A fishing reel in which a maximum drag force can be increased as needed while the size of the reel is kept from increasing includes: a reel body; a handle rotatably mounted on the reel body; a drive shaft configured to rotate integrally with the handle; a spool rotatably supported by the reel body; a drive gear configured to rotate integrally with the spool; a first drag mechanism for restricting relative rotation between the drive shaft and the drive gear; a spool shaft configured to rotate integrally with the spool; a second drag mechanism configured to restrict relative rotation between the spool shaft and the reel body; and a restriction switching mechanism configured to switch the second drag mechanism between a restricted state and a non-restricted state.

A fishing reel including a gear train and a spool is provided. The gear train is operably coupled with the spool such that the gear train is configured to transmit rotational power to the spool. When the fishing reel is in a first configuration, a crank is disengaged from the gear train to allow the gear train to receive rotational power from a motor. As a result, the motor rotates the spool without causing the crank to rotate. In contrast, when the fishing reel is in the second configuration, the crank is operably coupled with the gear train. As a result, the crank may provide rotational power to the gear train to rotate the spool. However, if the gear train begins to rotate relative to the crank, a key may move outwardly from a crank gear to cause the fishing reel to transition to the first configuration.

A reel and mounting fixture suitable for bowfishing and the like provides a reel with a cowling covering a reel with a wide opening to reduce frictional restraint on high-speed paying out of the line with the flight of the arrow and a guide arm supported by the mounting fixture to minimize line diversion and hence friction during line payout while absorbing forces when the line is retracted permitting use of a lighter cowling design without loss of strength. The guide arm is fixed to the mounting fixture using a notched guide arm engaging with a lever of the mounting fixture.