Jigging machines:


A motor - http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?category=24&product_id=3274E_0

and a controller - http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?category=12&product_id=1065_0

and a pressure sensor - http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?category=3&product_id=3137_0

should do it. And a computer (a phone would be enough), and a bit of programming - but Phidgets makes that really easy. Any major programming language will do.

£200 or so for the hardware. I'd need a case and a short rod, some kind of spool and some wire.

Why do commercial jigging machines cost so much??

Since I am very familiar with Java programming, I was thinking it would be pretty easy to add voice control and sound.

It would be nice, at the end of a drift over a wreck, to call out 'All up' and all the machines wind up ready for the move uptide. And when you get there, 'All down' gets them set again while you're folding the sails away.

Since I already have a computer that uses GPS input and depth input, it shouldn't be hard to accurately map the depths round a wreck, so that when the boat drifts right over the top of a wreck, all the lines lift up enough to not get snagged, and drop down again downtide of the wreck.

Since all the machines would be operated by the same computer, their actions can be coordinated to that if one hits the bottom, the others can be alerted and perhaps lift up little. If two or more machines are hauling fish, they can change the hauling speed so that they don't all arrive at the surface at once. Fishing routines can be written as simple text files so that variations are quick and easy to create, and the more successful routines adopted by all the machines.

I have a lot of work to do on the cat this summer to get it really sea-worthy, but I am really tempted to get the equipment anyway and experiment with it.

I'll start with the CAD, designing the box, reel, rod etc.