They can attach a fishing line and a small bait release, either homemade or ready-made ones from a third-party, to the drone, allowing it to fly out over the water and drop the bait in a desired location. This can be particularly useful for reaching areas that are difficult to access from the shore. At the same time, some find it very handy when utilizing DJI drones fitted with high-resolution cameras for spotting fish.
However, when using DJI for fishing, there are several risks you might not be aware of. Not knowing those risks can waste you lots of money and time, which we will discuss later.
Another thing you need to know is that DJI is not the only option for fishing. A few purpose-built fishing drones like SwellPro SplashDrone series have long existed with design and features that make drone fishing more efficient and safe. After reading this article, you will know whether you should go for a DJI with a third-party bait release or a purpose-built fishing drone with everything you need on board.
The answer is “not recommended”. I am not saying that DJI cannot be used for fishing. There are several reasons why DJI drones may not be considered ideal for fishing:
As you can see, there are many potential risks that can make your DJI end up in the bottom of the ocean. This is why I would recommend that you go for a purpose-built fishing drone if you are serious about surf fishing.
A purpose-built fishing drone like Fisherman Max or SplashDrone 4 can carry up to baits from 2 kg to 3.5 kg, they are totally IP67 waterproof and can fly in winds up to 40 mph without any issues. Even if you land it on the water, you can fly it back to the shore safely. More importantly, a purpose-built fishing drone is covered by warranty because it is designed for that purpose.
As mentioned above, DJI drones have a very limited payload capacity. Most of their drone power is allocated to the flight speed instead of carrying payloads. Before you attempt your DJI drone for bait dropping, I would strongly recommend you to check the list below to be aware of the weight limits of the model you have.
In the list above, we leave out 2 of DJI’s most popular models: Mini and Spark. It is because Spark and Mini have very little payload capacity, let’s say, 200 grams or less. By adding a bait release device to it, you are already risking your drone. Even if there is nothing attached, high winds could knock the drone out of the sky. Spark and Mini are purely good for photography and videography.
You might find that today still many fishermen are using DJI drones to fly their bait. After all, there are still some good things about DJI drones used for fishing that are worth mentioning.
A DJI Mavic Air with a third-party bait release is a good starter drone for practice. You can then upgrade to a purpose-built fishing drone until you get a hang of it. The Air 2 is sold at 799 US dollars. A second hand can be around 400 dollars.
DJI drones come with a bunch of sensors that can assist the flight stability very well, so even a fisherman with no drone experience can fly it properly in a short time. The Mavic and Phantom series are relatively small-sized and easy to carry with you to the beach.
Modern DJI drones are equipped with 4K cameras that provide anglers with a bird's-eye view of the fishing spot. This feature allows them to assess the underwater topography, identify potential fishing hotspots, and observe fish behavior, enabling more informed decision-making as to where their baits should go.
Whether to use DJI for fishing or not depends on what type of fisherman you are. DJI drones are good for those who target small fish near the shore with small baits. If you are a big-game angler or you seek a higher level of safety and productivity, a SwellPro fishing drone is something for you.
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So, what do you need? First you need a drone (obviously), but not just any drone. The kind of drone we’re looking for has some weight to it (to resist the sea shore wind), can handle a payload of up to 1 kilogram (to carry large baits), and most of all is waterproof.
I’m adding waterproof as an important trait because unless you’re a real pro, chances are you’ll likely drop your drone in the water at some point.
Then we’re going to need a bait release mechanism, this allows you to remotely drop the bait at your point of choice in the water. We’ll go over where to get these in a moment.
And lastly, you’ll still need what every fisherman would need: rods, reels and lines.
Let’s start with the drones, I’ve made a list of my top 3 recommendations for fishing…
Splashdrone 4 is a waterproof drone that’s used for not just fishing, but everything that involves water really, so you can expect it to be made of higher quality material than regular drones.
It’s made with industrial-grade ABS plastic, and every part of it has been sealed to make it 100 percent waterproof. It can also float, and do a powerflip within the water before taking flight again, making it perfect for fishing aficionados that aren’t quite experienced with drones.
