Australian Drone Fishing Guide

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 Before flying over water, become confident controlling your drone over open ground.

Learn the controls until flying becomes second nature, then practise using the camera while maintaining control of the drone. You’ll later rely on these skills to position your bait accurately and confirm that it has released successfully.

Once you’re comfortable flying and using the camera together, begin practising with light payloads and simple rigs. Build confidence gradually before moving to larger baits and more demanding fishing situations.

If you’re unsure which rig to start with, the Standard Drone Fishing Rig is the simplest all-round setup for learning the fundamentals.

If sharks are your ultimate goal, first make sure you already have experience targeting, landing and safely releasing them from the beach.

Experienced shark fishos can make drone fishing for sharks look easy, but that comes from years of experience handling large fish, heavy tackle and the additional risks involved.

If you’re new to land-based shark fishing, start by using your drone for species such as snapper, tailor and mulloway while you build confidence with bait deployment, line control and recovery.

Once you’re confident with both drone fishing and land-based shark fishing, you can then progress to larger baits and heavier tackle.

Want to learn more about shark fishing?

See our Land-Based Shark Fishing Guide, Shark Fishing Rigs Guide and Safe Release of Sharks Guide.

 The sharks... and your wallet... will thank you for it! 

Your drone’s advertised payload is only part of the story.

Your total payload includes the bait, sinker, rig, release mechanism and any additional accessories fitted to the drone.

Wind, flight distance and drag from the fishing line and reel can also increase the load on the drone. In our testing, these factors reduced the effective payload by around 200 grams (7 oz).

Carry a small set of fishing scales and weigh the complete setup before each flight, especially when using larger baits or heavier rigs.

Wiggle ya Worm drone fishing rigs include their individual weights on the packaging and in the product specifications, helping you calculate the main rig weight before adding bait, sinker and any additional accessories.

Your drone’s advertised payload is the maximum recommended under ideal conditions, so always leave a safety margin for wind, flight distance and lower battery levels.

 Also plan each deployment with a comfortable battery reserve for the return flight. Don’t calculate your maximum fishing distance from the drone’s advertised flight time alone, as payload weight, headwinds and fishing-line drag can all increase battery consumption. 

Before launching, position the drone facing the direction you intend to fly. This makes the first control inputs more natural and predictable during take-off.

When storing your drone rig, wind it onto the storage reel from the sinker end first so the drone attachment loop remains accessible on the outside. At the beach, connect the rig to the drone while it is still wound on the reel, then walk downwind and allow it to unspool as you go.

Lay the rig out in a straight line downwind of the drone. Place small piles of sand over the rig every couple of metres to stop it blowing around or drifting towards the propellers.

Once connected to the bait release mechanism, secure the rig underneath one of the drone’s feet until take-off.

When launching from sand, use a launch mat. Even a cheap welcome mat works well. Its main job is to reduce the amount of sand blown into the motors and propellers during take-off and landing.

 After take-off, pause briefly in a stable vertical hover before beginning the flight offshore. Check that the rig has released cleanly from beneath the drone, the bait and sinker are hanging freely, the fishing line is feeding smoothly and the payload is not spinning or swinging excessively.

If anything looks wrong, land and correct it while the drone is still close to shore rather than discovering the problem once you’re hundreds of metres offshore.

If your reel has a clicker, turn it off before flying the bait out.

Leaving the clicker on creates extra resistance as line leaves the reel, increasing drag on the drone and making the battery work harder than necessary.

Over long deployments, that constant friction can also cause unnecessary wear to the clicker mechanism.

Once the bait has been released, turn the clicker back on if you normally use it while fishing.

As the drone flies away, keep light pressure on the spool with a finger or thumb to control how quickly the line leaves the reel. Wearing a glove can make this more comfortable on longer deployments.

This helps prevent overruns and bird’s nests. If the line suddenly locks while the drone is still flying away, the resulting tension can be enough to pull the drone towards the water.

For beginners, using two people can make deployments easier. One person can concentrate on flying while the other manages the line from the reel.

When learning, fly out at around 40 to 50 metres high. This keeps more line clear of the water, reducing drag, and gives you extra time to react if something goes wrong.

Learn to control the drone and camera together so you can accurately position the bait before release.

Before dropping, use the camera to confirm you’re over the exact area you want to fish.

After activating the bait release, don’t immediately turn for home. Use the camera to confirm that the rig has actually released.

If it hasn’t, you’ll know straight away and can deal with the problem before beginning the return flight.

If the bait release mechanism doesn’t activate, stay calm and avoid sudden manoeuvres or trying to shake the rig free.

Activate the release another one or two times. If the bait still doesn’t release, assume the mechanism has jammed and stop trying. Repeatedly activating it is unlikely to solve the problem and may place unnecessary strain on the release mechanism.

Your priority now is getting the drone back safely.

