A fishing rod assembly includes a rod and a reel assembly. The reel assembly includes a housing and a spool positioned within the housing and configured to (a) rotate about an axis to retrieve or let out a fishing line and (b) translate along the axis to adjust a drag, the spool including an inner volume. The reel assembly further includes a spindle disposed within the inner volume of the spool and having a first end and a second end, the first end of the spindle engaged with the spool, a drive mechanism configured to receive an input torque from a user and provide an output torque to the spool, and a lever assembly configured to receive a user input and translate the spool along the axis towards a second end of the reel to adjust the drag.

A fishing rod assembly includes a rod and a reel assembly. The reel assembly includes a housing, a spool positioned within the housing, the spool configured to rotate about an axis to retrieve or let out a fishing line, a drive mechanism concentric with the axis, the drive mechanism configured to receive rotational kinetic energy from a user and drive the spool to take-up fishing line when a counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than a target torque, and a drag mechanism. The drag mechanism is drivable by the drive mechanism to (a) drive the spool to take-up the fishing line when the counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than the target torque or (b) provide a drag force to the spool when the counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than the target torque.

A fishing rod assembly includes a rod and a reel assembly. The reel assembly includes a housing, a spool positioned within the housing, the spool configured to rotate about an axis to retrieve or let out a fishing line, a drive mechanism concentric with the axis, the drive mechanism configured to receive rotational kinetic energy from a user and drive the spool to take-up fishing line when a counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than a target torque, and a drag mechanism. The drag mechanism is drivable by the drive mechanism to (a) drive the spool to take-up the fishing line when the counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than the target torque or (b) provide a drag force to the spool when the counter-torque provided to the spool by the fishing line is less than the target torque.