Spawning beds from a drone

[DanielG]

I was out for a friendly flight with my drone this morning and noticed that along the edge I could see all of the spawning beds from about 120 ft up. Just a point of interest....

[12poundbass]

I’m looking off my deck and can see 6 bluegill beds. The bass won’t be far behind.

 

It’s fun watching them guard the beds! 

[papajoe222]

I've been thinking about getting a drone, not so much to search out beds, but to get a better view of the water from above. Years ago I took the family to Florida for vacation and, on a tram about 150ft. above ground level, I could see the bass in the ponds below and their location in relation to the weeds.  That type of info could really prove useful for the limited time (3-4hrs.) I'm able to be on the water.  A good depth finder helps reduce non fishing time, but I think it'd be awesome to look down while buzzing the lake.

[DanielG]

17 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I've been thinking about getting a drone, not so much to search out beds, but to get a better view of the water from above. Years ago I took the family to Florida for vacation and, on a tram about 150ft. above ground level, I could see the bass in the ponds below and their location in relation to the weeds.  That type of info could really prove useful for the limited time (3-4hrs.) I'm able to be on the water.  A good depth finder helps reduce non fishing time, but I think it'd be awesome to look down while buzzing the lake.

Kids gave me a mavic mini for Xmas. A really nice unit. Just need a cell phone to watch where you're going. Still, pricy for such a little thing. Fun to use. I've sent it up to look around the area, but will mostly use it in my travel camping to check out the area and add to the vids on my youtube channel.

 

I live on the bank almost directly under the drone shot. Southern Maine.

[TnRiver46]

36 minutes ago, DanielG said:

Kids gave me a mavic mini for Xmas. A really nice unit. Just need a cell phone to watch where you're going. Still, pricy for such a little thing. Fun to use. I've sent it up to look around the area, but will mostly use it in my travel camping to check out the area and add to the vids on my youtube channel.

 

I live on the bank almost directly under the drone shot. Southern Maine.

Good spot to live!!!

[DanielG]

17 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Good spot to live!!!

Yes, we like it a lot... Maine's pretty nice. Been here all my life.

[jbmaine]

Dan, you should send it up to the rock pile just up from you, Last Fri. we saw a few good Smallies starting to hover around last years beds.

                                                     Jim

[DanielG]

1 hour ago, jbmaine said:

Dan, you should send it up to the rock pile just up from you, Last Fri. we saw a few good Smallies starting to hover around last years beds.

                                                     Jim

Oh I did. Just didn't put that picture.. I went all over on that flight. Just north of the island there's a bunch of beds. Here's  a pict. The buoy is visible and the island would be in above that out of frame.

[Scott F]

5 hours ago, DanielG said:

Kids gave me a mavic mini for Xmas. A really nice unit. Just need a cell phone to watch where you're going. Still, pricy for such a little thing. Fun to use. I've sent it up to look around the area, but will mostly use it in my travel camping to check out the area and add to the vids on my youtube channel.

 

I live on the bank almost directly under the drone shot. Southern Maine.

Are you aware that it is against the law to use drones in national parks? People have been fined for posting videos shot in national parks on YouTube.

[DanielG]

3 hours ago, Scott F said:

Are you aware that it is against the law to use drones in national parks? People have been fined for posting videos shot in national parks on YouTube.

Yes, but I don't live anywhere near a national park. When you fire up the drone you see the flight through on your phone from a camera on the front of it. You also see a map that tells you if you are in a flyable area. If not, a notice will indicate "not ready to fly " on the screen. Most places you can fly though. Two places around where I am is a town airport about 10 miles away, and a small county prison about the same distance. The rest is pretty much wide open. The drone has a legal altitude limit of 400 ft. and mine will lose a signal after about a half mile away, so just a couple thousand ft.

[jbsoonerfan]

5 hours ago, Scott F said:

Are you aware that it is against the law to use drones in national parks? People have been fined for posting videos shot in national parks on YouTube.

Really good internet policing right there. Got to make sure you keep them in line.

