Wiring and electric reel for fishing: For most people, this seems to be the most complicated part of purchasing an electric reel. How do I do it? Will it kill my boat's battery? What wire should I use? Should it be tied to a breaker? How do I connect to a battery? These are all questions I receive on a daily basis. Don't panic friends… this is really simple stuff. First off, all electric reels come wired, most with about 10' of cable. All you have to do is get connected to a power source. There are 2 basic ways to fish an electric reel… wired to a boat's existing power supply or wiring to a portable battery. Either way it is very similar and quite simple to do. Wiring to a Portable Battery: This is the most simple way to connect to a power supply. Start out with a fully charged 12 volt battery. It can be an automotive battery, marine battery, deep cycle battery or even a small garden tractor battery! Whichever you choose, there are "right" ways and "wrong" ways of connecting to the battery. Electric reels like a solid power supply, and to get that, you must have a GOOD connection. For this reason, I do not recommend alligator-clip style connections. Although they do work, they can have a poor connection and are very easy to dislodge. A poor connection will give bursts and lows in battery voltage and that isn't good for the reel or for fishing. The one thing you MUST do is include a 15 amp in-line fuse into the wiring (available at any automotive or marine supply store). I recommend using 1 of 2 ways to connect to a portable battery. 1) ring terminals that slip over the post of the battery and use wing nuts to tighten down on the post. 2) the connection of a plug such as a Hubbell twist-lock plug (you may be familiar with these from shore power cords). http://www.hubbell-marine.com. I prefer 14-guage wire and a 15 amp fuse for the task. About 2-3 feet of 14-ga wire with an in-line 15 amp fuse is ideal for most applications, with the female end of the plug attached on the end. The other end can be connected to the battery best with wing nut or nut and ring connections. Have the wire coming from the reels tied into a male plug on the end and all there is to do is connect the male to the female twist-lock plug and you are ready to fish! This makes for a very simple connect/disconnect whenever needed. The portable battery boxes I sell on the site also use this technique, only they have a female twist lock plug built into the side of the battery box keeping all wire connections inside the box. You should get approx. 2 full days of fishing off a battery without needing to recharge. This fluctuates with the battery and the electric reel's draw, but figure about 2 days. You will have more fishing time from lower-power reels and less fishing time from for higher-power reels. Wiring to a Boat's Power Supply: Very much like part 2 above, I would recommend using a Hubbell twist-lock plug, 14-guage wire and an in-line 15 amp fuse. It is best to put your female outlet as close to where your battery is located as possible, but keep it within range of the rod holders you use when deep dropping. I recommend positioning the outlet either in a dry, non-exposed place or purchase a connection with a removable cover to avoid corrosion. Again, this is just like a shore power cord and they mount the same way. It is very helpful to keep the in-line fuse near an accessible hatch in case you need to change the fuse. Also, make sure the below-deck or in-hull wiring is safe and not resting against any sharp edges or objects. Over time a sharp surface can chafe through the outer vinyl coating and cut into the wire. If you have the capability to connect to a breaker and turn off the power to the outlet when not in use, all the better. I have fished them both ways and they both work well. Will I drain my battery? No. Unless you have a very weak battery to begin with, an electric reel cannot drain a battery in even a full day's use! If you are running more than 1 electric reel off the same battery and you plan to fish all day without starting a motor (a highly unlikely scenario), I would advise that you check your volt gauge after 4 hours fishing time and once an hour after that. If your battery is starting to loose power, fire up a motor and let it run for a while. Most boats have a dual-battery system and you will only be running off 1 battery. In all my time spent deep drop fishing, I have never run down a battery. * Deep Drop Tackle is not a licensed marine electrician. These are only possible suggestions and not to be used for a wiring guide. Always consult a certified marine electrician before doing any electrical work.

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