Fishing Reels

( Originally Published 1912 )

USING a reel for lengthening and shortening the line has been practiced since the beginning of the seventeenth century, maybe longer, for Izaak Walton speaks of the reel in his "Complete Angler," though he does not appear to be ell acquainted with it, and probably never used one himself. The "wheel" used at that time was a simple, single action reel, and these same single action reels are the only kind used in England today. They are also used in this country for fly fishing. The multiplying reel is all American.

The single action fly reel is the simplest form of fishing reel that can be made. It consists of two side plates, held together by means of five pillars one at the top, one at each side and two at the bottom. These two bottom pillars are attached to the base which holds the reel to the rod. On cheap reels these pillars may be riveted, but on all the better grades they are screwed. Ordinarily they are placed near the edge of the circular plates, but sometimes are fastened into extensions of the edges, and these are called raised pillar reels. This forms the framework. In the center is the spool, which is a spindle with disc-shaped ends, not unlike a thread spool, and it turns freely between the side plates. An extension of this spindle projecting through the right side plate is fitted with a crank and handle. The line is fastened to the spool, a little hole being placed there for tying, and it is wound up by turning the handle. That is the reel in its simplest form.

The balance handle is supposed to be an improvement. It is simply a double length crank with a handle at one end and a weight at the other. It was designed to make the spool run more freely, but why it should be placed on a fly reel is a mystery to me, for the line is never cast from the reel. One thing is in its favor it gives the reel a more artistic appearance; but it is likely to entangle the line. All good reels of' this pattern have the edge of the side plate extended out over the crank a short distance to keep the line from being entangled in the handle. These are called "single action click reels, with protected handle." All single action reels are narrow, so that the line will wind more evenly without being "spooled" by hand.

The click consists of a sort of ratchet working both ways, inside of the left-hand plate. Its use is to keep the reel from running too freely and to show when the line is running out. It is not a necessity by any means, but all fly reels are equipped with a click. It may be stationary, or "back sliding" so that by pushing a little button on the reel plate, it is thrown out of engagement and inoperative. The click, when in action, makes a clicking sound as the spool is turned.

Reels are made of brass, nickel-plated brass, aluminum, rubber, German silver, and rubber and German silver combined. The cheapest are brass and nickel plate. The best are made of German silver.

The best single action reels have the handle attached to a revolving side plate, which takes the place of the revolving handle. They are strong and simple and do not offer a place for the line to become entangled. The handle should taper, being smallest at the outer end, and the edges of the side plates should be rounded and smooth so that they will not wear the enamel from the line.

There is another form of single action click reel which has no side plates, simply a pair of rims held together by > the pillars and a post up the left side to which the spool is attached. The handle is attached direct to the other end of the spool. The "Expert," "Featherweight" and "Ideal" reels are of this pattern. They are very good and are used considerably for fly fishing.

A single action reel for trout or bass fishing should be of the size said to hold eighty or 100 yards of line. These will hold only about half that much size E enamel line, and while it is seldom if ever that more than thirty-five yards are needed for bass or trout, it is better if the spool is well filled up, but not crowded. The more line you have on the spool the faster it will pick up the slack.

For salmon very large single action reels are used.

They will measure from three and a half to four and a fourth inches in diameter and will hold several hundred yards of heavy enameled line.

The multiplying reel has double side plates at the handle end and the handle is not attached to the spool or the central shaft, but is set to one side and is connected with the spool by means of cog gearing. A double multiplying reel turns the spool twice to one turn of the handle, and a quadruple multiplier turns the spool four times to one revolution of the handle. The object of this is not only that they will wind up line faster, but that they may run more freely, for multiplying reels are used in bait-casting and the momentum of the bait must draw out the line from the reel. They are made long in proportion to their diameter, for the running of the spool must be controlled by pressure of the thumb when casting, and the narrow kind would not allow this. When winding in line it must be guided by the hand so that it winds evenly on the spool.

These reels all have balance handles. All of them are fitted with sliding click and some of them with a drag. The drag is to make the reel run harder and tire the fish.

The best reels are made as carefully as a watch, of the best German silver and steel, the bearings made very hard to make them run easily and resist wear, and some are jeweled or have ball-bearings. These fine reels come very high, from ten to sixty dollars, but if one does much fishing, and can stand the initial cost, they are well worth the money, for they will never wear out and are a source of continuous joy to the owner. They are the kind that are used in the bait-casting tournaments and the longest casts have been made with them.

This description applies to reels of the standard design, but in late years special reels to do away with the thumbing operation, always difficult for the amateur, have been invented. These are called "self-thumbing" reels. This device is entirely concealed inside the reel and consists of simple weights attached to the flanges of the spool. They are said to work very well and enable the amateur to cast a bait as well as the experienced fishermen, without letting the spool overrun and make a "backlash," as a tangle of this kind is called.

