Complex sentence: Early bait casting reels were often constructed with brass or iron gears, with casings and spools made of brass, German silver, or hard rubber, and operated by inverting the reel and using back winding to retrieve line.
Split into simpler sentences: Early bait casting reels were often constructed with brass or iron gears, with casings and spools made of brass, German silver, or hard rubber. Early reels were often operated by inverting the reel and using back winding to retrieve line.