Fishing by drone in the Huron River

I’m tempted to write about Trump’s big white power friendly rally of insanity in Florida tonight, but, instead, I think I’ll just share this footage I shot yesterday evening of someone fishing by drone in the Huron River. Watch, and be amazed.

Yesterday, for the first time, I encountered someone fishing by drone in Ypsilanti’s Riverside Park. Shortly after I shot this, he successfully pulled a fish out of the river. I was going to interview the guy, but he was armed, and looked like he wanted to be left alone. pic.twitter.com/6XwYWWV5dR

— Mark Maynard (@MarkAMaynard) June 18, 2019

According to my friend Jason, who I was at the park with yesterday, the fish that was pulled out of the water by the drone was a 12″ bass. [Jason, by the way, was also intimately involved in the twenty pound carp controversy of 2012, but we’ll save that story for another day. He’s apparently a magnet for fish drama, though.] And, no, the guy with the gun didn’t proceed to then shoot at the fish as it dangled several feet above the water, twitching around, suspended by the drone, wondering what in the fuck was going on. [How would that be for an extreme sport, though? Kind of like a modern reimagining of the biathlon.]

For what it’s worth, I now know that this activity that I witnessed is illegal, and I suspect there’s a good reason for that… and I’m not suggesting that others try it… but, with that said, it really was impressive to see this guy maneuver his drone, deftly dropping his line in different places, and just slowly pulling the lure along the surface of the water, and I can’t imagine a better test of skill. And, no, I’m not looking to take on another project, but I do think it might be cool to have a drone fishing season, just like we have a bow hunting season. And, yes, I know it’s a slippery slope. I know, as soon as we allow drones for fishing, even if it’s just for a few days a year, someone would then start hunting by drone. And, before we knew it, people would want a season where they could send bipedal, Terminator-like robots into the woods a few days each year to to pull the heads off of deer. I get that, but I still think it would be cool to have one day a year when people could compete in drone fishing competitions and the like.

Oh, and if you’re coming to Riverside Park to fish, you probably don’t need a gun… I get that there’s a lot more activity at the park since the opening of the playground, but, for the most part, our local toddlers are pretty harmless. And, in all my years of hanging out at Riverside Park, I’ve never seen anyone accosted while fishing, beaten up for their lures, etc. I get that Ypsi has a reputation, but, really, if you’re at the park on summer evening, I don’t think you need to be worried about having to go to war with either the kids on the monkey bars or the older women doing yoga… In all seriousness, I get that open carry is the law here in Michigan. And I understand why someone might feel as though they need protection. All I ask is that maybe, before you decide to arm yourself, you just give some thought to the space you’re in, and to the fact that others around you might also feel unsafe on occasion… like when they see an armed man walking toward the neighborhood playground where their children are playing.