Drone fishing - good or bad idea?

[MrMagus]

I'm not actually a fisher myself. But my daughter and son in law are right into it. So I joined them on their latest trip. We were at a local beach. I'm pleased to report here in New Zealand there are no restrictions on using a drone for fishing. Drone fishing is very well established. Most drone owners use mechanical release devices. Gannet Sport

There are videos on YouTube showing a fisherman using a drone to take the bait out past the breakers and dropping it in the ocean. Very clever.

 

[NG Wildman]

I think one should expect more "wear and tear" on drone motors when lifting extra weight. Propellers will need to rotate at higher speed. Extra "bending" force will be on propellers as they need to lift more. Battery current will be higher.
You could upload fight txt data to AirData and check the battery use after each flight to see how it compares to regular flight. Does higher current draw risk more difference in battery cells.

I have an attachment for my Air 2...just a simple pin with a motor that slides open and closed. This is for releasing the bait and tackle). I prefer my Yuneec Typhoon H for this actually because it has greater lifting power. Good point about the props bending and motor speed. Although I don't think the motor speed will necessarily hurt the motors (windy conditions etc. are similar); I also fly a Splash Drone 4 made for landing, taxiing, take-offs from water as well as carrying and dropping lures and tackle. The props for this drone are carbon fiber and maintain their rigidity. I think that makes a difference.

 

[Northstar Drone Services]

I have surf-fished in Florida using my Mavic 2 Pro with great success. If you catch a calm day you may even spot some fish on the surface. The main advantage is getting out away from shore by a couple hundred yards. In Florida it is considered the same as kite fishing. As long as you don't troll you are ok.

 

[Dave Maine]

The battery life will be governed by the number of charge/recharge cycles. The loading will not damage them.

Motor life is more difficult to determine. The main bearing will wear based on the number of revolutions they make, so since they need to rotate more under load, they will wear faster.

Whether or not that makes any difference is questionable. More likely you will be getting a new drone long before the bearings wear.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

If you catch a calm day you may even spot some fish on the surface.

That's what a keen fisher mate of mine said to me once regarding watching / talking to a drone fisher once.
He loves going down to the Coorong (coastal ecosystem), particularly at the Murray River mouth, it's the end of a huge river system here in Australia.

He watched the guy fly his Mavic Pro out a few hundred metres from the mouth, Gannet release with bait, camera down, flying by all the gutters between the sand bars.
Finding a huge school of Mulloway, he drops a bit closer then releases his bait.

Shortly after, he's bringing in a huge fish.

He said they also fish for Gummy sharks this was, another good eating fish.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Be warned.

Gee, birds are bad enough, without having to worry about flying fish !!

 

[nhwhelehan]

I fly drones for photography. But I recently used my spare drone - a Mavic Air - to deliver fishing bait over the water. I was careful not to attach any loads heavier than the recommended 200g. It was a successful day. But the one thing I did notice was a rapid depletion of battery power. (Battery performance dropped by about 50%.) So I'm tempted to use my newer drone - the Air 2S - on my next fishing outing. I realize neither of these drones is designed specifically for fishing. But the Air 2S can apparently carry up to 500g, and my bait will be well under that limit. So here's my question: is it a bad idea to use the Air and the 2S for fishing? With the 2S in particular, will I risk damaging or shortening the life of the drone - and its batteries?

I use my Splash Drone 4. Made for water, including landing in it and filming below the surface. Load capability of 2 kg (4.5 pounds). But it is pricey: almost $3K for how mine is set up.

 

[FlySkyJumper]

I fly drones for photography. But I recently used my spare drone - a Mavic Air - to deliver fishing bait over the water. I was careful not to attach any loads heavier than the recommended 200g. It was a successful day. But the one thing I did notice was a rapid depletion of battery power. (Battery performance dropped by about 50%.) So I'm tempted to use my newer drone - the Air 2S - on my next fishing outing. I realize neither of these drones is designed specifically for fishing. But the Air 2S can apparently carry up to 500g, and my bait will be well under that limit. So here's my question: is it a bad idea to use the Air and the 2S for fishing? With the 2S in particular, will I risk damaging or shortening the life of the drone - and its batteries?

Check your local laws and regs on this. That's the first thing you should be checking because in many states this is illegal.

I cant believe this is even being asked?

