Shimano's Force Master 300 is a lightweight and compact electric reel designed to deliver power, sensitivity and precision when fishing from a boat. Its S Compact Body provides a comfortable grip and makes working the rod easier during extended sessions. The MUTEKI MOTOR+ delivers a rapid response and effective retrieval, helping anglers make the most of even the briefest opportunities. The spool offers line capacity suited to numerous techniques, from bottom fishing and tai rubber to tenya and metal sutte fishing. Its smooth free-spool performance rivals that of a manual reel, improving sensitivity to bottom contact and bites on the drop. The Touch Drive Speed Lock allows thumb-only retrieval control, enabling anglers to respond quickly to the fish's movements. With 31 speed settings, anglers can select the right pace for both lure presentation and fighting fish. The new Fall Lever controls the descent without adding resistance during subsequent retrieval. An advanced, versatile reel designed to make light boat fishing more intuitive, effective and less tiring.
MUTEKI MOTOR+
The MUTEKI MOTOR+ combines high torque, compact dimensions and rapid response. Special rare-earth magnets improve responsiveness at start-up—an advantage when retrieval needs to begin immediately after bottom contact or when a fish must be pulled quickly away from rocks. Compared with the 2015 ForceMaster 300, maximum retrieval speed increases by over 30%, while practical retrieval speed improves by approximately 10%. The motor weighs around 52 g, approximately 10 g less than the previous version. This combination of low weight and performance allows anglers to retrieve their rigs quickly, replace the bait and get back to fishing, making the most of feeding windows.
Lightweight, Compact Body with Increased PE Line Capacity
The S Compact Body reduces bulk and improves palming comfort, allowing anglers to grip the reel securely together with the rod handle. Its low profile makes jigging movements, releasing groundbait and subtle presentations easier, while providing a comfortable hold even for smaller hands. The controls remain within easy thumb reach, allowing retrieval to be managed without constantly adjusting the grip. Despite its compact dimensions, the spool holds 400 m of PE 0.8, 300 m of PE 1, 200 m of PE 1.5 or 150 m of PE 2. This provides a useful line reserve for fishing at different depths, drift fishing and retaining sufficient line after braid breakages.
Free-Spool Performance Comparable to a Non-Electric Reel
The optimised internal gear design improves free-spool performance, allowing the rig to descend as smoothly as it would with a manual reel. The spool responds promptly to changes in lure movement, making bottom contact and bites on the drop easier to detect. In tai rubber fishing, this facilitates "touch & go"—starting retrieval immediately after reaching the bottom—which is essential for maintaining an effective presentation. Greater sensitivity also helps reduce snagging and excess slack line. When targeting squid, a fast descent can offer an advantage when they respond to the first rig to reach their depth.
Touch Drive Speed Lock: Advanced Control for Flexible Retrieval
Touch Drive provides 31 retrieval speed settings through the rocker switch positioned on top of the reel. The Speed Lock function expands control by allowing anglers to accelerate when pressing the switch and return to the preset intermediate speed when releasing it. This makes it possible to take up line quickly when a fish swims towards the boat and slow down when it makes another powerful run. Depending on the technique, one or two intermediate speeds can be set, or the presets can be disabled, adapting operation to presentation and fish-fighting requirements. An intuitive system that makes fish handling and retrieval control easier, even when targeting species with delicate mouths.
New Fall Lever: An Even Slower Descent to Trigger Bites
The new Fall Lever allows precise adjustment of the rig's descent speed, simplifying a task normally performed by thumbing the spool. Its integrated one-way roller bearing applies resistance during the drop without hindering subsequent manual or motorised retrieval. Anglers can therefore slow the presentation and resume retrieval smoothly without having to loosen the setting. This finer control expands the possibilities in tenya, tai rubber and metal sutte fishing, particularly when fish and squid respond better to a slow fall. The adjustment also helps reduce the risk of backlash during the descent. Different Settings for
Different Fishing Techniques
- Bottom fishing for red porgy with a groundbait feeder: the recommended setting is Speed Lock ON and intermediate speed OFF. This configuration allows anglers to take up the required line after rod movements used to release groundbait or while pumping a fish. The control follows the angler's rhythm, providing direct retrieval control and making it easier to manage the rig within the desired depth range.
- Horse mackerel fishing with sabiki rigs: for smooth, easily repeatable retrieval, use intermediate speed ON, with Speed Lock either enabled or disabled. Once a suitable speed has been selected, a single touch recalls it without requiring adjustment after every catch. A moderate speed helps reduce strain on the horse mackerel's delicate mouth, limiting tearing and pulled hooks.
- Tenya or sabiki fishing with a very slow retrieve: the recommended configuration is Speed Lock ON and intermediate speed ON with two presets. The first is dedicated to slow lure presentation, while the second is used when fighting a fish. After a bite, anglers can quickly switch from presentation speed to fighting speed, while retaining the option to accelerate with Speed Lock to keep up with fish swimming upwards.
- Tai rubber: for a consistent presentation, the recommended setting is Speed Lock OFF and intermediate speed ON with two presets—one for presentation and one for fighting fish. Constant retrieval encourages a steady lure action, while the 31 settings help anglers find the most effective pace according to fish activity, current and boat drift. If a hooked fish swims upwards rapidly, Speed Lock can be activated to adjust retrieval promptly.
- Metal sutte: when targeting squid with metal sutte, a useful configuration is Speed Lock ON and intermediate speed ON. The preset speed provides controlled retrieval of the squid, while Speed Lock allows acceleration if predatory fish approach to attack it. Once the threat has passed, simply release the switch to return to the preset speed, avoiding unnecessarily prolonged high-speed retrieval and reducing the risk of tearing the squid’s flesh. As a practical reference, Shimano professional angler Jun Tomidokoro uses a retrieval setting of 17-18, adjusted to suit fishing conditions.
Feedback from Shimano's Japanese Professional Anglers
During testing by Shimano's Japanese professional anglers, the ForceMaster 300 stood out for its combination of low weight, ease of use and retrieval control. Jun Tomidokoro appreciates its lightness, which makes continuous rod movements easier when targeting cutlassfish. The increased line capacity provides a useful reserve, while the motor enables fast rig retrieval and reduces the time needed to change bait. Tomidokoro also highlights the usefulness of Speed Lock for keeping up with fish swimming upwards and slowing down when the pull increases. Yasuhiro Akazawa considers the reel a valuable asset for deep-water tai rubber fishing and drifting with large amounts of line out. The smooth free-spool performance makes bottom contact easy to recognise and helps anglers restart the lure immediately. Consistent electric retrieval also allows very slow presentations, which can be effective even when fish are less active. Shohei Yoshida highlights the simplicity of Touch Drive Speed Lock, which allows the desired speed to be recalled quickly. Their experiences highlight a reel that reduces fatigue while offering precise control across numerous boat fishing techniques.
MADE IN JAPAN
