Parts of a Spinning Reel
A spinning reel has about ten parts you can see from the outside, and most beginner trouble traces back to one of them: a bail snapped shut by cranking the handle, a spool filled past the lip, or a drag set in the middle of a fight instead of before it.
The diagram shows a typical front-drag spinning reel from the side, hanging under the rod the way you fish it. Each numbered part below says what it does and what to check, and links to its full glossary entry where there is one.
What are the parts of a spinning reel?
Reel foot
The flat bar at the top of the reel that slides into the rod's reel seat, where a locking ring clamps it down. If the reel wobbles on the rod, the ring has worked loose; the foot itself is almost never the problem.
Glossary: Reel seatStem
The leg that joins the foot to the body and holds the reel below the rod. Most anglers hold a spinning rod with the stem between two fingers, which puts the index finger right where it can pick up the line for a cast.
Body
The housing for the main gear and the pinion it drives. The ratio between those two gears is the reel's gear ratio. Bodies are graphite or aluminum, and aluminum flexes less when a big fish loads the reel.
Glossary: Gear ratioHandle
The crank arm and knob. One turn spins the rotor several times, and the line that brings back per turn is the reel's IPT. On most spinning reels the handle unscrews and moves to the other side, so either hand can wind.
Glossary: IPTAnti-reverse switch
A small lever, usually on the back or underside of the body, that lets the handle turn backward when it is switched off. Many modern reels leave it out and keep anti-reverse on permanently. Leave it on: the drag should give line to a running fish, not the handle.
Glossary: Anti-reverseRotor
The cup that spins in front of the body. It carries the bail and line roller around the spool, wrapping line on as you crank, while the spool slides in and out so the line lays down in even layers.
Bail
The wire arm that swings across the front of the spool. Open, it lets line peel off for the cast; closed, it catches the line and guides it back on. Close it by hand after the cast, because snapping it shut with the handle is a common cause of line twist.
Glossary: BailLine roller
The small wheel where the bail meets the rotor. Every inch of line you reel in runs over it, so a roller that sticks or wears a groove will twist and fray line. Better reels put a bearing inside it.
Glossary: Ball bearingsSpool
Holds the line. On a spinning reel it does not turn during the cast; line comes off the front lip in loose coils. Fill it to about an eighth of an inch below the lip, because an overfilled spool throws loops.
Glossary: SpoolDrag knob
The dial on the front of the spool. Tightening it presses the drag washers together, so a fish has to pull harder before line slips out. Set it before you start fishing. A few reels put the drag knob on the back of the body instead, which is called a rear drag.
Glossary: Drag
Common questions
What is the difference between the rotor and the spool?
The rotor turns and the spool does not. Cranking the handle spins the rotor, which carries the bail and line roller around the spool and wraps line onto it. The spool only slides in and out so the line spreads evenly.
Which side should the handle of a spinning reel be on?
Most right-handed anglers hold the rod in their right hand and wind with their left, so the stronger hand does the casting and the fighting. The handle on almost every spinning reel swaps sides, so try both before you decide.
What causes line twist on a spinning reel?
Usually one of two habits: closing the bail by cranking the handle, or reeling while the drag is slipping. Close the bail by hand, and stop cranking while a fish is taking line.
Sources
- Fishing Reel Parts of Spinning Reels, Take Me Fishing (Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation)
- Tune-Up Tuesday: Anatomy of a Spinning Reel, Okuma Fishing Tackle
Last reviewed . Researched from the manufacturer and Take Me Fishing sources listed above.