Deeper Pro Fish Finder

I have been waiting a few months to do a report on my Deeper Pro fish finder. I was excited about the initial purchase and weight savings. The Deeper Pro, mounting string, and phone weigh just ounces. While the Humminbird Fishin Buddy weighs in at just under 3 pounds, plus whatever you do to attach it to you tube. I will call it a 4- or 5-pound savings. However, my first trip was on a very sunny SoCal day and the phone I was using as a monitor was nearly black with sun glare the entire trip making the unit nearly useless. One thing I learned was cell phones are designed to used indoors at arm’s length. I had hung the phone in a waterproof bag on the side of my pontoon and could not see it at all until I picked it up and pulled it closer. I have also tried a “water resistant” arm band, but am uncomfortable using it for now. Another problem for me was my phone would run out of power after 4 hours of continual use.

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As a comparison point I have my old Humminbird Fishing Buddy in Black and White that will last for 24 hours or more on 6AA batteries. While the Humminbird is not color the detail is equal to the Color Deeper Pro, and I could see the Humminbird in any amount of sunlight me simply adjusting the angle of the screen. The Deeper Pro, with a phone as a monitor, needs to be in shade to be seen at all. The Humminbird can be seen from 3 feet away easily, but my phone needed to be at an arm’s length or closer. If you ever tried to take pictures with your cell phone in direct sunlight you know what I mean. However, I am sure that a change in devices will fix this problem in the near future.

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On my pontoon the Deeper Pro was more problematic than on my Cumberland. The nature of a float tube is that everything is in arm’s length making hiding the phone from the sun easier than on the toon. On my toon I wear a lifeguard hat to make shade for the phone.


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My favorite part is the mounting of the Deeper Pro is just a string! The weight difference seems quite a bit on the float tube because the Deeper Pro weighs nothing and fits in my pocket compared to the FishingBuddy that is a 3 pound unit. On my float tube the Deeper Pro is a better choice because of the simplicity and the lack of weight. On my toon the jury is still out.


One great feature I did not count on is the online tracking software called Lakebook. Once you finish your trip you can upload a map and record of where you were fishing with the Deeper Pro. You can replay over and over the depths, structure, and location of your trip on a map your device recorded. The Fishin Buddy does not have this. Also, you can take a picture with your phone or device that sinks with the software and map you made. It does not call this a way point, but does save the location for you.


The up side of the Deeper Pro is weight, software, and ease of use or installation. In full sun the phone is a problem, in overcast or low-light situations it preforms fantastic. The downside is using a phone for a monitor. This is a problem I welcome suggestions on.

Sounds like you have found a gem.......how about a shadow box of some sort, maybe plastic to give it some shade.....Don't know if this is possible, could you erase the format from your Fishing buddy and use it for your monitor? Good luck...........GT

Hi ya Jerdon,
A great write up as usual Sir!  

Perhaps this will help with your cons:
I use the iPhone 10 X max which gives me a large 3” x 6” screen as my Deeper Pro+ color monitor.
I always keep my phone in a waterproof phone bag inside the FT pouch which is then tethered to my float tube using a retractable line.

When I use my Deeper Pro+ fish finder, I merely stand my phone inside of the FT pouch (right side) on its side edge and I partially zipper the top of pouch closed (over 1/2 way) so it allows shade on my phone and I also partially Velcro the front of the pouch as well so that I can still see the screen.
This method took care of the shade issues for me.
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FYI ... I use two of the vintage green Rubbermaid celery keepers in the right side FT pouch which allows me to better organize my gear and it allows me to stand my phone on edge with a back-rest, kinda centered beneath the top flap of the zippered pouch cover.

I also carry (store) a very small portable charger (in a very small water proof pouch) w/ proper charging cables for my Deeper Pro+ FF and for my iPhone, for those occasional 6-12 hour sessions.
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That took care of my all my charging issues.

I hope that you will find this to be helpful in the future.

SP Dan     <“))><

Here ya go.

Thanks guys,

GT
I am hoping some company makes a wireless waterproof monitor that equals the quality of a standard fish finder in the sun at point. I have my old sun hat as as a shade for now. You can see the hat in one pic, I just turned it over so I could photograph the view.

Dan, 
Good idea using the pocket, that may work on my toon..  Thanks

Fish at night. Much more fun anyhow. Lol.

Floatingbassturd wrote:Fish at night. Much more fun anyhow. Lol.

Sometimes the best solution is the simplest!

Just to make sure, I wasn't being a smart ass. I actually fish at night far more than I fish in the day. I've found it much better. Especially pressured freshwater spots.

Update:

I have used two different phones as monitors and an Android Elippsis device. Using waterproof bags or water-resistant covers creates a layer that really compounds the glare of direct sunlight to the point of unusable in direct sunlight. These devices are made to be indoors or shaded from the sun. In overcast and cloudy conditions, they all work fantastic. The sunlight will heat up the devices causing malfunctions with the touch screen. I have made a few different covers to keep the sun off, but the continual running of the graphics will heat up the phone causing the touch screen to malfunction. The plastic covers trick the phone or device into thinking it is being touched, hot spots maybe? While the screen is jumping about I cannot see what I need to see. The Deeper pro will still record the trip most of the time during these malfunctions which is helpful after the trip. The real problem is that I need to keep the screen off or out of sunlight for extended periods during a 4 to 6 hour trip. This inability to actually monitor the bottom at various times defeats the purpose of having a fish finder.

