Game fishing with balloon and drone...?

[NewToFishing]

18 hours ago, Volitan said:

Just noticed your comment about reels. These two you mention are spinning or threadline reels. I don’t think spinning reels are much good for drone fishing, especially if your fishing solo. The problem I find with them is that you can only use them in one of two ways to get the bait out - bail arm off and drag set or bail arm on and drag off. Neither is very good.

Bail arm off and drag set allows the line to pour off the stationary spool unhindered, which is great for the drone but the line is unmanaged and loops of line will come off when you don’t want them too, especially with wind. In fact you’ll find you usually get a few loose loops while setting up the drone and rod. These can snarl around the reel and bring the drone to a stop. Likewise if you can’t get to the rod quickly after the drop then the loose line will be easily caught by wind, waves and dog walkers and continues to pour off unrestrained. The advantage is that you have the drag set throughout, ready to fish, and don’t need to adjust it.

Bail arm on and drag off means the spools is loosened to spin freely, via the drag nut. This keeps the line under better control and you don’t get annoying loops of line peeling off when you don’t want them, but it leaves you fiddling with the drag when ready to fish.

If you are going for big fish you should set the drag mechanically before you leave, according to the line manufacturers recommendations (usually it’s about 1/3 of breaking strain) and not touch it subsequently. Most fishermen loose most of their biggest fish the same way - fish jumps on, line starts screaming out like he/she has never seen before, fisherman panics and tightens drag, ping. Set it, and don’t touch it - there is absolutely no good reason to. Worse is when the fisherman panics and loosens the drag - always by too much - then realises he/she has to tighten it again, but now has no reference point how much to tighten - ping.

A better reel for drone fishing would be an overhead reel. These usually have much larger capacity then a spinning reel, are more robust, can be bought cheaply off the second hand market (my two beauties were $15 and $20 respectively at garage sales) and have better drags. More importantly they have a lever which disengages the spool so it runs freely without you touching the drag. Going from freespooling while sending out the drone to full fishing mode is only a flip of the lever. You can slow down the freespooling reel a bit to prevent overruns with either the ratchet or a knob on the side. The downside is that when you’re not drone fishing these reels are much harder to cast then spinning reels, so not as versatile.

i should also point out that there is a type of spinning reel which will also give you this functionality - the ‘baitrunner’. Personally, I think they are fragile overpriced things and there aren’t many produced now.

cheers

Yea I noticed that mate the first time I did drone fishing. I used the Penn 950ssm, but didnt free spool it or tighten the drag too much. I set the drag just so I could hear it click and slowly took the bait out at a steady pace. It worked quite well and no tangles or lines in the wind. I also have an overhead reel which I haven't spooled with line yet and will give that a go mate. Appreciate the advice.

[NewToFishing]

3 hours ago, Jiggy said:

I hope this is OK to post. There is a couple of clips on YouTube where they chase snapper and longtails from Coffs beaches. This is one where they target longtails and get a few:

 

That's crazy man, amazing tuna from the beaches I could only dream of, definitely will go to his charter soon.

[BaitDropper]

I just read that the moratorium was over and in the Illawarra, fines can now be given out for anyone caught rock fishing without a life jacket.

I honestly thought this was already in effect. Fines of $100 can/will be issued. 

Brilliant idea, lets hope everyone complies, for their own well being..

[Volitan]

Hey NewToFishing. I just bought a Phantom 3 standard for bait drops. Old but immaculate. It was a toss up between a phantom 3 and Mavic Pro but I went the phantom as it’s long legs will keep it out of the sand - important for me because I usually fish alone so don’t always have time to land the drone carefully.

Anyway, now I need a bait drop mechanism.

I know there are devices that work off their own wifi but they seem to be limited to about 150 meters claimed, which iwould be less in practice. Not far enough.

and there are some which work off lights on the drone but I don’t think I have any controllable lights on the P3S.

or you can just use a simple hook which drops the bait as soon as the drone stops going forward which is what I’ve used in the past so maybe will suffice?

so what do you use and if you recommend it then where did you get it?

