Fishing can provoke conflicting feelings in people. Some might regard it as a boring and useless sport, while others will view it as the most exciting hobby and the most entertaining sport ever. I think it is closer to the second option and to make it even more engaging, you can use the best drone for fishing out there.
A report on fishing from two years ago showed that the fishing activity is constantly growing by 0.5% each year. So, more and more people understand and come to love this sport. And they’re right, what’s not to love? A passionate fisher will always try to do everything in his powers to increase his catch and a fish finding drone can make the job a lot easier.
What has a drone got to do with fishing? Everything. You can use a fishing drone to scout a specific are and align with the newest 21st fishing techniques and technology. Fishing has never been and will never be a sport of the past. It is ever-evolving and that is why you need the waterproof drone for fishing on your side.
Table of Contents
- Comparison of 10 Best Drone for Fishing in 2020
- Top 10 Best Drone for Fishing Reviews in 2020
- 1. Holy Stone HS700D FPV Drone
- 2. Holy Stone HS720 4K GPS Drone Best for Fishing
- 3. Potensic T25 GPS Drone 1080 HD
- 4. Holy Stone HS110G GPS Drone 1080p
- 5. Contixo F24 Foldable Drone 1080p
- 6. Snaptain SP700 GPS Drone with Brushless Motor
- 7. Cheerwing W1PRO GPS Drone with 1080p Camera
- 8. Force1 Racing Drones with VR Headset
- 9. RCstyle Mavic 2 Drone AirDrop Release Fishing Bait
- 10. Swellpro Waterproof Splash Drone 3 Fishing Edition
- What to Consider When Looking for the Best Drone for Fishing
- Conclusion
- Relevant Resources
Comparison of 10 Best Drone for Fishing in 2020
IMAGE | NAME | FEATURES | PRICE |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Holy Stone HS700D FPV Drone |
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![]() | Holy Stone HS720 4K GPS Drone |
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![]() | Potensic T25 GPS Drone |
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![]() | Holy Stone HS110G GPS Drone |
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![]() | Contixo F24 Foldable Drone |
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![]() | Snaptain SP700 GPS Drone |
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![]() | Cheerwing W1PRO GPS Drone |
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![]() | Force1 Racing Drones |
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![]() | RCstyle Mavic 2 Drone |
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![]() | Swellpro Waterproof Splash Drone |
| Check Price |
Top 10 Best Drone for Fishing Reviews in 2020
The best drone for fly fishing will allow you to remain on the shore or in the boat while scouting a large area. A waterproof drone for fishing is also a great way of carrying out the line over the water, instead of casting the rod. The best drone for ocean fishing will give you the advantage of observing the underwater landscape and get an idea of where the fish are located. This is why I’ll review some of the best drones for fishing out there, each in its category.
The best drone for saltwater fishing will allow you to watch the wildlife as you’d never thought possible. Moreover, if you’re both passionate about wildlife photography and fishing, then these fishing drones will provide you with a next-level experience. So, let’s look at the 10 best options of fishing drones out there, and then let’s get down to an in-depth buying guide and what type of fishing drone might be good for you.
1. Holy Stone HS700D FPV Drone
If you’ve just decided you want to try this new fishing drone trend, but are not quite convinced it is the right thing for you, then this Holy Stone HS700D might just be the best cheap drone for fishing for you.
This drone is a good choice both for beginners and gadget aficionados. Although it is made of plastic, it looks like it could stand a few crashes without a problem. Moreover, it is lightweight and good for traveling. The camera is pretty impressive.
It’s can shoot in 1080p FHD and can transmit at 5G speed. It comes equipped with a pretty decent first-person view which allows you to see what the drone sees in real-time. Moreover, you can install your GoPro on the Holy Stone drone to shoot even more quality videos. This compatibility is a great asset.
The battery has 2800 mAh and can provide up to 20 minutes of flight time. This is quite impressive, considering its price range. However, it will take the battery about 7 hours to fully charge; that’s a little too much, I’d say. The camera comes with an 8GB memory card which you can easily swap with another of a bigger capacity.
