An apparatus for fishing includes a fishing rod and a separate base unit onto which the rod can be mounted and readily removed. The rod is generally conventional and includes a reel mounted on a rod body for winding in the fishing line with a spool and a hand cranked rotor for winding the line around the spool. The base unit includes a cylindrical holding sleeve for mounting the rod body and a battery driven electric motor for driving the spool independently of the rotor by a drive shaft extending parallel to the sleeve. An adjustable pressure switch for activating the motor is connected between the holder and the base unit so that pulling force on the line pivots the holder around a pivot mount.
