Spinning reels are a popular type of fishing reel, and are especially well adapted for casting lures and bait. A spinning reel generally comprises a body and a leg for mounting the spinning wheel to a fishing rod. A spool is mounted for reciprocal and rotational movement with respect to the body, and a drag system for the spool for controls the release of line. A rotor with a line pickup generally surrounds the spool, and a handle drive mechanism reciprocates the spool and rotates the rotor thereabout to wind line from the line pickup onto the spool. The spool holding the line is oriented along the rod, so that line plays off the spool freely during casting without need to rotate the spool in order to release line.
To retrieve line, or to release line by rotation of the spool against the drag system, line is positioned on a line pickup mounted to the rotor. In retrieving line, the rotor is rotated by the handle drive mechanism.
Line can be positioned on the line pickup in one of two ways. First, the line pickup can be fixed on the rotor generally over the spool, and the fisherman then uses a finger to place the line on the line pickup.
Line may also be positioned on the line pickup by a bail assembly. The bail assembly generally includes a bail wire that extends across the rotor and pivots between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the bail does not interfere with line playing off the spool during casting. In the closed position, the bail wire catches the line and directs it onto the line pickup.
A requirement of a bail assembly is that there must be a force that keeps it firmly in the closed position or firmly in the open position. It must remain open during casting, so that line plays freely off the spool. It must remain closed during line retrieval or line play off against the drag system, so that the line is controlled as desired. In presently know bail assemblies, this force is provided by one or more coil springs acting on the bail wire through connecting members. The coil spring and its connecting members are generally positioned in a pocket or housing positioned on the rotor, which creates a relatively bulky structure. The springs are prone to failure, from rust, saltwater corrosion or simply breakage, and often have insufficient force to prevent the bail from closing as a result of casting motion.
Therefore, an improvement in bail mechanisms would be a welcome advance in the art.