 

[Earls Court]

Some very valid points raised. I have a P3S with a Gannet dropper system that works well (powerful enough to carry a reasonable size line+bait combination out to sea, but due to the unreliable wifi connection, and limited range of the P3S, I abandoned the idea. I recently bought a Air2S and a bait drop system from Amazon, tested it with a bait/sinker combination and it functions as specified. The caveat is that the further out to sea that you fly, the heavier the weight becomes because of the extra weight of the line. Braid will work better as it is lighter and less wind resistance. As to the original question about the potential strain on the motors, I await eagerly for an informed opinion.

 

[RangerEd]

The Australians do it for casting the line way out in the water. It just drops the hook and sinker that's all. And there's a device you get on Amazon that allows you to put a light load and then drop the load just like the Ukrainians are doing with dropping grenades.

 

[pix58]

sprayspryspry drone good for fishing chip built, expensive compaired with a good DJI drone but Worth the fun,!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Some very valid points raised. I have a P3S with a Gannet dropper system that works well (powerful enough to carry a reasonable size line+bait combination out to sea, but due to the unreliable wifi connection, and limited range of the P3S, I abandoned the idea. I recently bought a Air2S and a bait drop system from Amazon, tested it with a bait/sinker combination and it functions as specified. The caveat is that the further out to sea that you fly, the heavier the weight becomes because of the extra weight of the line. Braid will work better as it is lighter and less wind resistance. As to the original question about the potential strain on the motors, I await eagerly for an informed opinion.

So when the motors have to work harder , it increases the heat of the motors. Thus these are Alumnim Brush-less motors designed to Negotiate 500 to 600 degree F so it should not be an issue.

We have been flying the drones with the Rescue Jackets for years now and never had to replace a Motor because of the strain of them. They allow the Drones to land on the Water.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

The Australians do it for casting the line way out in the water. I

Probably in other places too, but yes keen fishing scene here means Aussies adopted this bait release technique early on.
YouTube is checkers with drone bait fishing that shows all the pros and cons (risks),

 

[P@trick]

I fly my mini 2 for searching the fish (carp)

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Being that I live on the River front , here is what I have learned .
When I see 10 to 12 fisherman casting in the river and there are no birds above them, than there are no fish .

When I fly my drones over the River and see no fish, than I feel bad for all of them.

Drones can help a great deal , as well as watching the birds.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[jimjunkie]

Had a mate who converted his Mavic Pro for drone fishing, fly out of with the line and mechanically release it when you spot the fish, then reel it in yourself.

Worked great until he hit the brakes too hard once, the drone tilted backwards to slow and the rear props caught the line. Tangled itself up pretty good, cut the line for good measure and dropped like a sinker. Never found the drone despite many attempts, although it did make for a good few final seconds of telemetry.

He has another mavic pro now and has decided against drone fishing.

 

[BanditsRoost]

Okay, my bad.
But North Carolina already bans it.
(b) It shall be a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person to fish or to hunt using an unmanned aircraft system.

NC bans "fishing" with drones. Having valid fishing license and carrying the baited line attached to a legal rod and reel out and dropping it does not fall under that ordinance according to the Game Warden patrolling Emerald Isle and Swansboro. He's never given me any problems.

 

[Earls Court]

So when the motors have to work harder , it increases the heat of the motors. Thus these are Alumnim Brush-less motors designed to Negotiate 500 to 600 degree F so it should not be an issue.

We have been flying the drones with the Rescue Jackets for years now and never had to replace a Motor because of the strain of them. They allow the Drones to land on the Water.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

Thank you

 

[Deleted member 170899]

NC bans "fishing" with drones. Having valid fishing license and carrying the baited line attached to a legal rod and reel out and dropping it does not fall under that ordinance according to the Game Warden patrolling Emerald Isle and Swansboro. He's never given me any problems.

Hi @BanditsRoost, I hope you're having a great day. I mean that. I am not one of those who just have to be right. I'll also assume you aren't one of those people. I can't believe how some people in forums like this just simply won't accept that they might be wrong and instead attack personally. You and I aren't like that.

All I can do is share the laws as written. So, I already shared the law saying it is a Class 1 misdemeanor to fish.

What it means to fish is further defined by that law:

To fish: to take fish

Then, NC defines "to take"

To Take. – All operations during, immediately preparatory, and immediately subsequent to an attempt, whether successful or not, to capture, kill, pursue, hunt, or otherwise harm or reduce to possession any fisheries resources or
wildlife resources.

My personal conclusion is that you should probably buy your game warden a beer. Cheers!

 

[Walleye Hunter]

So, what happens if you catch a really big strong fish?

Is that a rhetorical question?