Mainer uses underwater drone to find fishing rods and, sometimes, planes

By Susan Bard, Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor

Anyone who spends time on the water knows the sinking feeling when something falls overboard. But what if it’s a prized fishing rod? Factors like depth, water temperature and clarity can make recovery difficult, if not impossible.

That’s where Jason Smith and his underwater drone come in.

Smith has previously used his drone to film various fish species, assist biologists with research and recover lost fishing rods. His growing reputation soon led to a much larger mission: assisting in the search for a small plane that recently crashed into Moosehead Lake.

He was brought in for a pre-recovery mission to confirm the plane’s location and condition, and to help inform diver Greg Canders about how it was positioned on the lake bottom. Sonar showed the plane was sitting at a depth of 128 feet.

Smith was eager to help. 

“They had coordinates where it was supposed to be, so we headed out the day after it happened and located the plane on sonar fairly close to the mark. Then I sent my camera down to confirm that it was, in fact, the plane — which is the short clip I released,” he said.

Initially, Smith thought his role was done. But when invited back, he documented Canders attaching inflatable airbags to raise the plane to the surface — a process Smith described as “amazing to be a part of and watch.”

“What the diver does is incredible,” he recalled. He hopes that filming will allow people to understand what it really takes to complete a recovery like this. 

The plane was successfully removed from the lake Sept. 11, and Smith plans to release a full video of the process soon. 

Since sharing his recoveries on Facebook and YouTube, Smith has seen an increase in requests. His first question to anyone seeking help is, “Do you have the spot marked with a GPS waypoint?” 

While Smith enjoys helping people recover their lost items, he notes that the longer something is underwater without a marker, the harder the task becomes. One unique part of the process is involving the owner in the recovery. Using an iPad, they can watch the live drone feed, and even film the operation from above. 

With fall approaching, Smith will shift his attention to filming spawning fish, one of his favorite projects. And when winter arrives, he plans on continuing recoveries through the ice.