If you're an active fisherman, then your choice of fishing reel is very important. Standing on the bank of a river or stream, water sparkling in the sun, and the thrill of a big catch - it's an unbeatable feeling. You've played the fish carefully, bringing it using your reel as the fish tired. The last thing you need is for your fishing reel to let you down and spoil this idyllic picture.

Basically, a fishing reel is the part of your fishing equipment that you use to cast and retrieve the fishing line. It's mounted on the fishing rod, and uses a spool and axle. You can also buy fishing reels designed to mount on boats. The three main types of fishing reels match the three most popular fishing styles - bait casting, spin casting and fly-casting.

Fishing Reels for Bait Casting

This type of reel is extremely complicated. The weight of the lures being used pulls the line off the rod. It's then thrust forward as part of the casting motion. Most bait casting reels include a device to lay the line evenly across the rotating cylinder that forms the reel's core. If you don't cast smoothly, you will most likely have problems when you reel the line back in. It can become tangled, which is very frustrating. After all, who wants to spend ages untangling the line? For this reason, bait-casting reels are generally not recommended for beginners or children.

Fishing Reels for Spin Casting

When it comes to spinning reels, there are two types to choose from - closed faced and open faced. If you're learning to fish, the closed faced spinning reel is a great choice. It's mostly trouble free, and is perfectly capable of bringing in your catch. When you're casting there's a push button release, and there's also an opening in the top where the line comes out during casting. You mount this type of reel on your fishing reed. When you buy a prepackaged rod and reel, it will almost always have this type of reel, and spinning reels are very popular with beginners, children, hobbyists and casual sportsmen.

An open faced spinning reel can be more difficult to use. They come in a range of sizes, to suit different conditions. An ultra light model can be used for catching pan fish, but if you're going game or ocean fishing, you'll need a larger model. The advantage of an open-faced reel is that it has a much greater line capacity, and can be used for salmon and trout. The drag is smooth, so they're a great choice for longer run game fish.

It's common for fishing enthusiasts to start out with a close face-spinning reel, and then graduate to an open-faced reel as they gain experience. It's always worth spending a little bit extra to get a good quality reel. Many cheap reels contain plastic parts, and you run the risk of them failing if you catch a larger fish. A common rule of thumb is that the lighter the line, the smaller the reel needs to be. So check and make sure your reel matches the fishing line you're going to use. If you only want to buy one reel, then go for a medium speed one. If your budget runs to two reels, choose both a low and high-speed reel. Also, reels are different for right and left handed people, so make sure you mention this when you're shopping for a reel. Right-handed reels turn clockwise, whereas left-handed reels turn counter clockwise.

Fishing Reels for Fly Fishing

Fly fishing involves another set of skills, and so a different type of reel. You need to ensure that your fly fishing reel's drag is highly responsive. You also need to buy a reel that can cope with the tension and strain of a really big catch. These are generally the most expensive type of fishing reels, so make sure there are no plastic parts that can fail - something which happens far too often with a big fish on the line. Buy an all-metal reel, and you won't have to tell as many 'the one that got away' stories.

If you're still unsure what sort of reel you need, talk to a friendly fishing enthusiast, or ask the staff at your fishing store. Most fishermen are happy to help out someone who's new.

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