As art suggests, the fishing reel more than likely originated in China around 300 to 400 AD. It was used for 2 purposes, to store fishing line and to play the fish. It wasn’t until the seventeenth century the latter became evident.

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By the late eighteenth century, fishing reels were very common and were made as “Direct Drive” or “Multiplier” reels.  The Multiplier was popular among anglers due to the faster line retrieve, but they were unreliable because of their soft brass gears.

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The availability of Nylon fishing line boosted the evolution of the fishing reel to today’s modern multipliers and spinning reels. These complicated reels were made by various companies, but one of the most outstanding was Sweden’s ABU.

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The ABU saga is so interesting that I have included it as a link:  http://www.abugarcia.com/AbuGarcia-for-life.html