Essential gear (fishing rod & reel)

CHOOSE A REEL
At the most basic level, a fishing reel is simply a device used to store, deploy, and retrieve fishing line. But in the hands of a skilled angler, a strong, well-designed reel is a tool used at every step in the quest to catch a fish. It helps vary the speed and action of the lure, lets a light-biting fish take the bait without a hint of your presence, halts the strongest drag-screaming run, and controls the line when the fish is just about in hand. Here are the three most common reel types.

To know them is to love to put them to hard use.

SPINNING REEL
Spinning reels have fixed spools that do not rotate the line uncoils from the front of the spool, pulled by the weight of the lure. Since the cast lure doesn't need to have enough force to spin a rotating spool, spinning reels can utilize very light lures ultralight spinning reels can handle lures as feathery as 1/32 of an ounce and backlash is rarely an issue. The downside to spinning reels: stopping a cast isn't a straightforward task. And spinning reels are notorious for twisting line. It's best to pump the rod up and reel on the way down to minimize twist.

BAIL Serves as a line pickup device to return the line evenly on the spool after the cast.

DRAG ADJUSTMENT KNOB The drag is a system of friction washers and discs. Front-mounted drags are typically stronger than rear-mounted drags.

SPOOL Holds the fishing line. A skirted spool covers the main reel shaft like a skirt to prevent line entanglement.

GEAR HOUSING
Protects the internal gears that
connect the handle to the spool.

HANDLE Activates the gears to retrieve line. Spinning reels come in a wide range of gear ratios, which is the number of spool revolutions to the number of gear handle revolutions. High-speed retrieve reels have gear ratios in the 4:1 class or higher. Lower gear ratios support more cranking power.ANTI-REVERSE LEVER Prevents the reel handle from turning as line is playing out.REEL FOOT Slides into mounting slots of the rod's reel seat.

Flyfishing reels don't revolve during a cast, since fly anglers strip line from the reel and let it pay out during the back-and-forth motion called false casting. In the past, fly reels have served largely as line-storage devices with simple mechanical drags. Advancing technology and an increase in interest in flyfishing for big, strong-fighting fish have led to strong drag systems that can stop fish as large as tarpon. Other recent developments include warp- and corrosion-resistant materials and finishes and larger arbors the spindles around which the line is wrapped that reduce line coils and help maintain consistent drag pressure.

HANDLE Unlike spinning and baitcasting reels, rotating the handle of a fly reel typically turns the spool a single revolution.

FRAME Holds the spool. A weak frame will warp, causing friction as the spool revolves.

DRAG KNOB Adjusts drag tension. Some smaller reels have a spring-and-pawl drag, while reels for larger fish sport strong cork and composite disc braking systems.

ARBOR The spindle around which the fly line is wrapped. Many modern reels have larger arbors that help recover line more quickly when a fish swims toward the angler.

SPOOL Many reels are fitted with removable spools. Having different fly lines ready on a number of spools allows an angler to switch tactics more quickly.

BAITCASTING REEL
The spool on a baitcasting reel revolves on an axle as it pays out line. By applying thumb pressure to the revolving spool, an angler can slow and stop a cast with pinpoint precision. Baitcasting reels require skill and practice and are a favorite of bass anglers, many of whom insist the reels afford more sensitive contact with the line than spinning reels. Baitcasters get the nod from trolling fishermen, too, for the revolving spool makes it easy to pay out and take up line behind a boat and also reduces line twist.

SPOOL Holds the fishing line.

STAR DRAG Adjusts tension on a stacked series of washers and brake linings that make up the reel's internal drag.

LEVEL-WIND GUIDE Attached to a worm gear, this device moves the line back and forth across the face of the spool evenly to prevent line from getting trapped under itself.

SPOOL TENSIONER Is a braking device to reduce spool overrun and resultant bird's nest line snarls.

FREESPOOL BUTTON Allows the spool to turn freely for the cast.

HANDLE The latest upgrades offer ergonomic grips with grooves for better control.