An ice fishing tip-up is described that is adapted to rest on a sheet of ice surrounding a fishing opening in the sheet of ice. The ice fishing device has at least three legs, a moveable spool post, a fishing line spool attached at or near the water end of the moveable spool post, and a signaling device comprising a switch operably connected to the fishing line spool. Each leg is attached at one end to a top cap. The moveable spool post has a first and a second position. The first position of the movable spool post the fishing line spool is positioned in the interior defined by the legs and at the second position of the movable spool post the fishing line spool extends past the legs. Pulling on the fishing line spool activates the switch to trigger the signaling device.

The location of lost or entangled fishing gear, known as derelict gear, is detected. The motion or change of position of a buoy attached to fishing gear is determined via sensors mounted on the buoy and compared to typical buoy motion. If the buoy has moved beyond a threshold value from its original location, an alert is sent to the fisherman. The available sensor data will be used to determine the likelihood of loss or entanglement. This alert facilitates recovery of lost or entangled gear by identifying where immediate retrieval efforts should be focused. The number of traps lost to the ocean that otherwise would continue to trap or entangle marine life may be reduced.

A fish strike signaling assembly for alerting a user to a fish strike includes a tip-up that catches fish. A lighting unit is coupled to the tip-up. The lighting unit emits a visible light when the tip-up is triggered. A power supply is electrically coupled to the lighting unit. A power button is electrically coupled to the power supply and is actuated to an on position to provide power to the lighting unit.

An apparatus is described for reducing formation of ice in an ice fishing hole. The apparatus includes low voltage variable speed motor contained within a housing that draws water into and up through the housing and out of the housing through a matrix of multiple rows and columns of holes that form the water outlet.

Provided herein is an on-line multiplayer gaming system to score real-world angling events of multiple players. The system includes a first angling event sensing device, processor, and a gaming application on a first mobile device in communication with a recreation monitoring platform. The system further includes a second angling event sensing device, processor, and a second gaming application on a second mobile device in communication with the recreation monitoring platform. The recreation monitoring platform calculates scores for the first and second player based on data from their respective angling event sensing device.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide casting guidance for users of mobile structures, including watercraft. A casting guidance system includes a sonar transducer assembly and a logic device configured to communicate with the sonar transducer assembly. The sonar transducer assembly is adapted to be mounted to a mobile structure and placed in a body of water. The logic device is configured to identify one or more underwater targets in sonar data received from the sonar transducer assembly, determine casting guidance parameters corresponding to the one or more identified underwater targets, and generate at least one casting guidance identifier based, at least in part, on the determined casting guidance parameters. Subsequent user input, the sonar data, and/or the casting guidance parameters may be used to adjust a steering actuator, a propulsion system thrust, and/or other operational systems of the mobile structure.

The location of lost or entangled fishing gear, known as derelict gear, is detected. The motion or change of position of a buoy attached to fishing gear is determined via sensors mounted on the buoy and compared to typical buoy motion. If the buoy has moved beyond a threshold value from its original location, an alert is sent to the fisherman. The available sensor data will be used to determine the likelihood of loss or entanglement. This alert facilitates recovery of lost or entangled gear by identifying where immediate retrieval efforts should be focused. The number of traps lost to the ocean that otherwise would continue to trap or entangle marine life may be reduced.

A water-activated bobber release device has a housing, a bobber assembly, a spool and a line, a bobbin assembly with a dissolvable tablet, a screw extending through a central hole in the bobber assembly and a center hole in the dissolvable tablet of the bobbin assembly, and a cap with an aperture and a valve between the aperture and the bobbin assembly. The screw engages the bobbin assembly and a threaded fastener to compress a spring. When the device is submerged in a body of water at a certain depth, the pressure opens the valve to allow water to enter. The water dissolves the tablet which collapses the bobbin assembly, and the spring forces the bobber away from the housing. Once released from the housing, the bobber is free to float to the surface of the water allowing for the retrieval of the submerged item attached to the housing.

An apparatus for detecting and signaling a disturbance of fishing gear while ice fishing may include an elongated base for positioning above an ice fishing hole, with a channel having opposing sides being located on the base for receiving a portion of the bobber, and a disturbance detecting assembly for detecting a disturbance of the fishing gear when a fish engages with the fishing gear. The detecting assembly may comprise a movable flap for releasably holding the portion of the bobber in the channel, and a detection switch in communication with the flap such that movement of the flap in at least one direction causes the detection switch to be actuated. The apparatus may also include an alerting assembly for signaling that the disturbance detecting assembly has detected a disturbance of the fishing gear.

An automatic fishing system includes a plurality of fishing machines each of which has rotation drums capable of winding fishing lines and capable of rotating in a reeling direction and an unreeling direction, a drive motor for driving the rotation drums in the reeling direction and the unreeling direction, and an electromagnetic clutch for transmitting rotation of the drive motor to the rotation drums, a hooking detection means for always detecting hooking of fish at any one of the plurality of fishing machines, and a fishing machine control means for controlling operations of the plurality of fishing machines in accordance with detection result of the hooking detection means. The fishing machine control means controls the rotation drums of other fishing machines that hook no fish in the reeling direction so that hooks of the other fishing machines are wound up to a water surface or near the water surface.