There is disclosed a fixed spool fishing reel having a spool holder and a winding
mechanism including a rotary bail arm, and a spool having a spool portion on which
the line is wound with a skirt portion of larger diameter than the spool portion,
the spool portion having, or the skirt portion having on its rim adjacent the spool
portion, a pommel over which a loop of line from the spool can be trained to be
retained thereon, when it is pulled axially at the end of a cast, to check the
cast but to be automatically released therefrom as a result of a pull on the line
rotating the spool and/or the bail arm to alter the angular deviation of the line
around the pommel.