ReelSonar Bluetooth bobber finds fish, maybe sea monsters
A Bluetooth-enabled smart bobber could turn a quiet day of fishing into a quiet day of fishing with a smartphone.
It seems to me the point of going fishing is to get away from the hustle and bustle and have some quiet time with yourself, a fishing rod, and an implacable expanse of water. There's never a smartphone involved in my imaginary ideal fishing experience. I'm going to have to revise my idea of a good day fishing if ReelSonar reaches its Indiegogo goal.
ReelSonar is a combination of hardware and an Android and iOS app. A Bluetooth Low Energy-equipped bobber sends sonar signals down into the water. The information, including the depth of each fish, is relayed to your smartphone.
The app also lets you map the waterbed and share the location of your fishing hot spot with your buddies, if you're the type who doesn't hoard your secret fishing areas. There's even a bite alarm, which should wake you up if you snooze off with the bobber out on the water.
ReelSonar is currently in the working prototype phase. The bobber itself has an LED light on top, making it easier to spot out on the water in dark conditions. It will blink when a fish passes beneath it. I can also see this being useful in the hunt for sea monsters.
Certain fishers will be immediately attracted to this technology. These folks probably already have poles made out of the latest high-tech materials. People like me, who are just as happy not catching anything, will get a kick out of the smartphone fishing concept, but not actually plunk down the $79 early-bird pledge price to get one. Which school do you belong to?
