A fishing reel brake 1 comprises a member for attaching the brake to a fishing rod and a resiliently biased arm 3. One end of the arm is secured to the attachment member, while the other comprises a contact region, such as a rubber pad 7. The arm extends from the attachment member to a position adjacent the reel whereby the arm may be biased towards the reel to enable the contact region to slow its rotation. The contact pad is preferably contoured to follow the curvature of the reel and may comprise grooves 8 for gripping the reel. The arm may also be provided with an aperture (9, Fig. 4) which is preferably covered by a membrane (10, Fig. 4) that is sufficiently thin to allow a user to feel any rotation of the reel. The attachment member may be a sleeve 2 which snap-fits onto a fishing rod.
