What is a spinning reel

The defining feature of a spinning reel is its fixed spool. Line comes off it in coils over the front lip, and a bail arm with a roller lays it back on as it revolves around the spool.

How it is built

There are four main assemblies: the spool, the rotor with its bail arm and line roller, the spool oscillation mechanism and the drag. The rotor turns around the spool while the spool itself moves back and forth so the line lies in an even bed.

Evenness is something you can see: if the line piles up at the lip or at the base, the spool is shimmed with washers placed underneath it.

Why it throws wind knots

The price of a fixed spool is twist. Line leaves in coils, and every coil adds a turn about the line’s own axis. Once enough have accumulated, they spring off as loops.

So line is loaded under tension, and the spool is not left over-filled after a session. The worst offender is braided line: it is stiffer and beds down less well.

Front and rear drag

The adjusting nut sits either at the front, on the spool itself, or at the rear in the body. A front drag works on larger-diameter washers and is usually the more precise of the two; a rear one is easier to reach while playing a fish.

Both arrangements work, and the choice is about habit rather than quality.

Close the bail by hand

The bail closes in two ways: automatically, on the first turn of the handle, or by hand. By hand is better: on automatic closure the roller picks up the line late, and every cast adds an extra turn of twist.

The difference does not show at once but after a hundred casts — which is exactly when the line starts throwing loops for no visible reason.

Size and a spare spool

Size is given as a number — 1000, 2500, 3000, 4000 — and there is no single standard between makers. Go by the printed capacity: line diameter and metres. How much to load is covered in how to choose fishing line.

A spare spool solves more than a second reel does: braid on one, mono on the other, and the change takes seconds. A second spool in the box is an argument for a model.

Who it suits

A spinning reel covers almost every method: spinning, feeder, float and carp tackle. It goes on spinning rods and on most rods sold today.