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I did have an opportunity to use the Deeper Pro on a rental boat that had a nice suncover at Diamond Valley Lake. In the shade of the cover and no waterproof bag the phones worked great. I could find structure and fish the targets I picked. Also, we would move from spot to spot so the phone was not running continually. In cool overcast conditions the Deeper Pro really shines. And the ability to go online and review the structure I encountered, and the bathymetric map of my journey is awesome. As far as function and quality of the Deeper Pro unit goes I am quite happy. I am however still looking for a solution for the monitor.

I have the deeper pro. I simply put my phone in my tackle bag with it open which provides sun protection and light protection. I use it with my old lg that has a cracked screen so I'm not too worried if it goes into the water. I have plenty of old devices if I lose one it's not to big of a deal for me. I have used my note 8 and simply keeping it in the tackle bag attached to my tube is just fine. Then I don't constantly mess with it changing settings or anything like that. I can see if you're constantly changing beam etc where it could be difficult though.

Floatingbassturd wrote:I have the deeper pro. I simply put my phone in my tackle bag with it open which provides sun protection and light protection. I use it with my old lg that has a cracked screen so I'm not too worried if it goes into the water. I have plenty of old devices if I lose one it's not to big of a deal for me. I have used my note 8 and simply keeping it in the tackle bag attached to my tube is just fine. Then I don't constantly mess with it changing settings or anything like that. I can see if you're constantly changing beam etc where it could be difficult though.

So you don't bother with water protection at all?
How long do your batteries last?

Once I’ve scanned an area for structures and water depth, I shut down the fish-finder.
I can’t seem to find a need to leave it continuously running once I know the area.
By using it this way, my Deeper Pro+ with a 2.0 USB charging port will last me from 8 to 12 hours. I also carry a very small external battery for charging if needed.

I hope that this helps.

SP Dan     <“))><

I just purchased a Deeper Chirp and strapped it to the right side of my float tube using a 2" wide strap.  I cut small slits in the strap and used zip ties to attach the articulating arm (purchased separately) to the strap.  It worked flawlessly!  I used another 2" strap on the left side of the tube to hold a phone mount.  My iPhone Xs is waterproof so I just bought a case with a wrist strap to tether it to the tube.  Again, it worked great.  My phone was on maximum brightness and I had no problem viewing the screen in full sunlight.  I used a power pack to charge my phone after about 4 or 5 hours while in use as my phone battery ran down before the Deeper Chirp ran out of power. I am not very mechanically inclined so I was pretty happy with the outcome. Apologies for the poor photo quality.

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Rockjaw wrote:I just purchased a Deeper Chirp and strapped it to the right side of my float tube using a 2" wide strap.  I cut small slits in the strap and used zip ties to attach the articulating arm (purchased separately) to the strap.  It worked flawlessly!  I used another 2" strap on the left side of the tube to hold a phone mount.  My iPhone Xs is waterproof so I just bought a case with a wrist strap to tether it to the tube.  Again, it worked great.  My phone was on maximum brightness and I had no problem viewing the screen in full sunlight.  I used a power pack to charge my phone after about 4 or 5 hours while in use as my phone battery ran down before the Deeper Chirp ran out of power. I am not very mechanically inclined so I was pretty happy with the outcome. Apologies for the poor photo quality.

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Oh ya nice setup and welcome to the forum as well.

Welcome aboard Rockjaw,

That’s an excellent set up that you did there for yourself sir!
Thank you for sharing it with us with the excellent pictures as well!

SP Dan

Welcome to the forum Rockjaw!!

That looks great super simple and weighs nothing. I hear the iPhones do better in sunlight so good on for getting this set up.

I hope to see some fishing reports soon.

Once I have learned the topography and the locations of the varying structures along the ocean floor, then I no longer need to use a fishfinder.
And besides a fishfinder usually will tell you the history of the fish going past you and not so much of the fish approaching you and or from where.

I have become the fish finder!
Batteries not included! lol

SP Dan

This thing is really cool.  

I am tempted to try it out. Some of the reviews say the battery stops being able to take a charge after about a year, Not sure how much use those people had with it.

I love that you can map the bottom and save it to review it later.

for the phone protection

I have purchased this for my phone. it works great and fit most modern cell phones.

it survived being flipped in some rapid on a rafting trip, being tethered to the raft.

it has a place for a lanyard and tripod mount

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RockJaw

Where is you get the arm from?  Nice to see some Fellow Oregon Float tubers on the forum

msav,

The arm is purchased separately from Deepers along with a clamping mechanism that is designed to attach to a boat.  Since the Chirp floats, the arm raises and lowers with the water level.  I don't use the clamping mechanism on my tube.  I cut two slits in the strap and secured the arm with zip ties.  It works flawlessly!  This is a much simpler solution than a traditional fishfinder and the charge lasts for several hours.  My phone battery runs out before the Chirp.  I take a portable charger with me and can charge both the Chirp and my fishfinder when they run low.  The phone can be charged when in use.

I’ve been using my Deeper Pro+ for the past 4-yrs tethered from a short-string from my Cumberland float tube, it works, reads perfectly and is accurate.
It’s designed to float!
I had bought the arm at first and got rid of it.

Please let us know what you decided to do and a “how do you like it” review!