12 September 2025

Over the past decade, drones have soared from novelty gadgets to essential tools in countless industries - and saltwater fishing is no exception. These high-tech devices are revolutionizing how saltwater anglers locate fish, deploy bait, and even ensure safety, from the beach to the boat.

But not just any drone will do. When it comes to open water, crashing waves, and corrosive salt spray, only waterproof drones that are purpose-built for fishing can truly thrive.

Thanks to innovators like SwellPro, whose drones are built specifically for marine environments, anglers now have access to tools that extend their reach and increase hookup rates, offering new advantages and new possibilities across every major saltwater fishing category.

In this post, we will dive into all the fishing styles that SwellPro fishing drones can offer great assistance to.

Shore Fishing: Casting Farther Past The Surf Zone

SwellPro Fisherman Max FD2

Shore fishing is one of the most accessible forms of saltwater angling and the top area where fishing drones find their way in. Almost every shore angler I know wants to increase their casting distance. Why? Because the bigger, elusive fish don’t spend their time in the shallow surf. But with standard surf rods and reels, reaching deeper waters or active feeding zones isn’t always possible - until now. 

Instead of casting, you attach your bait and line to the SwellPro drone’s payload release mechanism, fly it past the breakers, usually 100-300 yards out, and drop your bait exactly where you want it. 

The result? You can fish offshore waters without a boat. And because they’re fully waterproof and salt-resistant, you don’t have to worry about sea spray or splashdowns.

In the United States, and some parts of Australia, land-based shark anglers are using drones like the SwellPro Fisherman Max FD2 to carry up to 3.5kg of whole-fish bait and a heavy rig to hook up huge sharks. In the old days, their only option of getting baits out was by kayak, which brings much more work and risks than fun, especially in rough conditions. 

Watch How Easy It Is to Drop Bait with SwellPro

Surfcasting: From Beach Reader to Precision Striker

Some species like snapper, halibut and drum are tightly structure-oriented - hugging the edges of reefs, sitting just inside a gutter, or feeding along sandy drop-offs. For targeting bottom feeders, success isn't just about casting far - it’s about casting accuracy. Experienced anglers often know how to read the wave patterns to reveal those fish-rich structures below the surface.

Today, with the help of SwellPro, surfcasters can fly overhead and use the drone’s live video feed to visually confirm where the structure is, and more importantly, drop baits right into it with pinpoint accuracy. 

It is very difficult to reach the structures with traditional casting gears, especially in wind, and requires wading waist-deep. Casting either too far away from a rock reef, or on top of it, you will miss the fish opportunities and might lose your rigs. This is where SwellPro waterproof drones with high definition cameras become a complete game-changer. 

Watch How Fisherman Hook Big Bull Red from the Deep Ship Channel in Winter

Sight Fishing For Pelagics 

When it comes to saltwater thrills, few things match the heart-racing chaos of chasing fast-moving pelagic fish - like tuna, marlin, king mackerel, wahoo, and dorado. These apex predators move fast, hunt near the surface, and often appear in short, unpredictable bursts.

Traditionally, anglers relied on boats, binoculars, birds, and gut instinct to find them. But now, a growing number of serious saltwater anglers are using SwellPro as sky scouts to locate, track, and engage pelagic species in real time. 

Whether you're fishing from the shore, cliffs, or a boat, you can fly SwellPro high to scan vast water, looking for signs of pelagic fish such as diving birds and bait balls, then fly fast to get closer to and drop lures or bait right in front of the fast-approaching fish.

The Future of Drone Fishing Has Just Taken Off

If you search the hashtags of “drone fishing” on TikTok and Instagram, you will find tens of thousands of posts of fishermen showing off their catches with SwellPro or modified DJI bait droppers. Drone is no longer considered as luxury or novelty used by a few tech-savvy anglers. Drone fishing is becoming a mainstream fishing technique. And at the forefront of this movement is SwellPro, the company that pioneered fully waterproof fishing drones and continues to raise the bar.

As drone fishing grows, SwellPro is expanding its technology to support even more fishing styles, including:

• Sonar-equipped drones for aerial fish finding
• Pre-baiting systems for freshwater carp and catfish anglers
• Smarter Automatic Bait Dropping Controlled by APP and GPS
• Bigger payloads capacity for bigger baits and bigger fish

In the coming years, according to the foresight by the SwellPro team, waterproof fishing drones will become less expensive, and much easier to use - embraced by more average fishermen in all parts of the world.