The Fishing Reel Patent Archive

The mechanical heart of American angling

Ratchet and pawl

Two 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 of a fishing reel showing a circular end view with crank and gears, a longitudinal cross-section revealing the internal spool and brake mechanism, and an inner face view of the detachable end plate with ratchet and pawl.FISHING-REEL.Ernest Holzmann · March 4, 1890Patent drawing of a spring-powered fishing reel showing an exploded end view with internal gears, a spring barrel, a centrifugal pawl-and-ratchet clutch disk, a brake lever, and a side elevation of the assembled reel attached to a rod section.FISHING-REEL.Arthur E. Peck · February 5, 1895Patent 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 cylindrical fishing reel with internal gears, a hollow shaft, spring casing, clutch mechanism, and brake assembly, along with cross-sectional views labeled Fig. 1 through Fig. 5.FISHING-REEL.George H. Newell · December 17, 1895Patent line drawings of a derrick rope-drum apparatus showing two large friction drums mounted on a vertical frame, with hand levers, a band brake, ratchet wheels, and a foot-lever and counterweight mechanism for controlling drum rotation.ROPE-DRUM APPARATUS.William F. Coursen · February 9, 1897Patent drawing of a fishing reel showing a circular barrel with internal ratchet wheels and pawls (Figs. 1 and 2), and a cross-sectional side view (Fig. 3) revealing the shaft, spring, and thumb-adjustment knob for tension control.FISHING-REEL TENSION ATTACHMENT.Andrew Verd Chapin · January 31, 1899Patent drawing of an automatic spring-wound fishing reel showing a side elevation mounted on a rod section with numbered pillars, screws, and a brake lever, plus cross-sectional views revealing internal gearing, ratchet wheels, and a coiled mainspring.FISHING-REEL.Philip H. Yawman · August 1, 1899