Without load its flight time is 30 minutes, but expect it to be around 20-25 minutes with the bait’s weight.
Here is where it gets interesting, its maximum payload capacity is 2 kilograms. That’s extremely practical if you’re going after fish that require heavy baits (like sharks).
The remote controller is also waterproof, in case you’re fishing from a boat and you drop it.
Needless, this is an amphibious drone that shines best above the water.
Just from its name, you can tell that the Fisherman FD1 is specifically designed for drone fishing. Made by the same company as Splashdrone 4, this drone from Swellpro comes as a more beginner-friendly version of the splashdrone.
They basically took the Splashdrone 4, and removed all the bells and whistles that don’t contribute to bait dropping. With a stronger propulsion system, Fisherman FD1 has higher bait lit capacity, longer flight time and better wind resistance than SplashDrone 4. Making it excel at being a fishing drone.
It also has a 30 minutes flight time, 2 kg of payload capacity and needless to say, is also waterproof. What this drone doesn’t have is a camera, which may be a turn off for some, especially if you like to record your fishing sessions.
The Spry+ drone is yet another waterproof drone, also able to float in the water. There is a big difference between this drone and the ones above though. This is traditionally an aerial photography/videography drone, which can also be used as an fpv racing drone.
It’s also light and doesn’t support that big of a payload, so why did I add it to the list?
Simply put, it’s really good if you’re using small baits. Especially if you’re fishing in an area where speed counts a lot.
It can also take great shots and flying is really fun as it’s also made for FPV racing. Though if that’s irrelevant to you and you’re only interested in practicality, I’d recommend one of the two drones above.
This is really important. A bait release mechanism is the mechanism that allows you to remotely let go of (drop) the bait on your location of choice, once the drone is hovering where you want it to.
Obviously you do not want to mess this up. If the mechanism isn’t working properly, it might offset the balance of your drone, causing it to crash.
While there are DIY ways to make a mechanism (I’ll cover them later in this article), the best way to go about it is to get yourself an already manufactured one.
Splashdrone 4 has a specific payload dropping mechanism called the PL1-S. What’s good about it is that it can be programmed to drop the bait remotely via the Swellpro SDFly App, contrary to the abrupt pulling you have to do with some manual payload droppers. It’s also affordable at only $69.
Since we spoke about the Fisherman FD1, it’s only fair to talk about its specific bait dropping mechanism. The PL2-F is not only a remote payload release device, but also an external camera, allowing you to get the best of both worlds: The camera of the Splashdrone 4 and the practicality of the Fisherman FD1.
Valkyrie is designed primarily for drone fishing which is why it's on the list. It has a high modulus carbon fibre three-piece fishing rod with an overall length of 12ft. It also has an awesome casting ability for surf fishing.
Pairs perfectly with the Tica travel rod we discussed above. If you're looking for a magnum sized, top-quality and high performing surf fishing reel with an accessible price tag, the Tica HN100 offers the best value in surf spinning reels of this size.
When it comes to drone fishing, ideally you want a line that has a very small diameter and high breaking strains to enable a greater quantity of line to be spooled to the reel.
The smaller diameter line comes into play when you consider the amount of line the average drone drop requires, as it reduces wind drag and (a lower PE line makes a massive difference).
Ideally you need a minimum of 500 metres of line in my opinion. Shoot for 700 metres as that’s optimal, while a SplashDrone 4 drone has a range of 5 km, you’ll still be limited by your fishing line.
What braid size to use for drone fishing?
In case you’re using a braid when drone fishing, get yourself one that has a low PE with break strain ratings that are relevant to the rod used.
Another important factor to consider when regarding braids is their abrasion resistance and quality. The braid should be silky smooth to limit reel bind and reduce heat on retrievals over large distances.
Since you’re fishing with a drone, you’ll need a bait release device for your line. Devices like PL1-S and the PL2-F are great because they reduce the danger to your drone, that’s usually associated with manual bait releasers.
