Why Gannet has the best mechanical bait release in the market.

Some may say this is a bold claim, Gannet has the best mechanical bait release available to the market and we have the science to show you why.

Associate Professor Pierre Hertzog set out to find which mechanical bait release system is the safest and most reliable and to also answer the question, how safe is a standard downrigger release clip? How does that compare to a purpose-designed mechanical release? He did so by conducting an experiment that saw him testing the Gannet sport, Gannet Sport for Mavic and Gannet X Sport (XS) along with other competitors like Du Bro, Cannon 2, Cannon 1 and Sky Rigger. The results were clear and conclusive that Gannet is without any doubt the best Mechanical bait release systems available.

This detailed in-depth study tested 7 different releases and downriggers on how repeatable and thereby the safety they have for use on drones.

The best release system is one that is NOT JUST repeatable time and time again with minimal variance throughout its entire useful adjustment range, from its low setting for light baits and lures too high settings for heavier baits in stronger winds, BUT ALSO mounts exactly centrally below all 4 the drone props spreading the load evenly coupled with ease of adjustment and operation.

The experiment to conclude the best mechanical bait release system.

Associate Professor Pierre Hertzog created a rig the could accurately measure the repeatability of each release system, the rig included a frame that simulated mounting points of DJI drones, a highly sensitive scale that would record the maximum weight before the release triggered and a water container along with a tap to allow the flow of water into a jug that was suspended below the release to simulate a bait that would be hanging.

The experiment was repeated 10 times for each release system on two different line weights. In total there were 280 drops made.

Test 1

Test one saw Pierre setting the releases to 300g on a line weight of 0.3mm

The results are as follows

Test 2

Test one saw Pierre setting the releases to 400g on a line weight of 0.3mm

The results are as follows

Test 3

Test one saw Pierre setting the releases to 800g on a line weight of 0.55mm

The results are as follows

Test 4

Test one saw Pierre setting the releases to 1200g on a line weight of 0.55mm

The results are as follows

The results

The less accurate/repeatable a release is the more dangerous it becomes for the drone and potentially your wallet.
The High / Low variance being critical, too high and it takes too much to get it to release, too low and it prematurely does unintended false drops. The natural instinct would be to increase the setting after a false drop, at this stage it may very well be too high as the variance is simply too unpredictable. Adjustment sensitivity/ease of use also being very important in this situation, a small too sensitive adjustment can in some cases make a very big difference.

In order of variance and reliability

Overall ranking

• Gannet Sport for Mavic (3.8% )
• Gannet Sport (4.3%)
• Gannet X Sport (XS) (5.5 %)
• Cannon 1 (13.0%)
• Sky Rigger (17.3%)
• Du Bro (21.8%)
• Cannon 2 (22.3%)

Final Thoughts

The max load given in these tests do not translate to the max the drone can fly with that particular release, this is determined by mounting position (central or not), weather conditions, tackle used, release device max variance and also the pilot skill level.
A release that is poorly mounted off centre, with poor repeatability will drastically reduce the drone's safe load limit.

As point of reference on a Phantom we recommend that a Gannet Sport be set to release at approximately 200-300g heavier than the total bait load even 400g if you want to fly to over 400m or if it is a bit windy on the day, so to fly 800g you will need to set it to roughly 1,1kg -1,2kg, this is to compensate for wind and line & reel drag. At this high setting, you absolutely have to rely on a very precise release as if the variance is just a little too high your drone could easily be pulled under.
On the smaller drones, the setting variance becomes significantly more critical, as they have less reserve power to compensate for a poorly designed release.