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Radcliffe made another surprising statement when he declared that "The Booke of St. Albans," regarded for many centuries as the first volume on fishing printed in Western Europe, was preceded many centuries by a book which had 26 short chapters, published in Antwerp. Despite Radcliffe's apparently indisputable proof, "The Booke of St. Albans" continues to be regarded in England as the first on the subject, perhaps because it was the first to be written in English.

In 1651, Barker, an Englishman, wrote "The Art of Angling," and not only described the reel and its use, but also included in his book a drawing made in 1647 of a reel. Barker referred to the reel as a "wind" and stated that it was created "about 1496 A.D." He supplied no further data. Other historians agree that a crude reel existed in the 15th Century.

Izaak Walton, patron saint of anglers, doesn't promenade into the picture until 1653, when he was acclaimed as an author on the art of fishing. That was two years after Barker had handled the subject rather painstakingly. Perhaps Walton lives so heroically in memory and Barker practically is forgotten because Walton was tremendously popular and a thorough sportsman, whereas Barker, a man with many enemies, was referred to in his day as the "Father of Salmon Poaching." His ambition was to catch fish - many, many fish-and he never observed laws, ethics or another man's rights. Walton was the exact opposite.

Barker usually fished alone, ignoring the rights of others to waters. Walton, on the other hand, always observed the laws. He was a born organizer and was happiest when conducting parties of friends to the best possible fishing spots. He was an angling missionary and made many converts to the rod and reel.

Although the first reels were called "winds" or "winches," Walton wrote of them as "wheeles." Later this was changed to "reel," appearing to be more appropriate.

Within 100 years after Walton's death, angling had gained so much popularity that fly-casting contests were put on in various parts of England to settle disputes as to who was the champion in his district. Informal angling clubs soon resulted and, going into the 19th Century, real English sportsmen spurned every method other than fly-casting to catch fish.