Another fine reel brought out in recent years is known as the anti-backlash casting-reel, and it is intended to govern automatically the rendering of the line, and is said to do so to perfection. This reel requires no thumbing. This is ac complished with only a fraction of an ounce additional weight to the reel and with a device so simple that it is hardly worthy to be called a mechanism. The braking effect is adjustable in a moment, entirely without the use of tools, to suit any weight bait. If desired, a half turn of the adjusting screw releases the brake and the reel can then be used and thumbed as an ordinary reel.

Then there are "free spool" reels which automatically free the spool from the gearing as the bait is cast, allowing the spool to run without turning the handle of the reel, thus allowing of long casts. It is somewhat on the principle of the coaster brake on a bicycle. The first movement of the handle in reeling in line again engages the gear and turns the spool.

Another invention that is a great help to the beginner is the even spooler, a device to attach to a reel to make it wind the line evenly from end to end of the spool without attention from the angler. This consists of a pulley with an arch over it as a line guide, traveling back and forth on a spindle, which is threaded right and left. The pulley travels to one end of the spool, automatically slips into the other thread and travels back again, laying the line evenly on the spool.

There are several reels made by the Shakespear people that have a level winding arrangement built into the reel itself, but the independent even-spoolers can be attached to almost any reel.

There is also a reel that may be taken apart in a few seconds without tools and by having separate spools with lines wound, same may be inserted and used in case a line breaks or tangles badly.

Some time ago there was placed on the market a reel and rod handle combined which winds the line in a criss-cross style. It is known as the Gyratory reel. It can only be used with the handle supplied with it as it is not made to be fastened in a reel seat. The object is to so wind the line that it will not cut in (one round wedged between others.) It consists of a simple spool on a spindle, the spindle projecting through the rod handle and the reel handle attached to the spindle. The reel is one of the free-spool kind and no part moves when casting except the spool itself. It is the wobbling motion of the spool that cross-winds the line.

The old and experienced bait-casters frown on all of these improvements and denounce them. They are experts in thumbing the reel and are so used to spooling the line that they can do it nicely without giving it a thought. But for the beginners there is no question that they are a great convenience. It requires a lot of time and patience to learn to properly thumb the reel and many amateurs become discouraged and go back to still-fishing, because they do not have the time and patience to learn. But with these improvements they never have to learn to master this delicate accomplishment unless they want to. The experts say that they do not give the fish a chance; that they rob fishing of its pleasures by making it too easy. It would do so for them, but not for the man who can only devote a day now and then to fishing they add to his pleasure.

The expert fishermen are quite often opposed to the automatic reel for the same reason; it does not give the fish a chance and makes fishing easy. But properly used the automatic reel is one of the finest things ever designed for the fly fisherman ; it is no good for bait-casting, but may be used for still-fishing. To my mind it is as sportsmanlike as the hammerless or repeating gun and I can see no reason why anybody should draw the line at improvements in fishing reels. In fly fishing the angler need not use the reel to play the fish if he does not care to do so, but handle the line by hand and pick up the slack with the reel. A pressure of the little finger on the lever causes the reel to rapidly wind in line. It is really intended to co-operate with the spring of the rod to automatically and instantly take up all slack of the line and keep a constant strain on the fish. It is not intended to reel the fish in. The reel may be used for fly fishing either above or below the hand, but works best below the hand, as it balances the rod and makes it handle better. The reel should be of the smallest and lightest for light fly rods. It is said that the automatic reel is an excellent one for salmon fishing, but, of course, the largest sizes must be used for this.

All automatic reels are made on the same principle and turn the spool by means of a long coiled or wound spring.

The tension of the spring may be regulated to suit the rod and the kind of fish that are sought. It should not be made too strong if the rod is a light one.

Reels for salt-water fishing are made similar to bait-casting reels, but are shorter in proportion to their diameter and are much larger. A reel for surf fishing should hold two hundred yards of line, or more. The best are made of German silver and rubber and have a "throw-off" to make them free-spool, for casting. The reel should be equipped with a leather brake, which is a piece of leather attached to REELS.

one of the pillars and is pressed against the line on the spool to check the rush of a fish. The greatest objection to a leather brake is that it wears the line rapidly. What is better is the handle drag, which is a balance handle so made that it acts as a brake, and is fitted to the reel in place of the regular handle. The center of. the handle consists of a large disc holding six screws around the edge. By turning these screws any degree of drag may be obtained. In using them the angler does not let go of the handle but holds it stationary and the fish must draw out the line against the tension for which the drag is adjusted. The handle remains stationary, but when the fish gets tired and slacks the line the handle may be turned and the slack reeled in. It prevents breaking of rod tips and lines and the loss of fish.

One firm, a large manufacturer of salt-water reels, fit their tarpon and tuna reels with an adjustable drag of their own which holds against the fish continually, when it runs, at the tension to which it was adjusted. The drag does not alter the appearance of the reel and the handle does not revolve when the line is drawn out.

Reels for tarpon and tuna fishing are of the largest size, some of them being four and a half inches in diameter and holding 600 yards of line.

A simple wood reel of large size is sometimes used for troiling with a copper wire line, for muskellunge, lake trout and other fresh-water fish. Many salt-water anglers also use them those who fish from the piers and in the surf. They are made in five: six, and seven inch sizes.