The clamp-footed reel first appeared in print when Thomas Barker described one in his book, Art of Angling, circa 1651. In his revised edition, printed in 1657, Barker included a line drawing depicting a clamp-footed reel. This method of securing a reel to a rod was used into the early 20th century, with major reel-producing companies such as Hendryx still promoting their use on several cataloged models.
