Spinning (fixed spool) reel

Reels utilizing a fixed spool were in use in North America as early as the 1870s. They were originally developed to allow the use of artificial flies, or other lures for trout or salmon, that were too light in weight to be easily cast by bait casting reels. Fixed spooled reels are normally mounted below the rod. Spinning reels also solved the problem of backlash, as they did not have a rotating spool to overrun and foul the line. The earliest fixed-spool reels turned the spool 90 degrees in the body of the reel for retrieval, and then reversed it back into casting position. In casting position, line was drawn off in coils from the end of the fixed, non-rotating spool.


In 1948, the Mitchell Reel Company of Cluses, France introduced the Mitchell 300 with a design that oriented the face of the spool forward in a permanently fixed position below the fishing rod. A mechanical line pickup was used to retrieve the cast line (eventually developed into a wire bail design), and an anti-reverse lever prevented the crank handle from rotating while a fish was pulling line from the spool. Because the line did not have to pull against a rotating spool, much lighter lures could be cast than with a bait casting reel. Conversely, halting the cast and stopping the lure at the desired position requires practice in learning to feather the line with the forefinger as it uncoils from the spool. Most spinning reels operate best with fairly limp, flexible fishing lines.

Though spinning reels do not suffer from backlash, the line can be trapped underneath itself on the spool or even detach from the reel in loose loops of line. Various oscillating spool mechanisms have been introduced over the years in an effort to solve this problem. Spinning reels also tend to have more issues with twisting of the fishing line. Line twist in spinning reels can occur from the spin of an attached lure, the action of the wire bail against the line when engaged by the crank handle, or even retrieval of line that is under load (spinning reel users normally pump the rod up and down, then retrieve the slack line to avoid line twist and stress on internal components). Most anglers who use a spinning reel also manually reposition the bail after each cast in order to minimize line twist.

Fixed Spool Reel Operation
Fixed spool reels are cast by opening the bail, grasping the line with the forefinger, and then using a backward snap of the rod followed by a forward cast while releasing the line with the forefinger at the same time. On the retrieve, the large rotating wire cage or bail (either manually or trigger-operated) serves as the line pickup, restoring the line to its original position on the spool.