The Fishing Reel Patent Archive

The mechanical heart of American angling

19th century patent

Patent drawing showing a long cylindrical fishing pole casing containing an internal reel and gear mechanism, with a side crank handle and several cross-sectional views of the gear and clutch assembly labeled Fig. 1 through Fig. 5.IMPROVEMENT IN FISHING-LINE REELS.William M. Stuart · August 29, 1865Patent drawing of a windlass water elevator showing a well-curb frame with a shaft, rope drum, ratchet wheel, crank, and clamp mechanism, along with detailed close-up sections of the clamp and forked crank.IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-DRAWERSH. P. Castle · March 27, 1866Two patent drawings of a 19th-century fishing reel: Fig. 1 shows a side sectional view of a round disk reel mounted on a foot-plate attached to a rod, with a small ball-tipped crank; Fig. 2 shows a top cross-section revealing two circular spool disks connected by a shaft, gears, and a crank handle above.Fishing-Line ReelWillard H. Bradley · September 22, 1868Patent drawing of a 19th-century fishing reel showing a front elevation with hand crank and level-wind mechanism, plus two circular sectional views revealing internal gearing including a fan-shaped brake regulator, small pinions, and a spiral-grooved traversing screw for the line guide.IMPROVEMENT IN ANGLING-REELSCharles L. Noe · January 28, 1873Two patent drawings of a fishing-rod handle with an internal reel: Figure 1 shows a front elevation with the rod tip, reel box, crank, and carved wooden handle, while Figure 2 shows a longitudinal cross-section revealing the circular reel with ratchet teeth and pawl inside the handle.IMPROVEMENT IN REELS FOR FISHING-RODSHezekiah Winslow · August 3, 1875Patent drawing showing a curved hand crank with a slotted or notched head (Figs. 1 and 2) that fits over a shaft pin, and a separate jam-nut with two long parallel ears (Fig. 3) used to lock the crank in place.CRANK AND CRANK FASTENING.Franklin F. Adams · September 19, 1882A sectional line drawing of a traction engine gearing assembly showing a main shaft A with fly-wheel D, pinion wheels B and C, spur-wheels K and K', a pillow-block F, and a connecting pin H fitted through aligned holes E, e, M, and m.TRACTION-ENGINEAbraham O. Frick · October 24, 1882Patent drawing sheets showing a circular flanged wheel with internal gripping levers and springs (Figs. 1 and 2), a cross-sectional side view (Fig. 3), a curved friction bow lever assembly (Fig. 4), and a sectional detail (Fig. 5), all part of an 1884 mechanical speed regulator.SPEED-REGULATOR.John H. Sharp · June 17, 1884Patent drawing showing a fishing reel with a spool mounted in a ring frame, side bar with two sockets for attaching rod sections, and a spring drag mechanism with set-screw and thumb-piece.FISHING-LINE REEL.Erastus Titus, Jr. · September 6, 1887Patent drawing of a cylindrical fishing reel showing a casing with spindle, spool with handle, retaining disks with click-pin, and a clamp for attaching to a fishing rod.FISHING-REEL.William A. Graham · July 24, 1888Patent drawing of a fishing reel mounted on a pole, showing the circular reel case with internal gears, a pivoted brake shoe and trip lever, plus several detail views of the brake and gear-shifting mechanism.FISHING-REEL.Harrison H. Heskett · May 2, 1893Patent drawing sheet showing six figures of a fishing reel: a front elevation with crank handle and end plates, an end view revealing internal gears and pinion, a cross-section through the spool and grooved shaft, a detail of the reversely grooved shaft with a sliding guide, a small forked guide ring, and a simple crank handle.FISH-LINE REEL.Nelson H. McGregor · June 26, 1894Patent drawing showing a fishing rod section with an attached reel mechanism, illustrating internal gears, a ratchet wheel, a reciprocating rack-bar, and a lever labeled with letters A through Z across six numbered figures.FISHING-REEL.Elbert D. Williams · April 6, 1897