Don’t simply rely on Return to Home. Maintain manual control so you can adjust the drone’s height, speed or flight path if conditions change during the return.

Climb steadily to lift as much fishing line clear of the water as practical before slowly returning to shore. Fishing line creates far more drag in the water than it does in the air, so reducing the amount of line being pulled through the water can significantly reduce the load on the drone.

Leaving the reel’s bail arm open can also help. Rather than forcing the drone to pull against a fixed length of line, the reel can continue feeding line as the drone returns.

With the bail arm closed, the line between the beach and drone can form a large curve through the water. The drone then has to pull that entire curve towards shore, creating considerable drag. Allowing additional line to feed from the reel lets that curve extend naturally instead of being dragged against a fixed point on the beach.

Recovering extra fishing line afterwards is a much better outcome than placing unnecessary load on the drone during the flight home.

Once safely back on shore, land the drone and investigate why the bait failed to release before attempting another deployment.

 One of the biggest causes of unstable drone fishing flights is having the bait hanging too close to the drone.

If the bait or sinker begins to swing, the drone constantly tries to correct the movement. Those corrections can make the swing become larger and faster, increasing instability and battery use.

In extreme cases, the sinker can swing high enough for the rig or line to reach the propellers.

 Before take-off, make sure the bait is firmly secured and hangs naturally below the rig. Long strips of bait, loose squid flaps or unevenly rigged baits can spin or “helicopter” during flight, twisting the trace and increasing payload swing.

Bait elastic can help secure softer or awkwardly shaped baits and reduce unwanted movement during the flight.

Through our testing, we found the most stable distance between the drone and bait was generally around 6 to 12 metres.

A longer drop gives the bait more room to settle beneath the drone instead of reacting directly to every small movement of the aircraft.

 Once the payload is airborne, use smooth, progressive movements rather than sudden acceleration, braking or sharp direction changes.

Abrupt movements can start the bait and sinker swinging like a pendulum beneath the drone. The drone then has to work harder to correct the movement, which can increase instability and battery use.

Keeping the bait within this range can help reduce bait swing, improve flight stability and reduce unnecessary battery consumption.

Safety release clips are designed to protect your drone if excessive tension develops in the deployment line.

This can happen if:

• The rig snags during deployment.
• The line jams or birds-nests on the reel.
• The line doesn't feed smoothly from the spool.
• In rare cases, a bird flies into the main line, creating sudden tension.

As the drone continues flying away, the tension increases until the safety release clip opens, allowing the rig to drop away from the drone. The drone is then free to continue flying, helping prevent it from being dragged backwards or into the water.

The Limitation

Once the rig has been deployed, the safety release clip remains attached to the rig.

During retrieval, the clip is dragged across the seabed where it can catch on rocks, reef or other underwater structure. If that happens, the clip may release from the rig and remain on the bottom.

Because the clip itself is often lost during retrieval after a release, it becomes a consumable item that needs replacing before the next deployment.

Some drone fishos attach small floats or even foam ear plugs to the clips to help keep them off the bottom during retrieval. While this may reduce the chance of losing a clip, it doesn't eliminate the problem completely.

Our Decision

Safety release clips solve a genuine problem and, when activated, generally do exactly what they're designed to do.

After weighing up the advantages and disadvantages, we've chosen not to incorporate safety release clips into our Drone Fishing System. However, all of our drone fishing rigs remain fully compatible with safety release clips should you choose to use one.

In our experience, the ongoing replacement of lost clips outweighs the relatively low likelihood of needing one during a normal deployment.

Instead, we focus on ensuring the line feeds smoothly from the reel and monitoring it throughout every deployment.

If you choose to use a safety release clip, simply attach it to the drone attachment loop before deployment.

Other drone fishos may reach a different conclusion, and that's perfectly fine.

Understanding both the advantages and limitations of safety release clips will help you decide whether they're the right choice for the way you fish.

 As soon as your bait has been released, wind in the slack until the main line comes under light tension.

Leaving slack in the water allows the current to push your main line around. As it drifts, it can come into contact with reef, rocks and other underwater obstacles, increasing the risk of abrasion or the line being cut during retrieval.

Keeping light tension on the line helps maintain a straighter path between you and your rig, reducing the amount of line lying across the seabed and minimising contact with underwater structure.

It's a simple habit that can reduce lost rigs, prevent unnecessary line damage and make retrieving your rig much easier.

Drone fishing is only one part of successful fishing. Understanding where fish feed, choosing the right rig and using equipment that's been designed for Australian conditions can all help improve your results.

   Continue your drone fishing journey by exploring our Drone Fishing System to compare every rig in the range, browse our Drone Fishing Shop, explore Rigs Explained for practical fishing rig tutorials, or visit the Wiggle ya Worm Blog for more Australian fishing tips and techniques.