Fishing Reels

The Pros & Cons of Baitcast-Type Fishing Reels

Baitcasting reels are seen by many fishermen as harder to use than spinning or other types of reels. They feature a horizontal reel and a thumb-button release. Though they are predominantly the tool of bass fishermen, baitcasting reels are increasing in popularity with skilled freshwater and saltwater fishermen. Used with a heavy tackle and line, you often can cast farther with a baitcasting reel than a spincasting one.

All About Fishing Reels

Explanation of the Gear Ratio on Fishing Reels

In order to explain the gear ratio as it applies to fishing reels, it's necessary to understand the basic principle of a gear-drive system. An automobile transmission has a series of gears that dictate how fast the drive shaft ...

How to Compare Fly Fishing Reels

Pricing is often a benchmark when comparing fly fishing reels. The least expensive models hold fly line, and a fisherman applies pressure on the spool to provide drag that might be needed. Turning a small handle on the side of ...

How to Spool New Line on a Fishing Reel

Proper care of your fishing equipment is essential to success and enjoyable experiences on the water. Fishing line often needs to be replaced or added to reels, especially at the beginning of a season. Anglers who fish frequent...

How to Thread a Zebco Fishing Reel

Zebco, a well-known name in the fishing industry, produces a complete line of spincast fishing reels. The spincast reel is similar to spinning reels, except that the spool of the reel is completely enclosed under the front cove...

The Best Saltwater Baitcasting Reels

The best baitcasting reels are not always the most expensive, but a reel should perform in ways that suit your approach and style of bait fishing. Light, medium and heavy casting reels all have their place with certain types of...

Shimano 3500B Baitrunner Review

The Shimano 3500B Baitrunner is a fixed-spool fishing reel that you can use in freshwater and saltwater fishing environments. The reel is constructed from noncorrosive graphite.

Shimano Calais DC Review

The Shimano Calais DC is a low-profile, digitally controlled fishing reel. The two Calais DC models are the CL-200DC and the CL-201DC. The CL-200DC model is for right-handed users, and the CL-201DC is for left-handed users.

Instructions to Put a Line on a Fishing Reel

The reel is the part of a fishing rod that holds the fishing line. When a fisher casts the line into the water, the reel spins freely, allowing the line to travel outward from the end of the rod. Once the fisher feels a tug at ...

Top Saltwater Reels

Choosing a saltwater reel depends on a few key factors, including the individual’s experience, the preferred means of fishing and the types of fish the reel will catch. Saltwater reels come in either baitcasting or spinni...

Fishing Reel Parts & Pieces

Before heading to the local lake or river, you need to select a fishing rod and reel to match the fishing conditions. One of the most important pieces of equipment for fishing, the reel contains small parts and pieces that form...

Shakespeare Fishing Reel Information

Having produced fishing rods and reels for more than a century, Shakespeare offers fishing tackle to meet a wide variety of fishing requirements. According to FeatureFishingReels.com, Shakespeare reels are chosen by anglers for...

Casting Reel Parts

Fishing enthusiasts use casting reels to position lines and lures out in the water, then draw them back in to land a fish. While many anglers swear by a certain type of tackle, baitcasting reels may help to maximize line contro...

How Do Fishing Reels Work?

There are three basic styles of fishing reels--conventional reels, sometimes referred to as casting reels, spinning reels and fly reels. Though these differ in design, the principle is the same with each: a handle is used to tu...

Baitcaster Casting Tips

Spinning reels satisfy the needs of most weekend fisherman, but learning to fish with a baitcasting reel adds to the angler’s arsenal, making the painful process of mastering the technique well worth it. Baitcasting r...

List of Antique Fishing Reels

A fishing reel is a mechanism to quickly release or collect a fishing line. Most reels incorporate a locking device to attach the reel to the fishing rod. Although there were reels in England as early as 1650, geared reels didn...

The Best Fly Fishing Reels

To achieve an accurate cast, you must learn how to use the fly-fishing rod and reel. Choosing a fly-fishing reel can be difficult with the wide range of sizes and styles to match the fishing conditions. The best fly-fishing ree...

Parts of a Reel

Fishing reels come in four types: spinning, bait-casting, spin-casting and fly. They all do the same thing—namely, hold line before a cast, allow release of the line during a cast and collect the line during a retrieve. T...

The Best Saltwater Fly Reels

Saltwater fly fishing reels are precision instruments that must be easy to use and responsive, yet durable enough to withstand the rigors of tough saltwater fishing conditions. Fortunately for saltwater anglers, many good reel ...

The Best Fishing Reels for Bass Fishing

Today's fishing reels are high quality. The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide calls them "works of art." Reels in the middle of the price range can be very good performers. Baitcast and spinning reels are the usual...

The Best Shimano Reels

Major fishing and outdoor organizations consistently rate Shimano fishing reels as highest in quality, and the reels won the 2010 Outdoor Life awards for "Best Spincasting" and "Best Baitcasting" reels. Shim...

The Best Fishing Reels for Saltwater Fishing

To fish these species, you'll need equipment that can handle the fish as well as the harsh conditions from the saltwater. Saltwater can cause damage to fishing reels and equipment through corrosion. The best fishing reels for s...

The Best Baitcast Fishing Reels

Baitcast fishing reels are reels that are mounted on the top of the rod with an open spool of fishing line. These reels are available in a variety of models and have specific features for different fishing situations. The best ...

Baitcaster Tips

One of the most effective, yet challenging, pieces of fishing gear is the baitcaster reel and rod. Baitcasters are designed to place bait at a specific location quickly and accurately. On the other hand, a poorly set up or hand...

How to Put Line on a Fishing Reel

Fishing is a popular sport and pastime enjoyed by young and old alike. Sooner or later, all fishermen will need to add new line to a fishing pole. This is an easy procedure that can be done quickly. In order to achieve optim...

How to Line Open Face Fishing Reels

Open-face fishing reels consist of an open reel spool mounted on a metal or plastic housing that hangs from an arm attached to the fishing rod. A side-mounted handle operates an internal gear assembly within the housing, when c...