The controllers come with an elegant little LCD which keeps you updated on the battery status, the remaining flight duration, and distance. The drone will automatically land when the battery is about to run out. This is a much-appreciated safety feature you should look for in any drone. All in all, this is what we loved the most about this product.
Strengths
- GPS-assisted flight
- Good camera quality for its price range
- 110-degree panoramic field of view
- App for video streaming
- Good imagery storage
Weaknesses
- It might take some time for it to charge its batteries
- It is not efficient in windy conditions
- It’s got no protection guards
Also Read: Best Fish Scale in 2020 – Top 10 Reviewed and Buying Guide
2. Holy Stone HS720 4K GPS Drone Best for Fishing
If surf fishing is your thing, then I recommend this Holy Stone HS720. It’s almost the same drone like the one above, only that it comes with 4K video quality, which might make it the best drone for surf fishing.
If you’re not new to drones, then this Holy Stone product might look very much like the DJI Mavic 2 series. However, it’s not; this drone has got other strong points, like a portable design that allows you to fold the motor arms place it in a little, nice-looking black box, and carry it anywhere with you.
It comes with a dual camera, 5G wi-fi connection, and a return home function which will land the drone automatically if the battery has run out. It can fly up to 25 minutes and can follow you anywhere if you activate the specific mode. So, if you want to film yourself while getting the biggest catch with your life, then this is the drone to use. Forget the old pictures with the big fish in hand; enter aerial videos of really fun fishing.
Strengths
- Durable, compact and foldable design
- A very user-friendly app which easily gives you access to advanced settings
- Controller with LED display and joystick functions
- 4K camera
- Over 25 minutes of flight time
Weaknesses
- Poor video stabilization
- Long charging time
3. Potensic T25 GPS Drone 1080 HD
We’re continuing our search for the best drones for fly fishing out there with this Potensic T25, with a 1080 camera. It might just very well be the best drone for fishing out there right now.
Also it is a good-value drone, not too heavy and quite compact, for traveling. It comes with follow me, GPS return home, geo-fencing, and low-battery return functions. The camera provides a 120-degree FOV and can be adjusted on a 75-degree wide-angle.
It comes with a 3.7v, 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery. You can charge it through a micro USB port. The landing legs, propellers, and propeller guards are replaceable.It does not come with a microSD card into the camera, so you should consider purchasing one.
Strengths
- Small and compact design
- It comes with learning aids for beginner pilots
- Good 1080p video quality
- It comes with a few useful spare parts for the key elements, such as propeller blades
Weaknesses
- The propel guards are quite flimsy and fragile; you should take care of those, they might not be able to take a crash
- If you swap the battery, you’ll need to make all the calibration steps all over again
Also Read: Best Fishing Pliers of 2020 – Top 10 Models Reviewed!
4. Holy Stone HS110G GPS Drone 1080p
This other Holy Stone product is another pretty good drone for its reasonable price. The company itself was founded in 2014, but it seems they know how to build fun and easy-to-pilot drones both for fishing, and other leisure activities.
This HS110G is a quad copter that will give you the opportunity of taking aerial pictures and videos of the ocean shore and ocean wide in good quality. This is why it might be the best drone for ocean fishing out there right now, which will not make you poor in an instant.
Now, leaving jokes aside, this drone comes with a Full HD 1080p camera and an actual flight time of about 14 minutes. The battery has 3.7V and 1500 mAh and can be charged in about 180 minutes, which is not that bad. The maximum control range is of about 983 ft.
In the package you will find another 4 propellers, and some special screws and a screwdriver. It comes with 4 important flight modes: custom flight path, which lets you design a custom path that the drone will follow; emergency stop, which will land your drone automatically in case there is an emergency; headless mode, which will help beginners always keep the front of the drone in the actual front; and the follow me mode, which is pretty self-explanatory.
The camera will not come with a Micro SD in the package. If you don’t buy one yourself, the drone will only shoot 720p videos and save them automatically on your mobile device attached to the controller.