 Cheers

 

[NewToFishing]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:11 AM, Volitan said:

Hey NewToFishing. I just bought a Phantom 3 standard for bait drops. Old but immaculate. It was a toss up between a phantom 3 and Mavic Pro but I went the phantom as it’s long legs will keep it out of the sand - important for me because I usually fish alone so don’t always have time to land the drone carefully.

Anyway, now I need a bait drop mechanism.

I know there are devices that work off their own wifi but they seem to be limited to about 150 meters claimed, which iwould be less in practice. Not far enough.

and there are some which work off lights on the drone but I don’t think I have any controllable lights on the P3S.

or you can just use a simple hook which drops the bait as soon as the drone stops going forward which is what I’ve used in the past so maybe will suffice?

so what do you use and if you recommend it then where did you get it?

 Cheers

 

Hi mate,

For the mavic pro there are 2 options, the light activated drop and the downrigger. The Phantom, I believe only the downrigger available.

It has options to tighten or loosen the strength that it holds the line on, I believe it’s something very similar to what the guys doing the tuna fishing drop were using, but much less expensive.

As for how to set it up, zip tie chopstick or something similar between the two feet, and then tie the downrigger to the middle of it, Just put the line on, set how tight you want it and when you close the bail, it should come right off.

 

Edit: This is what the tuna fishing guys used :

Google Sea Ulcer Sky Rigger Fishing Rig for DJI Phantom It costs $200
But as you can see, it’s the exact same mechanism as the downrigger i linked, take some inspiration from that and build your own.

 

Edited December 30, 2023 by mrsswordfisherman
No links to businesses or eBay unless approved

[NewToFishing]

On 12/29/2023 at 11:11 AM, Volitan said:

Hey NewToFishing. I just bought a Phantom 3 standard for bait drops. Old but immaculate. It was a toss up between a phantom 3 and Mavic Pro but I went the phantom as it’s long legs will keep it out of the sand - important for me because I usually fish alone so don’t always have time to land the drone carefully.

Anyway, now I need a bait drop mechanism.

I know there are devices that work off their own wifi but they seem to be limited to about 150 meters claimed, which iwould be less in practice. Not far enough.

and there are some which work off lights on the drone but I don’t think I have any controllable lights on the P3S.

or you can just use a simple hook which drops the bait as soon as the drone stops going forward which is what I’ve used in the past so maybe will suffice?

so what do you use and if you recommend it then where did you get it?

 Cheers

 

Mate have a look at the beginning of this video, it shows how a downrigger is used on the Phantom 4,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=16FMMhNk-iA&t=6s&pp=ygUjVHVuYSBiZWFjaCBmaXNoaW5nIGRyb25lIEF1c3RyYWxpYSA%3D

[Volitan]

21 hours ago, NewToFishing said:

Mate have a look at the beginning of this video, it shows how a downrigger is used on the Phantom 4,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=16FMMhNk-iA&t=6s&pp=ygUjVHVuYSBiZWFjaCBmaXNoaW5nIGRyb25lIEF1c3RyYWxpYSA%3D

Actually, that’s a Phantom 3 standard - same as mine. Easiest way to tell is the single aerial coming out of the front of the controller - the other phantom 3’s and all the 4’s had the much better double aerial.

I’ve since found out that my Phantom 3 standard does offer control over the lights - in the Dji Go app, not thru a switch. Therefore I can use one of the light activated release mechanisms.

I hadn’t realised the mechanical (pressure or tension activated) releases were so popular until you pointed it out. I think I’d still like to start with an electromechanical (light or wifi) one though.

your last post got censored, can you maybe PM me and let me know what release you use - I want to avoid the many on the market which are bad by reputation.

