Electric Reels

An electric reel is a conventional-type reel that winds line in with a motor rather than a handle. In deep water, where the same line has to go down and come back up all day, the motor takes over the job an arm would otherwise do. On days with strong current, pulling the load back up also falls to the motor rather than the angler.

Electric reels are the smallest reel category on the site, with each model drawn from its own series in most cases. Daiwa and Shimano share the listing, with Daiwa slightly ahead.

Electric reels run high max drag and high weight

Median max drag is the highest of any reel group, and even the weakest model is rated above the catalogue-wide median. Against that median, this group sits in a band of its own. Median weight is about five times a spinning reel. Median gear ratio is the lowest in the catalogue, while the highest median ball bearing count in the catalogue sits in the same category.

Size numbers and missing data

Size numbers here follow no shared scale between makers, so more than one numbering system sits side by side in the same column. Drag type is not recorded for any model in this category, so that row is left out of the comparison table rather than filled in with a guess.

Balance with a boat rod

An electric reel is built to work with a boat rod. Boat rods carry a heavy median casting weight, the upper limit reaches far higher, and rods rated H or EH power carry that heavier load. Fitting a reel this heavy onto a light, slim rod leaves the outfit unbalanced, so the rod's own weight has to be part of the match. Rods for this pairing can be filtered on the boat rod pages. Reels doing the same job by hand instead of a motor are listed under conventional reels. The full reel listing, covering every category from spinning to electric, is on the reels page.