A new Daiwa electric reel might open up untapped fishing frontiers by making it easy for button-pushing line retrieving. It should also ease fishing for anglers who want the sizzle of the sport but lack the stamina to reel in hundreds of feet of deep-jigged line with a recalcitrant fish on the end.
The most modern iterations of electric reels (there have been several in the past) are the new Daiwa Dendoh series (four models). Daiwa personnel credit local Tony Tochterman of Tochterman?s Tackle for insisting that the Japanese-made reels be imported.
These reels are revolving spool design with a tiny built-in motor that removes the bulk and weight of previously available brands. The smallest model weighs 18 ounces, or about twice that of a freshwater baitcaster.
For freshwater fishing, these reels are probably overkill. For saltwater coast, reef and deep jigging, they open up new fishing possibilities. In the past, 200 feet was as deep as most anglers wanted to fish, considering the manual effort of reeling in all that line with a heavy jig or big fish on the end. That?s work ? hard work.
These reels remove the huffing and puffing, while allowing fishing depths two and three times those previously sought. They hold great promise for bottom/reef-fishing new deep spots for cod, grouper, tilefish and tautog.
The big advantage is that the Daiwa reels have no separate gear/motor housing as with bulky Elec-Tra-Mate reels (also electric). Daiwa reels have standard features such as a star drag (lever drag on the big MP3000), ball-bearing construction, sealed/washable electronics and handles (the latter lacking on Elec-Tra-Mate reels).
Using Daiwa Saltiga gel spun line, the smallest SB300FB will hold 450 yards of 30-pound braid; the largest MP3000 spooling 1500 yards of 120-pound test.
All four Daiwa models have an LCD screen to show you how much line is on the reel, how much line is out and distance from the lure to the bottom. Programmable electronics allow stopping the retrieve when the lure reaches the surface, retrieve-speed control and a programmable jigging mode that will fish lures for you.
They definitely are not inexpensive and not for all fishing, but they look great for deep jigging.
So go ahead ? set the rod in a holder. Drop down a jig. Eat a sandwich. Let the jigging mode work the lure. Watch the dolphins. Let the reel do the fishing. Take a nap. Set the lever/button for retrieve speed of hooked fish. Relax. Allow the drag and reel motor take over. Chill. Don?t worry ? the reel will stop when the lure and fish hit the surface. Easy.
C. Boyd Pfeiffer is an internationally known sportsman and award-winning writer on fishing, hunting, and the outdoors, and is currently working on his 25th book. He can be reached at [email protected].
