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Deep Drop Fishing in 2024 - Whats the Vibe?

Deep Drop Fishing Gear

It’s a method of fishing that has been associated with the old school, a pursuit that has somewhat appealed to the more affluent and those who have had the determination to haul up from 300-meters plus. As we enter a NEW era of deep-water fishing it’s not just the fisherman that are changing. It’s our gear, our knowledge of the depths & our ability as fishermen to get out wide to target a tasty array of table fish.

In this article, we will dive deeper into the culture behind Deepwater fishing, the who, the where, the what & the how. It’s a world that has evolved quickly over the years & with it the world’s biggest tackle brands are upping their game, there’s a fair bit to unpack. So here’s how this is going to roll… run your retinas over the entire article for the full experience or simply click your desired topic below.

 

What’s the vibe of bottom fishing?

If the first image that comes to mind is your Dad & his mates heading out for a weekend behind Great Barrier on Barry’s launch with several Penn 80 wide’s hanging out the gunnels, we don’t blame you. We are going to do our best to paint a slightly more appealing picture for you, so bare with us while we blur the generational lines and speak directly to the modern aspects of the deep-drop world.

It’s no secret that trailer boats are getting bigger each year, engines more reliable and subsequently the offshore depths are now more easily accessible to the masses. With this has come a shift in the variety of personalities dropping a line for trophy Hapuka, Bass & Bluenose. Not to mention the rapidly increased level of investment from the likes of Daiwa & Shimano are placing into electric reels & the rods to match. Want a lightweight, parabolic rod to fish for Snapper in 100m? No worries. Need a powerhouse with over 40kg of Drag to leave no stone unturned? Easy done. Did someone say, Let’s connect the sounder to the screen on your reel? Done! The game is changing & therefore the audience has with it.

Does this mean bottom fishing is now cool? We think so! So strap on a set of Crocs, grab your fresh Lo-Cab tee, load up the Yeti & let’s go through the world that is Deep Water Fishing!

 

Finding Deep Water Fish – What am I looking for?

Everything is accessible online! It’s 2024 after all. That’s the truth when it comes to many of our favourite fishing spots too. The best place to start is by diving into Navionics Chart Viewer & surveying the area you think you will be targeting. If you are not familiar with Navionics or you have been avoiding technology for the last 20 years – unlucky, but don’t blame us when you're dropping baits over the sand & feeding the crabs.

Remember that all the same principles apply when finding fish around structure. Baitfish congregate in these areas in schools to seek shelter from predators, making them a prime hunting ground for us fishermen. Take note of the colour of the water, from our experience the clearer the water the better the fishing. Water temperature also plays a part in the speed of the bite, Bass, Hapuku & Bluenose will hang out in water down to 7 or 8 degrees, contributing to their tasty flesh. It’s one of the many reasons that the winter months provide some of the better deep-water fishing throughout the year. Most of our favourite deep drop spots have been found when game fishing or simply running over what appear to be small rocks near 150 – 250m in depth. The best piece of advice I have ever received is to not take your eyes off the sounder when travelling & mark any upward dwelling in the hope you can prospect the spot at a later time. Often the smallest up dwelling found while travelling has provided incredible sessions & multiple hookups. Albeit the charts are the best place to start, keep in mind that not all the best rocks are found on Navionics. Your own investment in prospecting and surveying the surrounding areas is always going to outweigh any quick fix.

If all else fails… steal the old man’s spots. He’s probably caught a few in years gone by, hence the solid forearms. That being said we have a few tips up our sleeve that bring this into the 21st century so stick with us as we provide an insight into electric reels.

 

Don’t wind! Use your electric reel! Say less...

There is an argument to suggest that electric fishing reels are the fastest-developing product line in the fishing industry & we think that’s for good reason. Renowned as the best fishing trade show in the world, the Yokohama Fishing Show flexed its muscles this year with NEW electric offerings from both Shimano & Daiwa. One of the biggest features of late has been the inclusion of a Wi-Fi feature connecting directly to your sounder allowing you to read the bottom directly off your electric reel! Yes grandad, you heard that right. I’ll be sitting in 300m of water with direct visibility of the bottom of the ocean. Like that?