Strengths
- Good quality 1080p camera
- Easy-to-use remote controller with phone holder and battery status
- It can be controlled from a pretty big distance
- Overall easy control
Weaknesses
- The battery might not provide you with more than 15 minutes of flight time
- In regards to safety, it does not have obstacle avoidance sensors
5. Contixo F24 Foldable Drone 1080p
This Contixo drone is known as a quite reliable, foldable and compact quad copter which is not going to cost you an arm or a leg and which could prove a very good candidate for the title of the best drone for fishing in saltwater.
The 1080p HD camera is pretty good. You can manually adjust the angle so it would take pictures the way you want it to. It is a quite impressive wide camera and can stream real-time video from up to 1800 feet. A nice touch is the selfie mode controlled by gestures, paired with a built-in app that allows you to share the selfies immediately with your friends and family on social media.
The battery has 7.4V and 2500 mAh and the advertised flight time is 30 minutes. However, you will find the actual time is much less than that and it is very dependent on the weather conditions.
Strengths
- Easy to use, even for beginners
- Brushless motors offer a better overall visual experience and make it silent
- Keeps steady in the air and has many important features, like follow me, hover, altitude hold and others
- Selfie mode controlled by gestures.
Weaknesses
- You might find that the flight time is not as high as advertised and it depends a lot on the atmospheric conditions
- A pair of spare batteries would have been nice, for longer flight time
6. Snaptain SP700 GPS Drone with Brushless Motor
If you are looking for a fishing drone that is enjoyable to fly, can be easily used to scout different fishing areas, and provides a clear view of the surroundings, then this Snaptain SP700 might just be it: the best fishing drone for the money. It features GPS integration and some cool flight settings for a smooth operation.
The drone spotlights a follow-me function that will follow you or a set object around, an orbit setting, which will make it fly in a 360-degree circle around a given object, a point of interest feature, and a way point mode. All of these make it easy to observe a given fishing area for minutes on end without leaving the shore or your boat.
The drone comes preassembled. You will only have to put the battery in and start it up. This also brings us to a major downside: it’s not foldable and it will take some space carrying it around. However, all in all, is a pretty good fishing drone and might very well be the best fishing drone for the money.
Strengths
- 1680-feet control range
- High-quality camera
- Nice “tap fly” feature in the app which allows you to easily draw the flight route on your mobile flight and thus scout the fishing area you’re most interested in without a problem
- Relatively easy to use, even by beginners
Weaknesses
- It cannot be folded, so you will find it quite bulky when traveling
- It seems it does not come in a proper case for carrying
7. Cheerwing W1PRO GPS Drone with 1080p Camera
Cheerwing is known for making RC drones, vehicles, and even boats for enthusiasts. This fishing drone is no exception. The brushless motors don’t ask for much maintenance and run quietly. If you’ve got spare batteries, you can fly the drone for an hour without overheating the motors.
This fishing drone comes with two cameras. One is placed at the front and can shoot 1080p videos, and one at the bottom for closer surveillance of the fishing spots. This other camera is only 720p, but it’s enough to spot the best fishing areas. Moreover, you can switch between them to have an overlook of everything that is happening around them.
The drone comes with two 1800 mAh batteries, which can be fully charged in about 200 minutes. However, you’ll have to purchase 4 AA batteries for the remote controller. Speaking of the remote controller, it is quite elegant and ergonomic. It has a nice smartphone holder.
The drone comes with some cool features, like GPS positioning which keeps the drone stable around a point of interest; moreover, if the drone’s batteries run out or the drone loses signal, it will come to your place and land safely on the ground. It also has follow-me mode and you can create a custom flight route to observe your desired fishing spots.
One nice touch which makes it very easy to use is the one key take and landing feature. When you activate it, the drone will take off or land without you having to do a thing. Overall, it is a good fishing drone, and here are the main characteristics we liked and didn’t like.
