Fishing is generally thought of as a relaxing and laid-back activity, but it still requires a certain amount of physical strength and dexterity. This can be a problem for older anglers or those with physical disabilities. To bring back the simple joy of fishing to those who may no longer be able to hold a rod on their own, [Ozz] has been working on the FISHBOT.
The FISHBOT looks like a miniature crane, complete with an electric motor and winch to pull in the line. But there’s a bit more going on here than meets the eye. Anyone who’s tried to land a large fish knows you have to be cautious of snapping the line, so [Ozz] has added a load cell to the system that can tell when its being pulled too tightly. In the future he hopes to make this feature a bit smarter by taking into account additional variables, but for now it should at least keep the more energetic of your quarry from getting away.
[Ozz] is controlling the beefy 400 watt motor with an IBT-2 H-bridge module connected to an Arduino Mega. The electronics can communicate with the user’s smartphone over a HM-10 Bluetooth module, which allows for more advanced features such as gesture controls that utilize the accelerometer in the phone. Long term, it sounds like he hopes to use the microcontroller in conjunction with the load cell to pull off more advanced tricks like weighing the fish and sending the data off to the user’s fishing buddies to show off.
In the past we’ve seen a drone used to get a lure out where the fish are, but catching one and reeling it back in is a very different challenge. It looks like [Ozz] still has some work to do on this project, but so far it seems things are going well. Being able to return a simple pleasure like this to those who thought their fishing days were behind them will surely prove worthy of the effort.
I hope your a vegetarian then. Ever watch how they process cows, pigs, chickens and so on?
Fishing and catching fish are two almost entirely unrelated things. Fishing involves beer and no fish are harmed. Using some sort of automated contraption to actually catch fish removes any slim pretense of sport. Might as well use dynamite or just buy frozen fish fingers.
Fishing and hunting have so incredibly much tradition that has nothing to do with the actual fish or meat. I’m a bit biased as a vegetarian, but it almost seems like you’d be better off inventing entirely fish-free sports, like underwater low frequency radio foxhunting with magnetic pulses.
I like the idea of an excuse to be out on the water with friends and beers, and I can see the appeal of catching and eating fish with no technical aids at all(Although catch+release seems fairly pointless and unethical, since many of them are going to die anyway, and you’re probably going to get a burger on the way home).
I could understand disabled or elderly people using this, but I also suspect a lot of hardcore fishing types would rather just go somewhere with smaller fish than use any kind of tech, and if they *are* tech types, they might be just as happy looking for magnetic beacons, if the point is mostly just to be out in nature with your buddies, and have some kind of skill you can practice and develop.
“Although catch+release seems fairly pointless and unethical”
Funny enough, I’m learning for my fishing license right now (germany, yeah, we do have licenses for everything) and catch+release is basically forbidden here. Basically the only time you’re allowed to release a fish is when you’ve caught one that’s too small or one that you aren’t supposed to fish for at all.
And it’s actually enforced, there’s people from local fishing agencies and actual police walking about, checking caught fish and even equipment. And there’s big fines connected with that.
That is what it is like to be the top predator. You could be descended from wildebeest and spend all your waking hours chewing enough grass to stay alive. And the analogy would involve dragging a plush toy through the woods.
Auto-jiggers have been around for 60 years that I know of and are very selective compared to nets. They are illegal nearly everywhere except for commercial fishing or catching bait-fish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUGzBADpask
How does a fishhook compare to a plush toy? I find it difficult to see the idea of having a metal hook through your lip because you are tricked into biting in food and than dragged towards the captor as a sport.
Found the vegan!
Thank you Tom for sharing my project , as you mentioned there is so much to do with it.
Project started as challenge but it helped me to teaching my self electronics and C language. Also it my first project with electronics and coding together.
I believe with Hackaday and sites like, encourages people to bring their ideas to life as much as they can.
I understand some peoples’ antipathy to fishing but like it or not like it ; release it or eat it , many people around the world accepts fishing as a sport.
I will share more updates and record a detailed video in English . And planning to post every detail together with the 3d printable , cad files and the C code people can try it on their own when the project is finished.
I will be happy to share all details with the people who wants to join this project.
What, jioga – maim, disfigure, disable and release isn’t good enough for you?