TACKLE 51 



THE SINGLE ACTION REEL 



Many generations of fly fishermen have favored the 

 single action or click reel and it seems to meet all re- 

 quirements, being free from complications and of suffi- 

 cient speed and power for all practical purposes. 



The single action reel is a simple winch without gear- 

 ing, making one turn of the spool to each revolution of 

 the handle. The click consists of a toothed wheel 

 (rachet) working against a wedge-shaped piece of 

 metal (pawl) supported by a spring to permit move- 

 ment in either direction, the idea being to retard the 

 action .of the reel enough to prevent over-running. 

 The contact of the pawl against the revolving rachet 

 produces a rapid clicking sound known as " the song 

 of the reel," very pleasing to the ears of all true 

 anglers and of great inspirational value to the poeti- 

 cally inclined. The click mechanism is generally 

 placed in the rear end of the reel and is either per- 

 manent or actuated by a sliding button on the tail 

 plate. 



FORM AND MATERIALS 



Click reels vary as to form and dimensions but the 

 majority of modern fly fishermen prefer the contracted 

 type, made very narrow to avoid the necessity of guid- 

 ing the line on the spool ; with plates of large diameter 

 and a large drum or spindle to prevent kinking the 

 line and to speed up retrieving. 