Strengths
- Brushless motors which make for a more silent and steady flight, without overheating
- Two batteries which offer almost 30 minutes of flight time
- Stylish cool design, very futuristic
- Easy to use app makes controlling the drone quite easy
- Dual cameras, one in the front and one at the bottom
Weaknesses
- It does not come with any carry bag or case
- It is not foldable, and you will find it quite bulky to carry around with you
8. Force1 Racing Drones with VR Headset
This Force1 Racing Drone is a more professional setup and if this is your first time buying a drone, then you might consider starting with a simpler one. If you are willing to exchange a few e-mails with the Force1 customer support and spend a day or two to connect it to your computer, load the specific drivers and program it so you can get it flying, then you will, maybe, get the best drone for fishing out there right now.
And it won’t cost you a kidney. Only a lot of patience. Moreover, if you’re both passionate about fishing and racing drones, then this product is the best combination of both. The Force1 VR set is a nice touch, the cherry on top, I might say. It does a great job of showing you the imagery around and become one with the drone for better control and maneuverability.
The frame is made from carbon fiber, which makes it very lightweight. The FPV together with the VR glasses will give you a truly immersive experience. What is more, you can have some extra fun doing 360-degree flips like in Top Gun. Make sure you don’t scare away the fish. (joke) All in all, this is what impressed us and what disappointed us regarding this Force1 drone.
Strengths
- It is a very fast fish finding drone
- It is made of very sturdy materials; the build looks durable enough
- 3000 feet ground distance range
- 5000 feet height range
Weaknesses
- Complicated to set up and fly it for the first time; not recommended for beginners;
- You need to connect it to a computer and load drivers to configure it for the first flight; it is a racing drone, it might bring a little shock if you’re used to simple flying drones
9. RCstyle Mavic 2 Drone AirDrop Release Fishing Bait
In your search for fishing drones, you were probably thinking of more fishing-focused products, like a drone for fishing that could carry bait and airdrop it when you see it fit, right? Well, this mini drone by RCstyle is just that.
It is a little RC delivery drone you can use in many situations and, on top of that, it is quite fun to operate. It’s rather small and easy to operate. For this reason, you cannot lift more than 500gr.
It will take a little bit of tinkering to get it working properly, but once you get everything in place, it works wonderfully. You can either go try drone fishing or just have fun airdropping objects and playing pranks on your friends. It will work perfectly for both.
Strengths
- Lightweight, easy to operate
- Can deliver and airdrop things
Weaknesses
- The wireless connection does not work for more than 2 kilometers
Also Read: Best Spearguns in 2020 – Field Tested & Top 15 Reviewed
10. Swellpro Waterproof Splash Drone 3 Fishing Edition
If what you had in mind was a more heavy-duty waterproof best drone for fishing, then you should consider this Swellpro product right here. It comes in a nice carry case with all the parts necessary to make it work. Besides, you can keep it, in that case, to carry it around when you go fishing.
In this case you will find the camera, the landing gear and carbon fiber propellers, a Bluetooth telemetry module, charger, and remote control. You will find it quite easy and intuitive to assembly the drone. The camera in itself records high-quality videos and it will be a very helpful pal in your fishing activities.
This is how you might take your fishing expertise to the next level. This fishing edition comes with a payload release mechanism and a fixed HD camera for extra safety and stabilization. It will enable you to drop the line at GPS-precise location.
The most important fact is that it is waterproof and you can land it on the water for a precise image of the fishing area. It can fly for about 20-25 minutes and has a maximum flight range of about 1.6 km. It can work at temperatures between -10 and 40 degrees Celsius, which I think is quite impressive.
Strengths
- Can fly in the rain and even snow and can withstand some pretty heavy winds
- IP67-rated waterproof camera for filming underwater
- It uses RC batteries, so you can replace them easily
Weaknesses
- You cannot stream videos in HD
- You cannot change the camera settings while in the air
- The controller has no smartphone mount so using the mobile app together with the drone will be quite difficult
What to Consider When Looking for the Best Drone for Fishing
So, you’ve seen all the choices on the list. Now, let’s get to a buying guide on what you should consider when shopping for the best drone for fishing. If you’re not convinced that drone fishing is for you, let us give you a few details on the trend, safety tips, and tricks and explain how you could equip the drone for the task at hand.
