A reel for a fishing rod and fishing line assembly comprising a housing 1a attachable to a pole portion of the fishing rod a rotatable spool 2 a damping member 5 in mechanical communication with the spool 2 and a fluid 7 wherein at least a portion of the damping member 5 is in contact with the fluid 7 whereby in use movement of the damping member 5 causes the fluid 7 to be sheared so as to induce a drag force to the damping member 5 which is non linearly proportional to the speed of rotation of the spool 2 so as to provide a braking effect to the spool 2. The fluid may be a non-Newtonian fluid, such as silicone oil.
