SPUN UP

THE EVOLUTION. OF THE SPINNING REEL 

- Joe Albanese

SPINNING REELS

LOOK MUCH AS THEY DID 100 YEARS AGO. BUT MODERN SPINNERS ARE MARVELS OF TECHNOLOGY, BUILT WITH LIGHTWEIGHT BUT STRONG MATERIALS, ENHANCED GEARING, AND DRAG SYSTEMS CAPABLE OF STOPPING THE BIGGEST FISH.

Prior to World War II, Americans used revolving-spool reels for the bulk of their saltwater angling. But after the close of the conflict in Europe, fixed-spool reels, or spinning reels as they are more commonly known, hit our shores. Because they didn't have the rotating mass of a conventional reel, they allowed anglers to cast light baits farther than ever before. They quickly gained popularity and eventually became commonplace in both fresh and salt water.

Many credit Albert Holden Illingworth, an English baron, with inventing the spinning reel in 1907. He received inspiration for the design after watching a loom, figuring that a fishing reel could utilize a similar shuttle. His invention is remarkably similar to the spinning reels we know today, complete with an oscillating spool and a front-mounted drag.