PURPOSE: To provide a motor-driven fishing reel effective for protecting a driving motor and improving the winding performance by providing the reel with a means for detecting the electric current intensity of a spool-driving motor, a breaker for opening an electric circuit and a controlling means for actuating the breaker when circumstances become a preset state.

CONSTITUTION: This motor-driven fishing reel has a spool rotatably supported by a reel main body and rotates the spool with a spool-driving motor attached to the reel main body. The reel is provided with a means 75 for detecting the electric current intensity of the spool-driving motor, a breaker to open the electric circuit 69 of the spool-driving motor and a controlling means composed of a microcomputer 53. The controlling means measures the electrifying time with a timer for each preset value of the motor current, accumulates the electrifying times and actuates the breaker when the accumulated value coincides with a preset breaker-actuating condition or, when the current intensity detected by the current detection means 75 is lower than each preset level, the controlling means measures the electrifying time and subtracts the measured time from the accumulated value. The reel is effective for protecting the driving motor and improving the winding performance of the reel.