Gear mechanism for a fishing reel

A gear mechanism for a fishing reel, comprising:

• a drive gear having a gear with a prescribed diameter and a drive gear shaft configured to be rotated together with the gear and having a smaller dimension than the prescribed diameter of the gear;
• a handle configured to rotate with the drive gear shaft, and comprising a handle arm extending in a direction that axially intersects the drive gear shaft;
• a vibration damper disposed between the drive gear shaft and the handle, and configured to dampen transmission of vibration of the drive gear;
• a first transmitting member non-rotatably coupled to the handle arm and having an engagement portion;
• and
• a second transmitting member configured to transmit rotation of the handle to the drive gear shaft,
• the vibration damper elastically deformable, engaging an engagement portion of the first transmitting member, and being an elastic material with a lower rigidity than the first transmitting member,
• the second transmitting member having a higher rigidity than the vibration damper and configured to engage the engagement portion of the first transmitting member after the vibration damper has been elastically deformed by a prescribed amount to transmit rotation of the handle to the drive gear shaft,
• the engagement portion of the first transmitting member having at least one pawl receiving portion,
• the vibration damper comprising an elastic pawl configured to engage the at least one pawl receiving portion,
• the second transmitting member comprising a transmission pawl having a circumferential width that is narrower than a circumferential width of the elastic pawl of the vibration damper, and
• the transmission pawl configured to engage the pawl receiving portion after the elastic pawl of the vibration damper has been elastically deformed by a prescribed amount.