Freewheel

The idler pulley is a fishing reel with freewheel , in the way of a lever, the line is released to withdraw. It is designed to prevent the fishing rod from being pulled into the water if a strong fish bites and the rod lies on the rod pod . The advantage is that when the handle is closed, the fish can pull off line without noticing any resistance. The freewheeling of a roller can usually be set and thus adapted to the circumstances (strong currents, wind, etc.). By turning the crank briefly, the freewheel can be switched off and the normal roller brake can start working.

The free spool reel originally came from sea fishing (Shimano US Baitrunner), but quickly found its way into the carp angling scene. There are now free spool reels from almost all manufacturers in different sizes and line capacities.

The freewheel reel is mostly used with an electronic bite alarm. There are also free-wheeling reels with an integrated electronic bite indicator. This is invaluable, especially when fishing at night, as the bite of a fish is displayed directly. For some time now, "free-wheeling" has been used for almost all types of bottom fishing.