The best battery for an electric fishing reel is a 12V Deep Cycle Marine Battery with more than 70 amp hours. These batteries are designed to provide continuous power over long periods and can be recharged multiple times, making them ideal for the high-demand usage of electric fishing reels. Ensure compatibility with your specific reel model.
They should be kept separate from other uses, so you don’t deplete the battery too quickly.
My recommendation is the Renogy Deep Cycle which is 12 volts, has 100 amp hours, is effectively maintenance-free, and good value for money.
- 12V 100 Ah Deep Cycle Battery
- 2 Year Warranty
- Outstanding Discharge Performance
- Long Shelf Life
When I first was looking at purchasing an electric reel the most confusing part was the power source. Some people talked about hooking it into their boat’s power supply, while others came with a portable power source. I have written this guide to help you understand how an electric fishing reel is powered and what is the best battery.
Table of Contents
Types of Batteries
You can use many different types of batteries on your electric reel, but the most common is a deep-cycle marine battery.
The vast majority of electric reels are limited to 12 volts, although some (such as a few models of the Shimano Beastmaster) can go up to 24 volts. Check the manual of your reel before trying to hook it up to a more powerful battery. This can either damage the reel’s electric motor or it will alarm and fault.
Some manufacturers, such as Daiwa, produce their own portable power packs that you can attach to your hip. These are small and lightweight and offer around 20 amp hours. If you have a smaller electric reel like a Daiwa Seaborg 300J that has a max draw of 20 amps this will last for an hour at full crank, or 6 hours of general fishing.
An example of this is BatPower’s 15 amp hour battery pack. It only weighs 15 ounces and is compatible with most (but not all) Shimano and Daiwa electric reels.
| Battery Type | Pros | Cons | Star Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) | Lightweight, high energy density, long lifespan | Expensive, can be sensitive to temperature | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) | Lightweight, long lifespan, safer than Li-ion | Expensive, lower energy density than Li-ion | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) | Spill-proof, maintenance-free, good performance | Heavier than lithium, longer charging time | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gel Cell | Spill-proof, maintenance-free, good performance | Sensitive to overcharging, heavier than lithium | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Lead-Acid (SLA) | Inexpensive, widely available, easy to maintain | Heavy, lower capacity, shorter lifespan | ⭐⭐⭐ |
How Long will an Electric Fishing Reel Battery Last?
I recommend using a deep-cycle marine battery because of the higher amp hours. An electric reel can draw up to 30 amps when cranking. You can see from the table below that a deep-cycle marine battery will last significantly longer than other common type of battery. Remember, this is when the reel is cranking – you will likely only be cranking it for 10 minutes every hour on the water. So 2.5 hours of cranking time is enough for a full day of fishing and then some.
| Type of Battery | Volts | Amp Hours | Duration at 30 Amps |
| Motorcycle Battery | 12V | 7 Amp Hours | 14 minutes |
| Portable Power Pack | 12V | 20 Amp Hours | 40 minutes |
| Car Battery | 12V | 24 Amp Hours | 48 minutes |
| Deep Cycle Marine Battery | 12V | 75 Amp Hours | 2.5 hours |
I recommend keeping your reel battery separate from your trolling motor battery. It doesn’t matter if you run out of battery for your reel because you can always retrieve it manually, but if you run out of battery for your motor, you may need to row a long way home.
What Amps and Volts?
Electric reels can draw up to 30 amps, quickly draining smaller batteries. If you are using a small motorcycle battery, this can drain it in minutes. A standard car battery may last several hours, but a deep-cycle marine battery will last all day.
The key metrics to look for are the Amp Hours of your battery and the amp draw of your fishing reel. These figures should be available from your retailer or in the manual provided. If you are working on the electrics yourself, ensure the cables and plugs you select have an appropriate amp limit greater than the reel’s max draw.
The table below shows the amp draw of the most popular electric fishing reels on the market at the moment:
| Electric Reel | Max Amp Draw |
| Shimano Beastmaster 9000A | 35 amps |
| Shimano Forcemaster 9000A | 30 amps |
| Shimano Plays 4000 | 10 amps |
| Banax Kaigen 1000 | 25 amps |
| Daiwa Seaborg 300J | 20 amps |
| Daiwa Tanacom 1000 | 30 amps |
To calculate how long your battery will last, divide your batteries amp hours by the amp draw of your reel. For example, if your battery has 50 amp hours, and your reel draws 25 amps of current, then the battery will last for 2 hours. Of course, this is at full crank, probably lasting 12 hours on the water. Also, the reel won’t draw max amps all of the time – if you are retrieve any empty hook then it might be as low as 1/3 of the max when fighting a large fish.
This video from Daiwa gives an overview of electric reel batteries and a few common troubleshooting methods:
Conclusion
There are a wide range of batteries that will function attached to an electric reel, but the most commonly used by anglers is a 12V deep-cycle marine battery with more than 70 amp hours. This will power your reel for the entire day, regardless of how many fish you land, without any worry about running out of juice. You can select cheaper and smaller options, such as dedicated power packs, but you will also doubt when it will run out of charge.