast and the lure hits the water, they turn the reel handle. This engages the gears inside the reel, which spin as the handle is turned and line is brought in. Another of the main mechanical parts of fishing reels is their drag system, which comes into play when they hook a fish. Drags allow line to flow off the reel, even if the bail is closed or the clutch bar is not depressed. Anglers set their drags so that large fish will cause line to flow off the reel, rather than put so much pressure on the line that it breaks. On spinning reels, the drag can be set via a knob at the top or bottom of the reel. On baitcasting reels, the drag most commonly is set via a star-shaped mechanism on the reel handle.