Can You Use a Drone For Fishing?
Yes, drones are an awesome tool for fishing whether angling from the beach, riverfront or boat. Drone fishing involves using the UAV for scouting then directly dropping bait or lures into a prime location which can be much further than the distance we can cast manually. Underwater fishing drones also usually have sonar fish finders which can also map the water bottom, helping find ideal fishing spots like drop offs and protected crevices.
In What is the Best Drone for Fishing I cover some of the pros and the cons of choosing underwater drones for fishing, as they are less commonly known but have many upsides.
How Do Fishing Drones Work?
Multi-rotor fishing drones are typically used to scout for fish and drop bait or lures into the water. Here’s a general overview of how it works:
- Scout for fish: Use your drone’s camera to scout for schools of fish or other signs of fish in the water. If the drone pairs with sonar we can also check water conditions, such as water temperature, clarity, and depth.
- Mark the location: Most fishing drones have the ability to save pinpointed locations so that we can fly back directly to the saved spot.
- Attach the bait or lure: Tie your bait or lure to the end of the fishing line. Make sure the weight of the bait or lure is appropriate for the drone and can be carried and released safely.
- Attach the fishing line to the drone: Loop the fishing line into the release clip leaving at least 1m of line hanging from the drone to the bait. The closer the drone is to the bait, the more the lure or bait will swing so it’s better to have this leader line longer than shorter. Check out the drone fishing line diagram from Gannet here. Make sure the line is securely attached to the drone and that the clip is easy to release.
- Drop bait or lures: Fly the drone back to your location and attach your bait or lure to the drone fishing attachment, which is a device that connects to the drone and holds the fishing line with the bait or lure. Fly the drone over the water and use the attachment to release the bait or lure into the water.
- Hit return home to automatically fly the drone back to your location. Note: see the tips below for flying drones from boats.
- Reel in your catch: Wait for a fish to bite the bait or lure, and then use a fishing rod and reel to reel in your catch.
Drone Fishing Tips:
- When hooking up the fishing line to a multi-rotor fishing drone, set the drone to hover above head height. If you attach the fishing line while the drone is grounded the line can get blown into the props and tangle.
- When using a fishing drone to cast out the line keep a close eye on the amount of line you have left. Fishing drones can cast out a lure or bait much further than we can manually cast, the SwellPro v4 Fishing Drone has a range of 5km. The drone can completely unspool the fishing line from the rod.
- If using a fishing drone from a boat, get familiar with the return home feature on land before trying to use it on board. Because boats drift, even when anchored, a drone that is programmed to land rather than hover at the return home point could end up with the drone landing in the water. If your fishing drone is programmed to land, fly the drone back to the boat manually rather than using return home.
What equipment do you need for drone fishing?
To go drone fishing, you will need the following equipment:
A drone: You’ll need a drone with a stable flight system and a good camera to scout for fish and drop bait or lures into the water. Some popular drones that can be adapted for fishing include DJI Mavic Air 2, DJI Phantom 4 Pro, and DJI Inspire 2. For specialy designed fishing drones that have the perks of proper waterproofing, water landing and take off, sonar and built-in bait drop systems, check out The Best Drones for Fishing.
Fishing gear: You’ll need standard fishing gear, such as a fishing rod, reel, fishing line, and bait or lures. Choose gear that is appropriate for the type of fish you are targeting and the water conditions.
Drone fishing attachment: A drone fishing attachment is a device that connects to your drone and holds the bait or lure. There are different types of attachments available, such as release mechanisms or bait droppers. Make sure to choose an attachment that is compatible with your drone and can handle the weight of your bait or lure. The PowerVision PowerDolphin and SwellPro FD1 drone are designed for fishing so have these attachments included.
Remember to always follow local regulations and guidelines for drone fishing, and practice safety at all times.
Can you use a normal fishing rod for drone fishing?
Yes, a normal fishing rod is used for drone fishing. The difference with using drones for fishing is that you don’t need to manually cast your line. The fishing line is attached to the drone, then flown to the location that you want to drop the bait or lure. The line is release with the bait release system.
Once you have dropped the line and bait or lure into the water, you use the fishing rod and reel as normal to wait for a fish to bite and then reel in your catch.
How to Use a Normal Drone for Fishing
Most normal drones can be adapted to make a DIY fishing drone. All you need is a hook to loop the fishing line onto, then the drone can be used for casting and dropping bait.
In the video below, Colton goes through how to make a DIY drone fishing attachment. The hook is from a coat hanger and zip ties onto the DJI Mavic Pro.
The coat hanger wire slots into the channels on the bottom of the drone then position the zip ties so they’re out of the way of the sensors.
However, this is a little risky, if the zip ties slip over the sensors, the drone will shoot upwards and fly erratically at risk of losing your drone or landing it in the water.
The Wrap Up on Fishing Drones
Fishing drones are a great way to turn an uneventful waiting game of fishing into a proactive hunting trip. Find fish underwater with sonar, scout large areas from the sky and drop the bait or lure with precision, right into the fish habitat, even if that’s kilometres from the boat.
While it’s possible to adapt normal drones for fishing, I don’t recommend it. It’s pretty crazy to risk your $2000+ drone to falling in salt water!
For fully water proof options, check out the best drones for fishing here.
