A fishing reel (100) comprises a crank (110), a spool (120) connected to said crank (110), a pull-off brake mechanism (230,230,400,400,400) and a chassis (130). The pull-off brake mechanism (230,230,400,400,400) 5 and the crank (110) are interconnected such that a pretension of the pull-off brake mechanism (230,230,400,400,400) increases as the crank (110) is moved in a reeling-in direction. Moreover, the pretension of the pull-off pull-off brake mechanism (230,230,400,400,400)10 also increases as the crank (110) is moved in a direction opposite to the reeling-in direction.