You’ll want to take your time in this step in particular and make sure you do it right. Otherwise it can easily mess with the balance of your drone. This video explains the process from scratch perfectly, using the PL1-S bait releaser:
Besides bait dropping, scouting for fish is also a common drone use in the world of fishing. Especially if the drone in question has a good camera and a good transmission system.
The reason for that is simple: drones have the advantage of a top-down perspective, they see a wider coverage area, and have a clearer view than simply looking from your boat.
While traditionally you can only see a few meters away horizontally when looking for fish, by using a drone you can actually cover a very wide area.
Looking through the camera of a drone also allows you to spot schools of fish from the air much more easily than you can from the deck of a boat, making it easier for you to study their habits and predicting where they might end up.
You can also better spot things like logs if you’re in a lake, get a clear idea on the condition of the water and know exactly whether you’re in a primea area or whether you should switch spots.
There is another way to use your drone to scout for fish, sometimes better than using the camera, and that’s by using sonars. If that sounds too advanced, don’t worry, it’s not. It’s actually really easy to use.
Swellpro’s Dronar for example is a flyable and castable wireless sonar fish finder. It can be hitched to the SplashDrone 4, Dronar can detect fish and send fish visuals to your smartphone from up to 1 miles (1.5km) away.
As we’ve discussed, drone fishing helps you scout a larger area for fish and also drop your bait in places you can’t reach otherwise.
You might think that by having a boat, you don’t need to drop bait using a drone. You can just move to the area of your choosing. You’d be right, but you’d also be forgetting that the advantage of drones lies in dropping the bait without your or your boat alerting the fish in the water.
While silent drones don’t exist, drones likes Splashdrone 4 and Fisherman FD1 are still more quiet compared to the perturbation a boat does in the water.
Drones also have the remarkable feature of “fly home”. Which means, once you drop the bait, or if a fish ends up taking the bait, you don’t need to worry about your drone. You can just click the fly home button and it’ll land wherever the remote controller is, which is on your boat.
It’s definitely possible, and a lot of fun. But also risk (by risky, I mean expensive since you may lose your drone).
To do it, simply tie your light fishing line to your drone (with a bait of course), fly over the area where you suspect the fish to be and wait. This is called hover fishing and can be done with drones like the Spry+.
The problem is that you don’t know when the fish will take the bait, and the battery life of drones is very limited. You also run the risk of pulling a large fish that’s either too heavy for your drone or too feisty and keeps pulling.
As fun as it is, be careful if you decide to fish without a rod.
Ethical angling is determined (and its rules are dictated) by the International Game Fish Association, back in 1940. I don’t have to tell you but rules regarding drones weren’t determined back then.
That being said, each state within the US, and each country worldwide can also create their own laws as to how fishing can be done.
According to the International Game Fish Association, things such as outriggers and kites may be used to trail baited lines, provided the line releases from the device the moment a fish bites (the same way it’s usually done with a drone). Drones can be used in fishing, so long as you release the line before or upon the event of a fish striking the bait. It is NOT legal to use a drone to pull in a fish that you hooked with a line attached to the drone.
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As its name suggests, it is angling with the use of a flying robot. Drone fishing offers several ways to simplify the process of fishing. Rather than gamble your time away with a chance at getting good fish, you can utilize unique drone features to optimize how to get the fish you want.
There are many ways to do drone fishing, depending on how much work you want to do yourself. For starters, you can use the fishing drone to scout for a fishing area. Rather than using the drone to pull the fish, you use it as an aid to scout for an excellent place to fish and find the best spots you can use.
Some drone fishers connect their underwater camera to check out the local fish population. You can use your drone camera to scope the local waters if you’re hunting for specific fish like tuna, salmon, or others.
Another way to do drone fishing is to use it as a bait release drone. As the drone flies around, it casts off the bait, giving you ample opportunity to catch fish. You can use various types of bait to get more fish, from throwing chum to get more fish in one area to using worm bait to reel in fish.
