December 9, 2025 – Texas anglers hoping to gain a high-tech edge on the water will have to leave their drones at home. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) announced this week that drones may not be used to deploy bait while fishing, citing longstanding federal laws that classify unmanned aerial devices as “aircraft.” According to TPWD, the decision follows a review of federal hunting and fishing regulations and consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Officials determined that drones fall under the definition of “aircraft” in the 1956 Federal Airborne Hunting Act—a law...