It’s a case of… We got small ones, big ones, round ones, ones for pink mao mao & ones for world record swordfish. The possibilities are endless with the increasing variety of electric reels which are gaining more and more attention from the worlds biggest tackle manufactures. I know we are not shy to give a bit of stick to our previous generations but these reels are beginning to play a big role in keeping the old buggers on the water. For those within our families who taught us everything we know but now struggle to physically fight our beloved NZ sport fish – electric reels are keeping you afloat for that little bit longer. It's a space we have become increasingly passionate about due to the inclusive nature of electrics, all jokes aside.

With that in mind, and the vast variety of electric reels available today… we thought we would simplify the process & run you through our 3 favourites including how we are using them in the high seas.

 

The Best electric reels for me in 2024?

Right, for us this is a fine-tuning process. Take all the incredible options available in the NZ market and narrow them down to the 3 best. It’s a tough ask so we have identified three key aspects of deep dropping to make it a bit easier. With innovation comes choice, it’s a luxury my grandfather wouldn’t understand.

The Best of the Best – more money, no problems!

Daiwa Seaborg 1200MJ - Saltist SJ 5'6 Heavy Bent Butt Electric Combo

 

The best electric reel money can buy in our humble opinion would have to be the Daiwa Seaborg 1200MJ. If the goal is to outdo Barry from accounts with bling, performance & zero care factor to his P&L then this reel is the one to wind Baz up. Paired perfectly with the Daiwa 22 Seapower PE 6-10 rod, this is the perfect combo to set in motion a jealousy riff in your group of mates.

Here's a little ‘word on the street, 2024 will see the introduction of a new Daiwa Seaborg G1800M-RJ. This is the game-changing electric reel that will set a new standard in deep dropping for big pelagic’s such as broadbill swordfish. This reel comes with a remote control so you can control your reel from the helm. No need to leave your cold beer and comfort of the helm seat. The new Seaborg G1800 packs a massive 50kg of drag making this reel one of the most powerful reels in the world with a new engine almost 2x the size of the trusted 1200 model. Remember, more money, no problems.

Reel: Daiwa Seaborg 1200MJ

Suggested Rod: Daiwa Seapower Electric Rod

Engine: Massive Megatwin engine providing both high & low gears

Drag Pressure: Huge 33kg

Cost: $2,799 from Land & Sea NZ

Prudent perfection. The electric reel that is the best value for money!

Daiwa 22 Tanacom 1200AJ Electric Reel

 

Now this is a chat for around the fireplace at Whitianga after a day at the hook, Steinlager in hand. The more people congregating at the bach, the more opinions, unless the old boy jumps in with some silly “You bloody kids can't hack it these days”… pipe down Grandpa! Back here at Land & Sea, this ones been thrown around the office but after much debate, the unanimous decision sees the brand new Tanacom 1200AJ coming out on top. The previous Tanacom 1000 would have to be considered the most durable & trustworthy electric reel of recent times. The Yeti of the electric fishing reel world. It’s with that reputation that our team were nervous about the recent release of the new 1200 model. How do you make that reel any better? Well, typical of Japanese engineering based out of Globeride in Tokyo, they nailed it. With a completely new design & internalized engine the Tanacom 1200 sets the standard in electric reels for just north of $1,000 bucks.

With respect to the ‘Value for Money’ narrative, we can’t overlook the Daiwa Saltist SJ deep drop rod as the perfect partner in crime for this reel. Available in both a 24kg & 36kg option it keeps all generations happy. Keep it away from the old boys though, this ain’t no snapper rod, although we wouldn’t be surprised.

Reel: Daiwa Tanacom 1200AJ

Suggested Rod: Daiwa Saltist SJ Deep Drop Rod

Engine: New internal engine providing both high & low gears

Drag Pressure: 25kg

Cost: $1,199 from Land & Sea NZ

Light Game. The best compact electric reel.

Daiwa 23 Leobritz 300J Electric Reel

 

It’s time to speak to the early adopters. The open-minded. Those who are not afraid to test the boundaries. Those old boys who can’t be bothered listening to us young kids whom outfish them. The pink maomao slayers! Don’t worry, it’s perfectly acceptable.

