The Fishing Reel Patent Archive

The mechanical heart of American angling

Single-action reel

Patent drawing of an 1888 fishing reel showing a cutaway side section with internal spool, shaft, tension spring and friction ring, an end view of the assembled reel with handle and screws, and detail views of the friction ring and driving sleeve.FISHING-REEL.George S. Gates · January 31, 1888Patent drawing showing a hand gripping a fishing rod with an attached spool reel featuring a spoked flange and a thin metal drag band encircling its edge, alongside cross-sectional and detail views of the spool, post, and spring-loaded braking pin mechanism.FISHING-REELAugust F. Meisselbach and William Meisselbach · February 5, 1889