For newcomers to coarse fishing, choosing a reel will be one of the big steps to getting out on the bank. But there are so many designs and styles to go for, it’s easy to feel confused.
The good news is it’s actually quite simple and can be distilled down to a few key factors.
Here at Leeda we’ve spent years building our reputation for producing reliable, affordable and truly functional coarse fishing reels that help both beginners and seasoned experts to catch more fish from the country’s lakes, rivers and canals.
In our rod guide we’ve explained what coarse fishing is, so let’s move onto why you need a reel.
In simple terms, a reel holds the line that you thread through the eyes of the rod, allowing you to cast a float or feeder, with a mechanism built in that retrieves the line. You turn the handle and the rotor picks up the line and feeds it back onto the spool. When you need to cast, you flip over the bail arm, retain the line against the lip of the spool with your finger, and as you cast, you loosen your finger and the line peels off.
Aside from the mechanical action of the reel retrieving and the ability to pay out line to cast, reels generally features a drag, also called a clutch. This is a mechanism within either the body of the reel or built into the spool that, when tightened or loosened off, allows line to be ‘dragged’ off the spool by a fish as you play it. The main objective is to avoid breakages and to tire the fish out.
What are the most common types of coarse fishing reel?
Reels come in many shapes and sizes but there some distinct styles cover float, feeder and bomb fishing;
Front Drag (FD)
This design is a reel that is often the most simple. The spool feature a built-in drag with a knob to adjust it on the front, which also acts as the mechanism that holds the spool onto the reel’s body. These reels are often the lightest and can come in very small sizes, and a front drag (FD) is often very reliable. There are no real cons to owning a front drag reel, other than you need to ensure that the knob that holds the spool on isn’t loosened off too much that the spool can drop off when you’ve hooked a fish.
- Drag system is generally stronger
- Fewer internal parts
- Smooth drag operation
- Precise adjustment
Rear Drag (RD)
These reels tend to be longer and often larger than FD reels, but their use is often a preference that’s dictated by aesthetics. However, having the drag adjustment knob at the rear can be a major bonus for beginners, as you don’t have to reach around the front of the spool while playing fish. RD reels also feature lighter, push-button spools that are easy to change, and shallows spools for thinner lines – useful for float fishing – are more common. However, the drag system isn’t as powerful as an FD reel.
- Easy to adjust while playing a fish
- More beginner-friendly design
- Push-button spools are lighter
Freespool (FS)
The idea that you can have a reel with a regular drag AND a system that allows a fish to take line without disengaging the bail arm sounds strange, but for bigger fish this design is very popular, especially in carp and feeder fishing. The idea is fish can pick up and move off with the bait before you strike, with line peeling off minimal tension. Many FS reels are a rear drag design with a lever that engages the freespool mode. There are some designs that also have this function combined with a front drag. The freespool tension is usually allocated to a secondary adjustment knob.
- Great for species like carp and specimens
- Heavier than other reels
- Usually available in bigger body sizes
Centrepin
Chances are you’ll have seen some archive footage of anglers from yesteryear fishing with a circular reel – that’s a centrepin. It’s basically a drum that holds line and there is no gearing to help you retrieve line quicker. Centrepins are useful for direct control over floats on running water, but have all-but been superseded by modern FD, RD and FS reels for most fishing.
- Direct contact with the line
- Super-simple design
- No gears so retrieving line is harder
Key features of a coarse fishing reel
Aside from the actual drag system of the reel, there are several design and functionality features you should be aware of;
Spool Capacity
The depth, and overall size of the spool dictates how much line it can hold. you'll see markings on the spool that will tell you how much line it can hold.
Some spools are shallower than others, allowing fine lines to be used and so you don't need to apply a backing line to build up the spool's depth.
It's useful to choose a reel with a spool size that suits the style of fishing you're doing; shallow spools are useful for float fishing and usually only come in 4000 size or less. Feeder fishing reels usually have deeper spools to hold more line and although they do also come in sizes under 4000, you'll see a noticeable difference in spool depth compared to a reel with a shallow spool.
Where you want to use heavier breaking strain, thicker lines then you'll need to move up to a 5000 or larger reel. Spool designs differ across these larger reels but most will take 200 metres or more of 10lb line.
Build Materials
Most reels are made from composites or alloys.