The most common use of drones in fishing is to reel in fish, known as “dropping the line.” Rather than use a fishing line, you can have a drone do the catching for you. Depending on how much interaction you want, this can be the least fun part of drone fishing. However, this is also the best way to get a catch every time.
Drones are fantastic for career fishing, especially if you like reeling fish from your boat. You can extend your catch range or add a few extra meters to your fishing zone.
If you’ve never done any boating or have been away from this hobby for a while, you may be wondering what goes into doing these activities. In this case, it’s best to start with the basics.
First, you need to know the laws surrounding the use of your drone. Most countries have regulations regarding where and when you can fly your craft. While some places allow you to use yours freely, others require you to get a license, register your aircraft, and adhere to other requirements.
Next, you need to learn how to pilot your drone. You must learn how to control your copter and maintain and fly it properly. You need to learn special piloting techniques if your drone is huge.
Third, you must ensure your drone is equipped for fishing and not just for show. There are several types of bait-dropping mechanisms, depending on your drone model.
For example, SplashDrone 4 and Fisherman FD1 are purpose-built drones with integrated bait droppers. They also have a remote-controlled line release and many more. Another type of drone includes a tension-triggered release line, which utilizes DJI-compatible bait droppers.
Finally, you need to find a good spot to launch your drone. There are plenty of great places for launching a drone, from public waterways to private property. Depending on your needs, you can also use your boat or fly from the shore as a staging platform.
Drone fishing was not always how it was today. Fishing with drones is still a new activity even after a few years. The activity started with a certain Milton Frear, the owner of JCMatthew in New Zealand. The company deals with different high-quality adventure brands and technology, from camera equipment to personal transportation.
Frear was the distributor of SwellPro in New Zealand, one of the first waterproof drones publicly available for purchase. He used the first-generation waterproof drone, the Mariner, for bait-dropping on the beach in 2014. This personal choice was a clever use of a feature not for its intended purpose.
How?
The Mariner had a release mechanism initially designed to drop live-saving equipment during an emergency. However, as a lifelong fisherman, Frear understood the novel way of utilizing the feature to drop some bait and get the fish going.
Later on, several people started using their drones for fishing too. In particular, Jaiden Maclean of Sea Ulcer wanted to prove if they could fish using drones. Their Youtube video, “Drone Fishing For Tuna,” was a testament to the viability of fishing with a good drone.
Their video went viral, garnering as many as 5.3 million views and influencing an audience that loves fishing and flying drones, combining them into one unique hobby. This inspired many would-be anglers to try drone fishing, and it took off from there.
Swellpro is the first company who made a waterproof purpose-built fishing drone with an integrated release mechanism. This allows easy fishing and combines scouting, baiting, and angling in a single drone loadout.
Drone fishing is an enjoyable activity for many people, especially due to its many benefits. Whether you’re doing it as a hobby or as a career, using a drone to get some good fish is fun. While some may think it’s less challenging, it also has its own technical hurdles that you need to overcome.
So, is drone fishing worth it? Yes! Here are some benefits you can expect when you start drone fishing.
As the title implies, this allows you to extend the reach of your casting. While a conventional rod has a range of 10 to 15 meters, your aerial capabilities can extend that to as much as 100 meters. This allows you to cover a wide radius, making your chances of getting a snag or a fish much higher.
While you can always use a boat to find the fishing spots you want, you can also use a drone and stay on the shore. This gives you a way to go fishing in locations that need a boat to access it, offering a richer space to gather the fish you want.
When using conventional rods, you have to rely on hardware to release your hook and lure. When the bait hits the water, your gear must do the rest. The issue with this approach is that you have no say in how the lure behaves once it enters the water. If you use a deep-sea fishing rod, then it can sink to the bottom, making it hard to retrieve them.
The mobility of an aerial vehicle gives you more control over your gear. You can quickly move to the best location to make your drop. You can also adjust how fast you move your gizmo, allowing you to bring it in fast or slow, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
Using your UAV, you can simultaneously do two things: find a great place to angle and find the right spot for the right species. Scouting with a boat or a kayak can be limiting.