[DanielG]

6 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Really good internet policing right there. Got to make sure you keep them in line.

I think that 'Smallie Chaser" was simply letting me know of a little bit of information that is really just an interesting factoid to most people.

 

I've had people confront me in my back yard about spying on them when the drone was up around 15 ft and I was looking down at my roof to see if my gutters needed cleaning. And they weren't even neighbors! Just driving by. Almost like those krazy Karens you see on youtube that call the cops if someone casts too close to their dock. But you know, to be fair, for every one of them there's 10,000 who just want to watch and ask some questions because they want one. A guy came by the other day and had a 6 yr old. Wide eyes when he saw it go up. We were in a very open area so I let him have the joysticks. I think that made his day. Dad gave me his email address and I sent him the video of the flight. We turned the drone on the boy so he got to be in the video too.. proof.. he's a drone pilot now!

 

 

[CrankFate]

Wish I had that. I saw what I assume were bedded up fish last time I was out. They were in very shallow water in an area of the lake that isn’t fished much. Looked like they all made their beds right next to downed branches that were almost completely submerged. From the air, I’d be able to confirm.

[detroit1]

The future tournament bass fisherman: Arrives to the lake in his autonomous (?) electric 4x4, which also self - parks. Time to launch the boat, a very easy one man job. You get in the boats driving seat and press your button and the truck backs you in and then goes and parks itself. There will be no more "blast - offs" as we know them today. Instead everyone stays on shore watching their laptop for 2 hrs. until their drone is back from it's mission to find places to start fishing. The pro enters his waypoint and as the electric outboard hums him to the spot, he can focus on getting baits tied on. No need to drive, the boat is also auto driven. He gets to the fishing spot and lowers his t/m into the water. Yeah, it does that by itself too. His fish finder is real. It is actual live video, with a 50' 360 degree veiwing capability under any light or water color condition. Baits will be pretty similar to what they are now, but before a cast is made, the angler must spray the water with some concoction that triggers a feeding frenzy. You make your cast, you catch a fish. After unhooking, you lower a probe down the fish's mouth, and it can tell what it ate last, and somehow can tell you how many other bass are likely to bite within a 20 yard radius in the next 10 minutes. (yes, it can do that.)Tournaments won't be won by heaviest weight alone. In fact, weight will be 1/3 of your "score". The number of casts it took to catch 5 keepers, and the time to catch 5 keepers will take the other 2/3. Feel free to add your own crap to this as i am tired of it .?

[E-rude dude]

I always yell pull first as a warning?☑️?

[DanielG]

On 5/21/2021 at 9:49 PM, detroit1 said:

The future tournament bass fisherman: Arrives to the lake in his autonomous (?) electric 4x4, which also self - parks. Time to launch the boat, a very easy one man job. You get in the boats driving seat and press your button and the truck backs you in and then goes and parks itself. There will be no more "blast - offs" as we know them today. Instead everyone stays on shore watching their laptop for 2 hrs. until their drone is back from it's mission to find places to start fishing. The pro enters his waypoint and as the electric outboard hums him to the spot, he can focus on getting baits tied on. No need to drive, the boat is also auto driven. He gets to the fishing spot and lowers his t/m into the water. Yeah, it does that by itself too. His fish finder is real. It is actual live video, with a 50' 360 degree veiwing capability under any light or water color condition. Baits will be pretty similar to what they are now, but before a cast is made, the angler must spray the water with some concoction that triggers a feeding frenzy. You make your cast, you catch a fish. After unhooking, you lower a probe down the fish's mouth, and it can tell what it ate last, and somehow can tell you how many other bass are likely to bite within a 20 yard radius in the next 10 minutes. (yes, it can do that.)Tournaments won't be won by heaviest weight alone. In fact, weight will be 1/3 of your "score". The number of casts it took to catch 5 keepers, and the time to catch 5 keepers will take the other 2/3. Feel free to add your own crap to this as i am tired of it .?

 

I like to use a calculator to add things up.    ?