Composite is often a lightweight, super durable material with very little to say against it other than it can create a body that flexes. Aluminium is super-strong as a casing material and is often reserved for demanding situations where corrosion could be possible. Magnesium and titanium are materials found in premium reels and are light and strong.
Internal gearing components can be brass, stainless steel or aluminium.
Brass and stainless are often found in the most premium reels, with aluminium being a much more cost-effective material for gearing. All are durable but with aluminium being softer, it tends to be used less in reels design for really big fish.
Retreive Ratio
How much line is retrieved per turn of the handle is called the retrieve ratio. There are gears inside of FD, RD and FS reels, that convert one revolution of the handle into multiple sweeps of the bail arm rotor to take in line. Add in the circumference of the spool and this dictates the amount of line retreived and it's displayed on the reel as a ratio e.g 5.1:1. This means 5.1 rotations of the rotor happen for every full turn of the handle.
Ratios below 5:1 are considered very slow, with ratios up to 6:1 being more common and ratios highre than this considered high-speed and often seen on match/float reels.
Some of the slower ration reels are considered 'slow oscillation' which means the spool moves slowly in and out in coordination with the bail arm rotor; this is usually seen in larger reels where line lay needs to be perfect for distance casting.
Handle
You can choose from reels with single or double handles.
A single handle is the most common, giving good leverage, although they can sometimes be unbalanced in cheaper reels.
Double handles deal with the imbalance issue and are popular on feeder reels but they can feel slightly sluggish to turn with a smaller radius so you feel like you're winding in faster.
Some reels feature handles that fold down for storage with a one-touch design, often using a lever or collar on the handle shaft. this helps when storing the reel. More basic handle designs do still fold but you have to loosen the handle from the opposite side of the body to pack it down.
Anti-reverse
This is a lever that locks the direction which the handle can be turned. When disengaged this function allows you to override the drag system in a way, allowing you to turn the handle the 'wrong' way to let line out. Some people play their fish this way, not relying on the drag, but a common use is when feeder fishing you can set tension in the quivertip and the reel won't let line out.
Bearings
Like anything mechanical, smooth operation is essential and reels achieve this through the use of bearings.
The more bearings incorporated into a reel, the smoother it will be... or so the general thought process goes. In fact, although some is better than none, the quality of the bearings plays a big part in the smoothness and longevity of a reel. That said, most coarse fishing reels will have bearings that will remain smooth and trouble-free for years if the reel is looked after and dried after use.
Bearings are often in a format such as 4+1 BB. that means there are four bearings inside the reel supporting the internal gearing and pinion, and one bail bearing (BB) in the bail arm roller to allow the line to move smoothly over it.
In centrepin reels the bearing is usually within the centre spindle.
Weight & Balance
The weight of the reel can have an affect on the total system weight of the rod & reel combo, so it's worth paying attention to choosing a reel that complements your rod.
Sticking a large 6000-size FS reel on a 13ft float rod won't work - the reel will be too havy and unbalance the rod, plus its line capacity won't be suitable for fishing with lighter mainlines. Equally, a 2500-sized FD reel designed for light bomb fishing wouldn't be suitable on a 13ft distance feeder rod when you're fishing on a river, because it won't hold line correctly and most likely won't have gearing suited to retrieving large feeders against the flow.
A reel should help the rod feel light and responsive in your hand when casting; if it feels unbalanced then it's probably the wrong reel.
Match the Reel to Your Fishing Style
Float Fishing
- • Reel size: 2500 - 3000
- • Lightweight with smooth drag
- • Precision matters more than power
Feeder / Ledger Fishing
- • Reel size: 3000 - 4000
- • Strong drag system
- • Larger spool helps casting
Carp (small to medium)
- • Reel size: 4000 - 6000
- • Strong build and smooth clutch
- • Consider a freespool reel
Set a realistic budget
As your first reel, there's always the balance between buying the cheapest reel you can, or going for something more expensive that should last.
Up to £30 you can grab a bargain that'll get you on the road to success. You might not get a spare spool so that may be extra if you decide you want to carry different strains of line.
Up to £50 is a sweet spot where there are loads of great reels in both FD and RD formats. You tend to get alloy spools, better gearing and more bearings, plus spare spools.
Over £50 you are looking at more premium offerings that incorporate better internal components, possibly sealed bearings and often multiple styles of handle.