All jokes aside, the use of compact electric reels has changed the game & will continue to develop in years to come. This article is not long enough to talk through the full list of positives attributed to compact electric reels but it’s clear consumer demand is growing.

To accompany the development of reels such as the Shimano Plays & Daiwa Leobritz has been the development of light, parabolic rods to match. In fact, if you have not had the pleasure of picking up these incredible rods, treat yourself.

This one is easy – the best compact electric reel as we see it is the new Daiwa 23 Leobritz 300J electric reel. Labelled a game changer we believe the development of small, electric reels opens up a world of possibilities. The first benefit that comes to mind is the ability to fish with an electric reel for the entire day, fitting into the hand like a hand-crafted filleting knife. This is a reel that we see being used from depths of 80m plus. Boasting 16kg of drag, it’s a small reel that packs a punch.

A unique & powerful reel like this needs a rod to match but nothing existed in the market which provided the full experience. Therefore our mates at Daiwa NZ took it upon themselves to build what we consider our favourite deep drop rod on the market. Introduced in 2022 the Seapower B63 PE4 is one of the more impressive rods you will come across. Sit back, grab a cold beer and let this combo do its thing.

Reel: Daiwa 23 Leobritz 300J Electric Reel

Suggested Rod: Daiwa 22 Seapower B63 PE4

Drag Pressure: 16kg

Cost: $1,049 from Land & Sea NZ

Ok, I get it… Deep Dropping is now cool. What else do I need?

Yo… Now your better half has had a crack at you for purchasing a new set-up from Land & Sea… let’s set that bad boy up. Let’s keep the rest simple. The idea here is not to protect your wallet but because it’s a space that is often overcomplicated. There is often chat around the use of soft plastics in the deep… it’s like listening to your great Nana chew your ear off during a game of backgammon. Our advice is to smile & nod then get back to what works.

The way we see it, you have two options that generally always produce the goods. Bait & Jigs. Jigs have recently gained more & more traction within the deep dropping community & for a good reason. Outside of the obvious reasons such as keeping the boat clean, Jigs are now a valid option with modern electric reels. Like changing your iPhone settings to dark mode (Highly recommended), simply engage jigging mode in your reel and crank that power lever. Sound too easy? Yup, it is!

When it comes to bait, simple is best. It’s a pastime of many anglers to create their own rigs with 200 – 300lb leader & large 10 – 13/0 circle hooks. These days brands such as Precision Angler take all the work out of it and provide high-quality pre-made rigs that get you fishing fast and easy. It’s like a pre-paid call card, only better.

Here’s one to get you thinking about the environment! We don’t love lead or plastic around here and luckily for us, we have seen the development of lead-free sinkers which aim at protecting the environment. The most recent addition to this space is Redo. It is our strong recommendation that anglers choose lead-free to protect our waters for future generations.

Outside of the stock standard hooks, leader & swivels the one suggested addition is a deep drop light to gain the attention of your prey. It’s simple logic but considering your 300m deep in the abyss – a light is a must to increase your odds. After all we all eat with our eyes before our mouths, so help a bluenose pup out will ya!

Here is a list of our suggested terminal tackle. Take the thinking out of it!

Closing call on deep dropping in NZ…

Now that we have made the bold statement around the cultural shift in dropping big baits into the abyss, it’s time to head wide & feel the movement for yourself. In a nutshell, the mere thought of hand-winding a 30kg bucket up from 300m is about as appealing as taking a cold shower. With modern technology deep dropping has become a vibe that we are all about. It’s a social activity that can take place with great mates, partners & family while hunting incredibly tasty tablefish. Not to mention the fact that the most intense physical strain you will now experience is the boat ride to and from the abyss.

We are not far off your electric reel having the ability to scroll your Instagram feed so keep an eye on this space as we continue to bring you the best that the industry has to offer. As we stated right at the beginning, this is a new era of deep-water fishing & it’s not just the fisherman that is changing. It’s our gear, our knowledge of the depths & our ability as fishermen to get out wide to target a tasty array of table fish.

Bottoms up! 

Side note... if you want to feel inspired, check out our mates from Daiwa Australia & NZ take on some Far North beastes below. 

 

 

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