Hi People

Well it kinda looks like I have gone over to the dark side. Well a lighter shade of pale maybe. I have got me a splashdrone. Its a waterproof land on water drone capable of lifting up to one KG. It has an auto release switch to drop the payload. Also has a "Come Home Function" Where you flick the switch on the controller to "Home" and it comes back on its own and lands from where it took off. All done by GPS. Will take out up to ten hooks easily, up to One K offshore. But a few hundred metres will do me. I intend to use it with my Surf-casters, but also have a big game rod, with a heavy duty Electric reel for the more serious stuff. The Auto drop mechanism I have also has a POV (Point of view) camera fitted, and I have a screen mounted to my Radio Controller, so I can see what is happening. My eye in the sky.

The things I can do with this thing are endless. Some of the things I am thinking off. Target rocky ground with a sacrificial sinker on light wire. Mmmmm Blue Cod. Fly it out with a live bait under a balloon, Mmmmm Kingi's. Or fly a soft bait or large Kingi Fly out a few hundred metres and retrieve. The Drone has 15 minutes Fly time, I got an extra battery so I now have 30 minutes Fly time.

Or fly out my lightweight collapsible Cray pot, use the camera to drop it in a likely looking place. Hook that up to a Beach Reel I have with 300lb mono on it. Will design a system using Floats so when I wind in. The Floats will raise the pot to the surface, and then I retrieve it with no chances of it snagging up.

It flys out at 6 metres a second in GPS mode and considerably faster if I want to fly it manually. Has a top speed of 28mph. (Bit fast for me at that speed).

They are ideal for Surf Rescue Patrols, who can use them to drop a float to the swimmer in difficulties, which will keep him floating until the Zodiac arrives. By using the camera, they could drop it right on his head, just go into a hover, watch camera, and lower the drone, then hit release. Brilliant.

Oh I am going to have fun with this thing. Not cheap though. Around $1800.00 for the Fishermans Model, that comes with the Auto release mechanism only. But that is adequate if you fly with drone in sight. If you go hands off, the controller whilst in GPS mode, the drone will just hover at the altitude it is at.

No sharks can bit my line and total loss like a Kontiki. Thi is stress free fishing.

Now I wonder if I can use it in Casting Competitions, Mmmmm folks a four hundred metre cast, just like that.

And now you know Phil why I wanted eight ounce Gemini sinkers. For the drone, if I get a bit of current drift. Will fly in wind up to 25 mph. So if its to windy to fly. Well its back to conventional surf casting, hence the other gear.

After almost a three year break I am back into it.

Cheers Hardy
PS. Wanna know more. Just Google Splashdrone. They are sold in NZ.