Deep Drop Fishing Directory
The Deep Drop Directory is a guide to the companies that build gear for deep drop fishing and slow pitch jigging: electric reels, deep drop rods, slow pitch jigs, rods and reels, and the portable batteries that power electric reels. It currently lists 46 manufacturers from 5 countries, from Japanese jig makers to commercial reel builders here in South Florida.
We fish these depths ourselves out of Sunny Isles Beach, so the directory is written for anglers who drop baits into 300 to 1,500+ feet of water. Each company gets an in-depth review covering its history, full product line with models and specs, who it suits, and where to buy it, including stores, dealers and service centers.
Browse by category
- Electric Reels: 10 companies. Electric reels do the heavy lifting on a deep drop: winding a weighted rig and a fish up from 300 to 1,500+ feet, drop after drop.
- Deep Drop Rods: 7 companies. A deep drop rod has to carry a heavy lead and an electric reel all day, absorb the lunge of a big fish at the surface, and survive the rod holder.
- Slow Pitch Jigs: 10 companies. Slow pitch jigs are built to fall: most strikes come as the jig flutters, glides or slides back down after the rod throws it up.
- Slow Pitch Rods: 23 companies. A slow pitch rod does the work: its recoil throws the jig up so the angler barely lifts.
- Slow Pitch Reels: 10 companies. Slow pitch reels are compact conventional reels with a smooth, strong drag, a high line capacity for their size, and a gear ratio that lets the rod do the work.
- Electric Reel Batteries: 12 companies. Portable lithium batteries free electric reels from the boat’s wiring: clip a pack to the rod, plug in the reel, and fish from any boat.
Newest reviews
- Hooker Electric Reels Review
- Shimano Reel Batteries Review
- Daiwa Reel Batteries Review
- Banax Reel Batteries Review
- Miya Epoch Reel Batteries Review
- Deepliner Slow Pitch Rods Review
- Seafloor Control Slow Pitch Rods Review
- Major Craft Slow Pitch Jigs Review
All reviews (53)
Electric Reels (10 reviews)
- Banax Electric Reels Review: Kaigen 500, 1000, 1500TM and 7000, with US service through Frigate Sales
- Daiwa Electric Reels Review: the full US Seaborg, Tanacom and Sea Power lineup, $749.99 to $3,399.99
- Dolphin Electreel Electric Reels Review: Electric conversions of Penn, Shimano and Avet big-game reels with manual override
- Elec-Tra-Mate Electric Reels Review: American-made drives for Penn, Fin-Nor and Shimano reels, plus the TD-2000 and TD-4000
- Hooker Electric Reels Review: PENN International VI Autostop electrics with the ReelTime app
- Kristal Fishing Electric Reels Review: Miami-built KF systems, the 600 Series and XG 2500
- Lindgren-Pitman Electric Reels Review: S2-1200, SV-1200, SV-2400 and the DTX dredge system from Pompano Beach, FL
- Miya Epoch Electric Reels Review: the CZ, AT and AC series from Japan, including 24V models
- PENN Electric Reels Review: the Fathom Electric 30, 50 and 80 with a built-in lithium battery
- Shimano Electric Reels Review: BeastMaster 9000 B and ForceMaster A 9000, with the Japanese ForceMaster 3000
Deep Drop Rods (4 reviews)
- Blackfin Rods Deep Drop Rods Review: Fin Legacy Deep Drop, Offshore Elite and the Deep Stix slow pitch rod, made in Hobe Sound, FL
- Crowder Rods Deep Drop Rods Review: all 14 E-Glass deep drop rods, made in Stuart, FL
- Kristal Fishing Deep Drop Rods Review: KF001, KF003 and KF004 rod, reel and mount systems
- Star Rods Deep Drop Rods Review: Handcrafted B50, B80 and B130 deep drop rods with curved aluminum butts
Slow Pitch Jigs (7 reviews)
- Beat Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Zigray, Greatray and Beeline jigs
- Daiwa Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Saltiga SK, MR Slow, FK and TG Bait jigs
- Deepliner Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Spy, Slow Skip FB and the Logical rods from Japan’s slow pitch pioneer
- Major Craft Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Jigpara Slow and Vertical jigs, 10–500 g
- Palms Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Slow Blatt S, R, L and Slow Blatt Cast jigs
- Seafloor Control Slow Pitch Jigs Review: handmade jigs from Kochi, Japan, with every model explained
- Shimano Slow Pitch Jigs Review: Ocea Stinger Butterfly Sardine Waver, Butterfly Flat-Fall and Flat-Side
Slow Pitch Rods (16 reviews)
- Beat Slow Pitch Rods Review: Propagate BLX and Type S slow pitch rods
- Black Hole Slow Pitch Rods Review: NS Black Hole Pioneer and Hurricane-X slow pitch rods
- Blackfin Rods Slow Pitch Rods Review: Florida-built Deep Stix slow pitch rod, PE 3–5
- Daiwa Slow Pitch Rods Review: Saltiga Slow Pitch, Power Slow, Outrage and Harrier slow pitch rods
- Deepliner Slow Pitch Rods Review: Logical rods from 30 g to 800 g
- Evergreen Slow Pitch Rods Review: Poseidon Slow Jerker PSLJ603, a Class A Japanese slow pitch rod
- Hots Slow Pitch Rods Review: Stiletto Slow Style 3rd Gen with Fuji Torzite guides
- Major Craft Slow Pitch Rods Review: Giant Killing slow jigging rods from about $190
- Okuma Slow Pitch Rods Review: Tesoro slow pitch rods in casting and spinning, plus Cavalla reels
- Phenix Rods Slow Pitch Rods Review: Titan TJX-C slow pitch rods, 8 models to 480 g
