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At CES 2019, Cyberfishing wants anglers to fish smarter

The Smart Rod Senor attaches to your pole to track casts, catches and condition information while you fish.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
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  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
2 min read
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The Smart Rod Sensor attaches to your existing fishing pole and can track casts, catches, weather conditions and locations.

Cyberfishing

We live in a world filled with smartphones, smartwatches, smart appliances -- even smart toothbrushes -- and now we can add smart fishing to that list. But this isn't just some CES 2019 branding gimmick. Cyberfishing's new Smart Rod Sensor works with your existing fishing pole to track casts, catches and locations in the same way a runner uses a smartwatch to capture the route and pace of a run.

The Smart Rod Sensor weighs just 9 grams (0.3 ounces) and attaches to a pole with a couple of heavy duty rubber bands. So it shouldn't have any effect on the action of your fishing rod. On the inside is an accelerometer, rechargeable batteries and Bluetooth for connecting to your phone.

The idea is for you to focus on fishing while the Smart Rod Sensor tracks the number of times you cast a line, weather conditions and locations of successful catches and strikes. There's no worry about wet hands: Cyberfishing claims that the Smart Rod Sensor is waterproof. After a day of angling, you sync the Smart Rod Sensor with Cyberfishing's mobile app on your phone.

What I like about Cyberfishing's approach is that it doesn't reimagine the fishing rod. It's a simple and straightforward way to enhance the fishing pole you already have. 

The Smart Rod Sensor costs $89 (roughly £70 or AU$125) and is available for preorder now. It's expected to ship at the end of January.

Originally published Jan. 8.
Update, Jan. 9: Adds shipping date.

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