If you can’t access an area by boat, then all you can do is hope for the best. On the other hand, when you use your droning to fly over the ocean, you can find a great location for different types of fish and sea life. This lets you modify your technique to make sure you get what you want.
While most hobbies cost money, this one can actually save you money, especially if you do it regularly. Unlike traditional boats, you don’t require gas, insurance, or anything else with drone fishing. All you really need is an appropriate form of electricity to power your drone and your other fishing gear..
While you may be thinking it’ll take a lot of time to get the hang of doing this kind of recreational sport, it actually saves you time and effort. As compared to traditional forms of sports, this one doesn’t take as much physical exertion. You also don’t need to lug heavy boats or drive your car to get some fresh fish.
If you’re thinking about getting into drone fishing, then you might be wondering if you can use your old drone to do some cool tricks. While it can, the results will be less than stellar. You want them to have the right specs.
For starters, you want the drone to be 100% waterproof, from the copter itself to the camera and reeling equipment it uses. Drones can easily die with a strong splash of water with a big wave. You want the vital electronic parts protected so you can keep it operational.
You also want a fishing drone that can handle high wind resistance and high payload capacity. The oceans pack strong winds, so your drone should be able to handle somewhere between 29 to 50 kph winds. As for payload, depending on the fish you want to catch, you want to go up to 1 to 2 kgs, which is enough bait to catch you a tuna.
You also want a drone with a long flight time to allow for more drops per single charge. This also gives you more time to get your drone come back to safety if you’re fishing from the beach. You also want a good, high-quality camera, preferably an underwater camera for better scouting.
There are three excellent options on the market if you’re looking for fishing drones. Depending on your needs, every drone offers a different feature. These include:
SwellPro’s SplashDrone 4 is a 5th-gen waterproof drone, offering features that fit every drone fisher’s needs at every skill level. It can float and has IP67 seawater proofing, with the ability to withstand Beaufort Force 7 winds (31 mph/50kph) during its flight.
It also offers a swathe of features that allow multifunctional payload and open interface design. This allows you to equip the SplashDrone 4 with optional 1- to 3-axis payloads, from 4K, night vision to thermal cameras. It has a 30-minute flight time without load, with around 12 to 15-mins flight time with payload.
Fisherman FD1, on the other hand, offers almost the same specs, with an IP67 seawater proofing and a max payload capacity of 2kg. It also has a max wind resistance of 44.75 mph/ 72 kph but an equivalent flight time to the SplashDrone 4. Its massive casting range gives you a 1.6 km radius and up to 6 bait drop missions per charge.
Spry+ offers a different value than the SpalshDrone 4 and FD1, working as a lighter scout drone with an 800 m control range. Its 4K30fps camera offers easy scouting opportunities for high quality video opportunities. Its waterproofing and corrosion resistance offers a way to scout the waters with no issue at all.
The normal price range for a quality, durable, and functional drone for fishing and outdoor/aerial photography is between $1000 to $2000. This depends on factors like the brand, type, and weight of the product.
The cost varies, depending on the features and capabilities you want your droning to have. Some models like the Spry+, for example, are much cheaper compared to other options. The Spry+ costs somewhere around $1000, while the SplashDrone 4 costs around $1800.
While this may sound expensive for fishing, you need to remember that a fishing drone can replace several fishing equipment. It can replace a set of fishing rods, scouting gear, boating fees, and underwater cameras.
The 20 to 30-minute battery life of most standard consumer-grade fishing drones, which is more than enough for an average fishing trip. The SplashDrone 4 and the Fisherman FD1, for example, can fly for 30 minutes without any load.
It can traverse the 1-2km radius of your cast, offering you plenty of opportunity to get the bait in the water. Most recreational drone users spend around 15-20 minutes to do multiple bait drops. A few minutes is more than enough to fly the drone over great distances.