Patent ID: 7712695

Claim:
A spool braking device for a fishing reel attached to a fishing rod in a detachable manner for use with a fishing line, the spool braking device comprising: a rotatable spool, arrangeable in the reel, for winding and unwinding the fishing line; a brake mechanism for electronically braking rotation of the spool; an acceleration sensor attached to the fishing rod for detecting swing acceleration of the fishing rod that is produced when the fishing rod is swung and generating an acceleration signal; and a brake control unit coupled to the acceleration sensor, wherein the brake control unit drives the brake mechanism and determines whether or not to brake the spool based on the acceleration signal, and wherein the brake control unit determines, based on the acceleration signal, an estimated casting distance of the fishing line from a casting point to a landing point where the fishing line lands on water, and drives the brake mechanism based on the estimated casting distance, and wherein the brake control unit includes a parameter setting unit for setting at least one initial parameter and changing a casting condition, and determines the estimated casting distance based on the at least one initial parameter and the acceleration signal, and wherein the at least one initial parameter includes a height parameter indicating a height of the fishing rod when the fishing line is cast from the fishing rod as the fishing rod reaches a casting swing termination position.