Baitcast fishing reel with spool free mechanism

Abstract

A fishing reel wherein is incorporated a spool free mechanism comprising: a crank handle nonrotatably secured to a crankshaft which rotates a drive gear. A mating pinion gear includes an inner shoulder and an outer shoulder which are supported by bearings, and a feature for drivingly engaging the spool shaft. The inner and outer shoulders are slidable within the supporting bearings such that, in a first position, the pinion gear is drivingly engaged with the spool shaft for rewinding the line and, in a second position, the pinion gear is disengaged from the spool shaft, allowing the spool to freely rotate during casting. In the second position, there is no contact between the spool shaft and the pinion gear, hence, the pinion gear does not cause unnecessary friction during a casting operation. The axial position of the pinion gear is fixed by the bearings which support the inner and outer shoulders thereby holding the pinion gear in precise alignment with the drive gear, thus improving the rewind operation and reducing wear on the drive gear and pinion gear.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.