- Seafloor Control Slow Pitch Rods Review: JAM rod, 10th Anniversary and full-solid Rapier
- Shimano Slow Pitch Rods Review: Game Type Slow J and Grappler Type Slow J
- Temple Reef Slow Pitch Rods Review: Levitate X, Gravitate, Elevate, Grand Cru and SPATHE, $249 to $599
- Tenryu Slow Pitch Rods Review: Horizon Progressive and Horizon MJ slow jigging rods
- Xesta Slow Pitch Rods Review: Slow Emotion series for slow, short and power pitch jigging
- Yamaga Blanks Slow Pitch Rods Review: Galahad Slow Global, 80–500 g, overseas-only
Slow Pitch Reels (9 reviews)
- Accurate Slow Pitch Reels Review: Valiant SPJ and two-speed Valiant 2 SPJ, from Corona, California
- Avet Slow Pitch Reels Review: American-made SXJ, MXJ and JX narrow-spool lever drags
- Daiwa Slow Pitch Reels Review: the 2025 Saltiga 300 level wind and Saltiga slow pitch rods
- Jigging Master Slow Pitch Reels Review: Level-wind Wiki Violent Slow reels
- Okuma Slow Pitch Reels Review: Tesoro LDJ and Cavalla 5NS slow pitch reels
- PENN Slow Pitch Reels Review: Fathom II Lever Drag 2-Speed and Fathom Low Profile
- Seigler Slow Pitch Reels Review: SGN Slow Pitch Jigging edition, made in Virginia
- Shimano Slow Pitch Reels Review: Ocea Jigger star drag and Ocea Jigger LD lever drag
- Studio Ocean Mark Slow Pitch Reels Review: Blue Heaven L50 lever drag slow pitch reel from Tokyo
Reel Batteries (7 reviews)
- Abyss Battery Reel Batteries Review: 10Ah Deep-Drop and 5Ah Kite Reel batteries from Largo, FL
- Banax Reel Batteries Review: TIMAX-B batteries and US options for Kaigen reels
- BatPower Reel Batteries Review: ProF 7.8Ah and 15Ah packs for Daiwa and Shimano, plus Banax and Miya versions
- Black Oak LED Reel Batteries Review: 10Ah Deep Drop and 5Ah Kite batteries from Sarasota, FL
- Daiwa Reel Batteries Review: Super Lithium 12000WP, BM series and Tough Battery
- Miya Epoch Reel Batteries Review: Power cords, 12V/24V and batteries for Command reels
- Shimano Reel Batteries Review: BT Master 11AH and the Denryokumaru recall
Companies by country
USA (21)
Japan (16)
| Company | Headquarters | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Beat | Japan | Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods |
| Daiwa (Globeride) | Higashikurume, Tokyo | Electric Reels, Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Reels, Reel Batteries |
| Deepliner | Nagahama, Kochi City | Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods |
| Evergreen (Evergreen International) | Japan | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Gamakatsu | — | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Hots (Hot’s) | Japan | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Major Craft | Japan (US: Major Craft America) | Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Jigs |
| Miya Epoch (Miyamae Co., Ltd.) | Osaka | Electric Reels, Reel Batteries |
| Palms | Hiratsuka, Kanagawa | Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Jigs |
| Seafloor Control | Kochi City, Kochi | Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods |
| Shimano | Sakai, Osaka | Electric Reels, Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Reels, Reel Batteries |
| Smith Ltd. | — | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Studio Ocean Mark | Ota Ward, Tokyo | Slow Pitch Reels |
| Tenryu | Iida, Nagano | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Xesta | Japan | Slow Pitch Rods |
| Yamaga Blanks | Nagomi-cho, Kumamoto | Slow Pitch Rods |
South Korea (2)
| Company | Headquarters | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Banax | — | Electric Reels, Reel Batteries |
| Black Hole | South Korea | Slow Pitch Rods |
Taiwan (2)
| Company | Headquarters | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Jigging Master (JMaster) | Taipei (US: Alhambra, CA) | Slow Pitch Reels, Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Jigs |
| Okuma | Taichung | Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Reels |
Australia (2)
| Company | Headquarters | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad Design | — | Slow Pitch Rods, Slow Pitch Jigs |
| Ocean’s Legacy | — | Slow Pitch Jigs, Slow Pitch Rods |
Other / country to be confirmed (3)
| Company | Headquarters | Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Smith | — | Reel Batteries |
| Maxel | — | Slow Pitch Reels |
| Temple Reef | — | Slow Pitch Rods |
How we review
Every review is built from manufacturer specifications, published prices and authorized dealer listings, checked on the date shown on each page. We note where a detail is unconfirmed rather than guess, and we update pages when models, prices or dealers change. Reviews are independent: companies don’t pay to be listed or rated.
Frequently asked questions
What is deep drop fishing?
Fishing baits on or near the bottom in very deep water, typically 300 to 1,500+ feet, for species like tilefish, snowy grouper, barrelfish and swordfish. Most anglers use electric reels.
What is slow pitch jigging?
A jigging style developed in Japan where a specialized rod’s recoil lifts the jig and fish strike as it flutters back down. It works well for grouper, snapper and amberjack.
How do I get my company listed?
Contact us with your company name, website and product lines.