My phantom is a beast. I’m really amazed. I put a rod in a beach spike, attached 300 grams of weight to the drone, then took off but forgot to release the bail. It pulled the beach spike over, pulled the rod out and started dragging it along the beach - didn’t seem to loose any velocity or altitude at all.

hopefully I’ll get to use it for real later this week. I’ll probably do a drive along the beaches on the northern end of the Central Coast looking for bonito or something.

cheers

[rexybro]

Right number one the Yellowfin population is far from wiped out. I have run long liners from Eden to Mooloolaba for nearly a decade and there is more yellow and bluefin now than ever before. They just don't come in as close as often as they used to because of the lack of trawlers working. I hate trawling too. It destroys the bottom. But the tuna used to follow these boats for an easy feed. When I was alot younger 80kg Yellowfin on a length of 8mm rope and an undersize flathead was how I made extra money as a trawler deckhand off Newcastle while we towed shots. The last few years there has been a great run of inshore Yellowfin. Mostly rats around 20kg but the odd actual fish mixed in. Just no one fishing the ledges with the right gear at the right time of year anymore because you all think they are gone. They arnt. And I know of a few 60-80kg SBT landed at big Beecroft in the middle of winter over the last few years too. Kiama blowhole when the current and water temp are right is just as productive for black marlin as the tubes and usually a better average class of fish without a million under gunned retards to get in your way. Get the riptide app and learn how to use it and be flexible when and where to fish and you will get results. Provided your gear and rigs and skill level are up to it that is. Lbg brings out the absolute worst part of fishing. The secretive crap. No one on here learnt anything all by themselves. Someone showed you or you did research. All these spots were known long before any of us were born. I'm sure this post will annoy plenty of you but at the end of the day they arnt my spots or yours and if anyone is willing to spend the coin needed and do the walking/climbing I'll more than happily tell them exactly when and where to have a crack at these fish

[rexybro]

You can add tomaree and the headlands to the south of it for small black marlin. Just look for a heap of trailer boats towing live slimeys over the close in reefs in front of these headlands and you will be right spot right time. Big and little gibber for marlin. Same thing just look for the trailer boat fleet. The deep ledge at the north end of catho just south of the big Jew cave for marlin and Yellowfin. Coalcliffe, bass point. Message me if you need anymore help than that. U don't need a drone. These fish will feed at your feet if the water is right

[NewToFishing]

7 hours ago, rexybro said:

Right number one the Yellowfin population is far from wiped out. I have run long liners from Eden to Mooloolaba for nearly a decade and there is more yellow and bluefin now than ever before. They just don't come in as close as often as they used to because of the lack of trawlers working. I hate trawling too. It destroys the bottom. But the tuna used to follow these boats for an easy feed. When I was alot younger 80kg Yellowfin on a length of 8mm rope and an undersize flathead was how I made extra money as a trawler deckhand off Newcastle while we towed shots. The last few years there has been a great run of inshore Yellowfin. Mostly rats around 20kg but the odd actual fish mixed in. Just no one fishing the ledges with the right gear at the right time of year anymore because you all think they are gone. They arnt. And I know of a few 60-80kg SBT landed at big Beecroft in the middle of winter over the last few years too. Kiama blowhole when the current and water temp are right is just as productive for black marlin as the tubes and usually a better average class of fish without a million under gunned retards to get in your way. Get the riptide app and learn how to use it and be flexible when and where to fish and you will get results. Provided your gear and rigs and skill level are up to it that is. Lbg brings out the absolute worst part of fishing. The secretive crap. No one on here learnt anything all by themselves. Someone showed you or you did research. All these spots were known long before any of us were born. I'm sure this post will annoy plenty of you but at the end of the day they arnt my spots or yours and if anyone is willing to spend the coin needed and do the walking/climbing I'll more than happily tell them exactly when and where to have a crack at these fish

That puts me in a positive mood about land based game mate, much appreciated for the advice it's all been noted down. Agreed there is alot of secrecy in fishing in general, recently saw a video where a few guys said they were fishing in South Australia, but got called out in the comments and it was actually in NSW... I didn't realise the blowhole as you mentioned can be so productive, maybe it's just a matter of putting in the hours and being patient.

Will message you mate thank you

Edited January 19 by NewToFishing