FISHING REEL WITH DEPTH MEMORY

A fishing reel has a line lock which, when set, permits a certain length of line to be reeled in and then that same length to be unreeled again, so that the angler can return his lure to the same depth. The lock is in the form of a pin extensible over the periphery of the spool and over which the line is rewound. The rewound line can unwind, but further unwinding is prevented by the pin. The pin has a notch which engages with fixed structure in the extended pin position. A coil compression spring urges the pin to retracted position, and this same spring is anchored at one end in such a way to serve as a leaf spring to urge the notch in the pin about the fixed structure. The notch is so positioned that, when a cast is made to a relatively great distance, the weight of the cast lure will be sufficient to raise the pin against the action of the spring until the notch is disengaged, whereupon the same spring retracts the pin and the lock is thus automatically released.