The Fishing Reel Patent Archive

The mechanical heart of American angling

Fishing reel

Two 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, 1873Patent drawing of a fishing reel mounted on a rod section, showing the spool, end plates, and a folding crank handle that locks against the frame to stop the line, with two smaller detail views of the crank mechanism below.Fishing-ReelGeorge Hancock · June 28, 1881Patent drawing of a wooden fishing reel with two crank handles, shown in cross-section to reveal an internal spindle riding on conical bearings and a threaded adjusting nut, alongside a separate ring-shaped clamp-sleeve for mounting the reel onto a fishing rod.FISHING-TACKLE.Gustav Ritter · June 1, 1886Patent drawing of a multiplying fishing reel showing an end view with crank handle, an exploded gear-train side view labeled with letters A through M, a perspective view of the frame without spool, and a separate figure-eight shaped retaining plate.FISHING-LINE REELWilliam B. Carpenter · August 16, 1887Patent 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 an 1889 fishing reel showing a circular side plate with internal gear and friction mechanism, a cross-sectional view revealing the spool, hub, and rod-mounting frame with concave arms, and a plan view of the handle assembly with locking bolt and thumb-operated disk.FISHING-REEL.George W. Prouty · January 29, 1889Patent drawing of a fishing reel showing seven diagrams: side and front elevations of the reel body, an internal view with the cap removed revealing the crescent-shaped spring brake-arm and gear, a detached view of the cap with its slotted operating-button, a cross-section through the cap and drum flange, and two additional views of an alternate brake-arm and button arrangement.FISHING-REEL.Andrew B. Hendryx · January 27, 1891Patent drawing of a cylindrical fishing reel showing a top plan view with winding crank and rod couplings, plus two cutaway side sections revealing internal gear teeth, a shifting pinion, and a bifurcated spring mechanism used to engage or disengage the spool gearing.FISH-LINE REEL.Jasper Knudsen · December 22, 1891Patent drawing of a fishing reel showing a cutaway frame with spool, sliding pinion sleeve, crank handle assembly, and a separate detail view of an assembled cylindrical reel with a hinged brake arm crossing the wound line.FISHING-REEL.Curtis N. Wilcox · June 14, 1892Patent drawing sheet showing nine mechanical diagrams of a fishing reel's internal gear, cam, click, and drag mechanism, plus two side-view assemblies of the full reel with spool and crank handle.FISHING-REEL.John S. Freese · July 3, 1894Patent drawing sheet showing six figures of a late 19th-century fishing reel: front and rear elevations with numbered parts like ratchet wheel, pawl, and crank-arm, a sectional view of the drum interior, a flat blank pattern for the drum strip, a side clamp section, and a detailed close-up of the washer and notch mechanism.FISHING-REEL.Samuel Gray · November 19, 1895Patent 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, 1897Patent drawing showing a fishing reel mounted on a rod butt held in a hand, with an exploded edge view and a plan view revealing internal tie-rods, lugs, and spool flanges labeled with letters A through G.FISHING-REELWickes Washburn · February 28, 1899Patent drawing of a fishing rod with an internal reel mechanism, showing the spool, ratcheted collars, coil springs, sliding operating sleeve, and a full rod assembly with line looped through guides to a hand grip at the butt.FISHING-REELAllen E. Hall · November 18, 1902Patent drawing showing a fishing rod section with an oscillating reel frame, pivoting saddle foot, crank handle, and a line-guiding lever with an eye at its tip, illustrated in side, plan, and cross-sectional views.AUTOMATIC LINE WINDING ATTACHMENT FOR REELS.Charles Toepfer · September 21, 1915