Once the exclusive preserve of commercial fishermen, recreational anglers are now investigating the deep reefs that lie either side of the Continental Shelf dropoff, which are home to deepwater ooglies like hoki, gemfish, hapuka (groper) bass and bluenose. Now, winding a massive sinker and even just a single big fish up out of 70 to 150 fathoms of water is a lot of effort, but the Shimano Dendou Maru electric overhead takes the hard work out of it.

Powered by a 12 volt battery, the Dendou Maru's stainless steel gears are up to the strain of dealing with heavy sinkers and big fish in extreme depths, while a programmable line counter helps to let you know how deep you are fishing, and a levelwind lays the line evenly on the spool. For the purists, it's possible to disengage the 12 volt motor and make use of the Power Handle to retrieve line if you wish, but having that electric power there sure makes life easier. Fishing deep water like this means using GSP lines and the Dendou Maru holds 600 metres of 24 kilo PE braid, which is more than enough for most fishing situations. Thanks to the levelwind, the reel can be filled right to the brim and you can be certain that the line will be wound on neatly.

Model: DDM400HP

Line Retrieve Per Crank (in.):  N/A

Line Capacity (# Test/Yards): 80lb (thin diamtre) braid - 600mtrs

Max Drag (lbs.): N/A

Bearings:  2

Gear Ratio:  -

Weight (oz.):  1240

price with taipan 24kg shimano rod $1350, with 600yds 80lb braid (thin) $1375, with braid and rod $1400 (freight extra $15)

not incl r.d.