This section covers the history of spinning reels used by anglers. Spinning reels are reels from which the line is cast off a stationary or fixed spool. The spool does not rotate during the cast. Open-face spinning reels lack a cover, and the spool is exposed on the exterior of the reel. Open-face spinning reels are typically positioned below the rod. Closed-face spinning reels have a cover over the line spool and an opening in the cover through which the line passes.
Open-Face Spinning Reels
There are two basic designs of open-face spinning reels, both designed and initially patented in Great Britian. Peter Malloch patented a pivoting fixed spool design in 1884. Alfred Illingworth patented a fixed spool design in which the spool does not need to be pivoted to cast in 1905. (Malloch and Illingworth reels are further described and photographed in the 1866 to 1900 and the 1901 to 1920 history sections of this section.
Open-Face Spinning Reels Parts
Spinning Reel Examples
1930s vintage Alcock Stanley Light Casting reel with manual pickup arm, made in England. Remember, in England, “casting” is what we know as “spinning” in the colonies.
Late 1930s half-bail Hardy Hardex, made in England.
Late 1940s aluminum Fix spinning reel with manual pickup roller, made in Switzerland.
Introduced in 1950, the Alcedo Micron is considered the first modern ultralight spinning reel.
Introduced in 1959 and made in the U.S., the Fin-Nor Gar Wood spinning reel was designed to stand up to the rigors of saltwater fishing. This example is from the first year of production.
Made in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s, this Tozak TAP 451 spinning reel has an unusual tilted, oscillating spool design.
Early 1970s Penn 704 saltwater spinning reel with full bail, made in U.S.A.
Closed-Face Spinning Reels
The earliest closed-face spinning reel was patented in the U.S. by Thomas Winans and Thomas Whistler in 1875. The reel was produced and even illustrated in a contemporary fishing periodical, but an example of the reel has not been identified in any current museum or private collections. There is a 70-year hiatus before closed-face spinning reels were re-introduced. The first commercially successful closed-face fishing reels were produced in the U.S. shortly after World War II.
Some closed-face reels are positioned below the rod, while others are designed to be fished above the rod. Some closed-face reels (both below- and over-the-rod varieties), have line openings on the side of the reel; these are called side-casters by some collectors, but this is term is confusing because Malloch’s patented open-face spinning reel was called the Sidecaster. Similarly, the term “spin cast” is confusing and contentious among collectors. “Spin-Cast” was first used in 1951 and trademarked by South Bend for below-the-rod closed-face reels. In 1957, South Bend trademarked the term “Spin Cast” (no hyphen) as a descriptor for their above-the-rod pushbutton reels.
Closed-Face Spinning Reel Parts
Here are some examples of 1950-1960’s closed-face spinning reels:
- Early 1950s plastic-bodied Air-Light reel with side line opening and pickup pin.
- Mid 1950s Hansen reel; line is manually moved to switch between casting and line-retrieval modes.
- Early 1950s Magic Reel has a nearly identical design to Winans and Whistler’s 1875-patent reel.
- Late 1950s South Bend No. 88 has a ceramic pickup pin and a black hard rubber line brake ring.
- Circa-1950 Zebco Standard reel has a stationary spool, but the spool cap spins during casts.
- Mid-1960s Heddon reel with scalloped spool cap which drops down when the handle is turned, facilitating line retrieval.
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