About Drone Fishing
Drone fishing is a new fishing technique that utilizes a drone equipped with a camera to catch fish. Usually, a fishing drone comes most in handy in surf fishing because it can spot schools of fish very easily and some drones, can even cast your line. However, you cannot drag the fish out of the water using the drone; you can try, but with bigger catches, you risk losing the flying apparatus.
Fishing drones come very handily in spotting the fish and tossing the bait. Further on, you need to have an additional rod to pull the fish manually to you. Although it might sound complicated, drone fishing is a trend, and with a waterproof drone for fishing, you can very easily level up your game.
Consider Purchasing Some Additional Fishing Drone Accessories
Dropping bait with your drone can be easier than you’d think and once you get the hang of things, you won’t want to fish without a drone ever again. Well, almost ever again… Anyways, buying the best drone for fishing is not everything. You’ve still got some more tinkering to do, apart from setting up the drone itself and making sure it flies and records properly.
First and foremost, you can tie some fishing line from one corner to the other diagonal corner of the drone and repeat the action for the other two corners until you’ve created an X with fishing line. Then, you can attach a down rigger release clip to which you connect your fishing line. Make sure you unlock the reel before getting your drone flying.
Once you’ve flown your drone to the desired fishing spot, you can lock the reel, so that the bait will drop and the drone can hover around the fishing spot until a fish catches the bait. Don’t try to pull the fish with the drone; simply fly it back and reel in your catch with the fishing rod. To make sure it all works according to plan, I recommend you test your fishing drone over dry land at first, especially if the drone is not waterproof at all.
The Most Important Safety Features to Consider
As you could see above, drones come in many shapes and sizes and with many features. However, if you’re new to drone fishing, then they might all look very similar, with some tiny little exceptions and that’s where you should look for. First, you should set a budget, and then you should go for the best drone that fits on that budget based on five important features.
Camera
Depending on your budget, you should consider Full HD or 4K cameras for your fishing drone. The camera is really important; those extra pixels will make all the difference when scouting for potential fish spots offshore.
Battery Life
This is one essential fact to consider. Better battery life means more flight time and even two or three extra minutes of flight time can prove crucial when drone fishing.
Payload
If you’re thinking of pulling the fish using only the power of the drone itself, then its carrying capacity is really important. Don’t overestimate it. Don’t be tempted to take the risk! More load can strain the battery faster and even crash the drone. Consider this very carefully or make a few additional better ments to it as described above.
Range
The range is the distance your drone can be away from the remote control. If it strays away and has no safety feature for this case, then it can crash in the water and it’s gone. Just be aware of the range.
Safety Features
These are the most important features that will ensure you can use your fishing drone for long. One really important safety feature you should look for is the GPS return home function. This means the drone will return to a specific GPS location and land on its own in case its battery is about to run out or if it’s lost signal from the remote control. Some drones also come with a headless mode, a very important feature for beginners.
It helps you always know which is the head of the drone and keep it in front. Another important feature is the hover mode, which will make the drone automatically hover around a given spot. A nice-to-have feature that I love is the custom-path feature, which enables you to create a custom, GPS-related path that the drone will follow automatically, without your aid.
This will come handy in many situations, you will see. The only condition is that you know the area well. Now, if the drone comes with a million safety features, it does not mean you should ignore some basic safety tips when flying the fishing drone for the first time.
- First and foremost you shouldn’t force too much payload on the drone as it will cause it to sink immediately or the battery to run out swiftly. The fishing line, hooks, baits, and all the rest are also additional weights for the drone. Consider them accordingly
- Mind the wind! It is a very important factor that can influence your drone performance, battery life, and its hovering functionality
- Always keep an eye on the battery level and range
Conclusion
Now, you have seen all the facts, read all the safety tips, seen all the best fishing drones out there, it’s up to you to decide if you want to try drone fishing. Are you up for the challenge?