A fixed spool fishing reel (10) having a spool shaft (106) and a hollow rotor shaft (108) which is coaxial with the spool shaft (106) and through which the spool shaft (106) extends. The rotor shaft (108) is able to rotate about the spool shaft (106). The reel (10) is further provided with a handle shaft (21) which extends transversely of and is offset relative to the spool shaft (106). A first gear (102) is coupled for rotation with the handle shaft (21) and also has an axis of rotation which is transverse of and offset from the spool shaft (106). The said first gear (102) engages a second gear (107) which is on the rotor shaft (108) so that the respective axes of rotation of the first and second gears (102 and 107) are mutually orthogonal. The said first gear (102) is selectively coupled for rotation with the handle shaft (21). The handle shaft (21) is also selectively coupled to drive a third gear (110), having an axis of rotation which is transverse of and in or substantially in a plane in which lies the spool shaft (106). The said third gear (110) is on the opposite side of the spool shaft (106) to that side of the spool shaft (106) on which the said first gear (102) is located. It has an axis of rotation which is closer to the spool of the reel (10) than the axis of rotation of the said first gear (102). The said third gear (110) engages a fourth gear (112) which is also on the rotor shaft (108) closer to the spool than is the said second gear (107). The respective axes of rotation of the said third and fourth gears (110 and 112) are mutually orthogonal. The reel (10) has a selector (30, 114, 160) connected to change the gearing through which the handle shaft (21) drives the rotor shaft (108) from that comprising the said first gear (102) and the said second gear (107), to that comprising the said third gear (110) and the said fourth gear (112). As a result it changes the gear ratio between rotation of the handle shaft (21) and that of the rotor shaft (108).
