Bail
Also called bail arm, wire bail
The thin wire arm on a spinning reel. Flip it open to cast, close it to retrieve.
The bail's job is to guide line onto the spool in even wraps as you turn the handle. Open it and the line is free to leave the spool, which is what makes a cast possible. Close it and the line is captured on the roller again.
There is a right way to close it that most beginners get wrong. Turning the handle snaps the bail shut automatically, and it feels efficient, but it slams the wire across the line and puts a twist in every single time. Flip the bail closed with your free hand instead, then start reeling. Do that and a season's worth of line twist mostly disappears.
Spincast and baitcasting reels have no bail. On a spincast the cone does the same job invisibly; on a baitcaster a level wind guide does it.
Close the bail by hand, never by cranking the handle. It is the single cheapest fix for line twist on a spinning reel.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use bail and show it on real gear.
Bail is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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