UNBOXING the Aeroo Pro reveals a sleek design with robust manufacturing. The drone market is fairly saturated with cheap and flimsy options and on the other end of the spectrum uber expensive. The Aeroo Pro comes at a highly competitive price for its functionality. The in-built payload release mechanism holding a 1kg capacity is more than enough for the majority of drone fishos. I had the Aeroo Pro up in 25-knot winds, and the powerful motors kept it steady while maintaining its course. The quality of the shot remained impressive throughout. This is a very impressive machine that delivers on price, power, and payload.
The Aeroo Pro is a purpose-built drone with 3 distinct features:
- Fishing
- Delivering payloads
- Filming
The fishing element is made possible through the built-in quick-release payload mechanism. The payload mechanism also opens up a world of creativity in delivery. I saw a video of someone using the Aeroo pro to feed their chickens in the back paddock. The drone manages a payload of up to 1kg which is a substantial amount, particularly when it comes to fishing… Which is what we are going to focus on.
The thing about the Aeroo Pro that I found interesting was the accessibility that it opens up to people who may not be able to afford a boat or struggle to be on the water. The Aeroo Pro enables anglers to access reef systems previously only accessible by vessel. The Aeroo Pro has a range of up to 10 km which could potentially mean someone would be able to fish a FAD out wide from the safety of the beach. … if their reel had a stupidly sized spool on it. I have seen people use electric reels with deep spools to fish huge distances offshore from land.
In reality, a large egg beater reel or light game fishing overhead reel will enable fishos to access reefs well offshore. I had a 7500 PENN Slammer spooled with 50lb braid on an Atomic Arrows 13ft 12-20 kg rod for the beach.
I used Navionics to locate some reefs in around 20m of water that I had previously fished by boat. The reef was along an open beach which had 4wd beach access. So I had the fishing spot to myself. I was able to fish these reef edges successfully without going through all of the effort of putting my boat in. Sometimes there isn’t enough time in the day and using the drone made the session doable.
The Aeroo Pro comes with release rings and safety clips that attach to the payload mechanism. This safety mechanism ensures your drone won’t be pulled in the wrong direction if there are any malfunctions. This could be a simple issue like your bail arm flicking over on your rod mid flight, adding tension to the line. The safety clip will release your rig and the drone will hover until further instructions or head back to where it took off with one of the many artificial intelligence (AI) functions.
The rig is simple, I tied a 3-way swivel on the main line. On the adjacent eyelet of the swivel, I used a 2m dropper of monofilament with a 30 lb breaking strain. I tested this multiple times to ensure that the line would pop through the safety release clip and it worked effectively. Once I was happy with the release point I put tension on the line for release. The drone comes with a 2m RC cable that can be used for this function. The line needs to be 2m long so that the motion of the rig in flight does not interfere with the flight of the drone when swaying.
On the eyelet of the swivel connected to the main line I tied a paternoster rig with a snapper led on the bottom that was 4 ounces and 2 Gamakatsu 8/0 circle hooks about 1m apart. Depending on the target species the size and types of the hooks can vary. The drone easily picked up the bait and dropped it about 150m offshore to the reef which was roughly 12m deep.
I was able to use the live feed view from the drone back to the screen of my camera to check where I was in relation to Navionics and the ocean. The live feed was able to pick up the colour of the reef at that depth so I was able to drop the baits on the sand to avoid snags. The intelligent flight mode of ‘drop point save’ allows the GPS mark to be saved where a payload drop was made The Aeroo Pro can then reuse this mark to return to for increased efficiency. I could also use the return-to-home feature to get the drone to fly back to the landing pad without needing to be controlled. Which meant I could play with the rod setup at the same time for efficiency.
Shark Fishing from the beach is made easy with the Aeroo Pro. I had some fun on K’gari (Fraser Island) dropping baits just in behind the surf on the eastern side. I used a single-strand wire trace to play around with the small bronze whalers that patrol the beach. I used fresh Tailor for bait and the drone managed the payload easily which would have been around 600g with butterflied baits. The quick-release payload mechanism is really simple to use on the remote or display screen.
Flathead fishing with drones has become super popular. It is a great way to increase your chances of spotting and coming into contact with a croc. The Aeroo Pro has a few qualities that are advantageous for this style of fishing. The live feed at 2.7k gives an incredibly clear image of what the camera is looking at. Believe it or not, flathead spook quite easily if the drone hovers too closely. The Aeroo Pro has a 6x zoom to maintain a high-definition live feed from a safe distance without disturbing the fish you are trying to sight-cast. This application has been extended to various species including barramundi up north, longtail and other schooling species. The video quality for capturing footage will be reduced using 6x zoom, so it is ideal for scouting purposes.
Camera
The Aeroo Pro has a built-in 4k camera to shoot high quality photos and videos. The camera sits on a gimbal to ensure stable imagery even through unique flight modes. For example, you can get the drone to follow the controller at a set angle and height. This may be a great shot of a boat tracking or a car driving. Or you can get the drone to complete a 360-degree hover around a set subject. The gimbal will hold the camera focused on the target even through navigating. A feature of the drone is the cinematic flight mode that slows the drone down for smooth shots, also a handy mode for beginning to use your drone.
If the winds are blowing the Aeroo Pro can hold its own. Being able to handle 50km/h winds with a flight mode that tilts the drone for optimal wind resistance. This will further assist with quality video potential when the conditions aren’t ideal. The drone is not waterproof, but weatherproof. So it can handle light rain mid-flight but you don’t want this machine to end up in the drink.
With a range of camera settings in both manual and automatic, you should be able to get get the shot you are chasing.
The team at Aeroo have made a range of helpful how-to videos that will walk you through all the features from the first flight right up to advanced AI flight modes and camera settings. Very user friendly, with fishing specific videos including rigs for certain styles of fishing.
All in all this drone has a qulaity design, it is built to last, is highly functional and reasonably priced. There are 2 options to purchase. The Aeroo Pro drone with 1 battery is priced at $1299. Aeroo Pro the combo comes with an extra battery and a charging station for 4 batteries for $1599.
Visit the aeroodrones.com for more information.
Have a nice flight.
