Spinning reel
Also called open-face reel, spinning gear
What is a spinning reel?
The reel that hangs below the rod with an open spool and a wire bail. The most common and most forgiving freshwater reel.
Spinning reel at a glance
- Mounts
- Below the rod
- Spool during the cast
- Fixed
- Line peels off the front in coils
- All-round size
- 2500
- With 8 lb line on a medium rod
- Can it backlash?
- No
- Wind knots and line twist instead
How does a spinning reel work?
A spinning reel does not turn its spool to release line. The spool stays still and the line peels off the front of it in coils, so the reel can throw a very light bait without the weight of the lure having to overcome anything. You open the bail, hold the line against the rod with your index finger, cast, and let go.
Why is spinning gear the freshwater default?
That design is why it dominates freshwater. There is no way to backlash it, light lures cast fine, and a beginner is fishing properly within about ten minutes rather than after an afternoon of practice.
The cost is line twist, since every turn of the handle puts a twist into the line, and a spool that will throw coils if you overfill it or crank against the drag while a fish is running. Both are habits rather than defects.
What size spinning reel should you buy?
Sizes run from 500 up to about 6000. A 2500 on a medium rod with 8 pound line covers almost everything a freshwater angler does, from bluegill off a dock to a five-pound bass.
Go down to 1000 or 2000 for ultralight trout and panfish work, and up to 3000 or 4000 when you need heavier line for catfish, pike or big water.
If you are buying a reel and do not know anything else about the setup, buy a 2500 size spinning reel. It is the safest guess in fishing.
What this means when you’re choosing
- A smooth drag that starts without stuttering, which matters far more than the maximum drag figure printed on the box.
- A spool filled to about an eighth of an inch below the lip. Overfilled spools throw loops; underfilled ones cost you distance.
- Weight that balances your rod. A reel that makes the outfit tip-heavy will tire your wrist long before the fishing does.
The common mistake
Reeling while a fish is taking line
When the drag is slipping, cranking the handle does not recover line; it just twists it, because the rotor is turning around a spool that is going the other way. Do it through a long run and the line comes back so twisted it throws loops on the next cast. Stop reeling while the drag is giving line, pump the rod up, and reel on the way down.
Common questions
What size spinning reel is best for freshwater?
A 2500 covers most freshwater fishing. Drop to a 1000 or 2000 for panfish and trout on ultralight gear, and go to 3000 or 4000 for catfish, pike and heavier line.
Why does my spinning reel keep twisting the line?
Almost always from reeling while the drag is slipping, which spins the rotor around a stationary spool and puts a twist in with every turn. Stop cranking when a fish is taking line, and pump the rod instead.
Where this comes up
The guides that use spinning reel and show it on real gear.
Last reviewed . Spinning reel is one of 222 terms in the fishing glossary.