Browse by reel type · 5 categories

Reel types

Five mechanical categories cover every reel in the catalog. The type decides what line you can throw, what species you can target, and what failure modes you should watch for on a used-eBay listing. Bait-casters dominate bass-fishing, spinning reels are the all-rounder, spincast reels are the no-backlash entry tier, fly reels are direct-drive line storage, and conventional reels are the saltwater workhorse.

Reel type

Baitcasting reels

13 references

Revolving-spool casting reels: the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, Daiwa Millionaire, Pflueger Supreme and Akron, and Shakespeare's Kalamazoo level-wind reels. The spool turns as line goes out on the cast, so the angler controls it with a thumb, helped on most of these reels by a brake; on the retrieve a level wind lays the line evenly across the spool. Ambassadeurs, made in Svängsta, Sweden, from 1952, are the most collected. Mid-century American casting reels from Pflueger and Shakespeare are plentiful, inexpensive and a good way to learn thumb-casting on vintage tackle.

Reel type

Spinning reels

8 references

Open-face fixed-spool reels with a bail or manual pickup: the Mitchell 300 family, the Penn Spinfisher 704 and 710Z, and the Daiwa 7000C. The spool does not turn on the cast; line spills off its front edge, and on the retrieve the bail or pickup catches the line and the rotor winds it back on. Spinning reels are easy to cast with light lures and light line. The Mitchell 300, introduced in France in 1948, dominates vintage freshwater spinning, while Penn's green Spinfishers and the Daiwa 7000C are the classic surf spinners.

Reel type

Spincast reels

4 references

Closed-face push-button reels from Zebco: the 33, 202, 808 and Omega. A fixed spool sits inside a cone; pressing the thumb button holds the line, releasing it during the cast lets the line flow out through the hole in the front, and turning the handle engages pickup pins that wind it back on. Spincast reels are simple, forgiving and the way millions of American children first learned to fish. Vintage examples are inexpensive, and collectors pay a little more only for early versions with metal feet and original colours.

Reel type

Fly reels

2 references

Single-action fly reels, here the Pflueger Medalist 1494 and 1495. The spool turns once for each turn of the handle, line is stripped by hand, and the reel mainly stores line and backing and provides a click and light drag when a fish runs. Fly reels are sized by the fly-line weight and backing they hold rather than by pound-test capacity, so the 1494 is the trout size and the larger 1495 suits heavier lines. Early Akron-made Medalists are the collector tier; later reels are inexpensive, dependable fishing tools.

Reel type

Conventional reels

9 references

Heavy revolving-spool saltwater reels with a star drag: the Penn Senator sizes from 4/0 to 12/0, the Penn Squidder, Jigmaster and Long Beach, and the big Ambassadeur 7000 and 9000. Most of the Penns have no level wind, so the angler lays line on the spool with a thumb, and they are built around drags that can handle big, fast fish. Penn introduced the Senator in 1936 and still sells it, and parts for most vintage Penns remain easy to find, which makes them rebuildable working reels rather than shelf pieces.

Reel types