For any of you who read all my other blog post, you know I’m a huge believer in using as much added technology as possible to up your fishing game and improve your odds at success when you hit the waters.
Fish finding, and sonar technology makes the top of that list.
As an angler who frequently targets catfish and carp, I’m aware that many of us may fish from our boats or from shore.
The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is going to allow you to do both with ease.
I’m going to go over my thoughts and review the Deeper Sonar Pro+ and discuss all the features it has to offer. The Deeper Sonar Pro+ really fits the bill for any kind of angler.
The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is versatile and can be used by beginning anglers or the most advanced.
The fisherman who fishes 6 days a week or the angler who goes a few times a year. It will serve its purpose and add value to anyone who enjoys a few hours of fishing here and there or all the time.
The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is simple in nature.
A nice strong enough fishing line, some casting ability and a mobile device and you are good to go.
Doesn’t matter if your bank fishing or boat fishing or even ice fishing. You will be able to utilize the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ in many ways and reap many benefits from doing so.
Table of Contents
- Initial Thoughts of Deeper Sonar Pro+
- Nice Features on The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
- Icons Within The Deeper Pro+
- The 4 Modes of The Deeper Sonar Pro+
- Optional Screen Modes With The Deeper Pro+
- Optional Add-On and Accessories For Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
- Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ Durability, Quality & Application
- Deeper Pro+ Vs. The Deeper Pro Original
- Other Tips and Tricks
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Initial Thoughts of Deeper Sonar Pro+
My initial thoughts and easiest way to sum up this beautiful piece of fishing technology is that the Deeper Sonar Pro+ is literally great for any application. It can be used for ice fishing, kayak fishing, standard bank fishing, fishing from boats and the list goes on and on.
It’s also extremely affordable compared to many other fish-finding models available in today’s plethora of options.
The convenience factor of being lightweight, easy to transport and WiFi capable is what really elevates the Sonar Pro+ to the next level if you ask me. (Don’t worry, we will cover all the specifications shortly).
Understanding the location of fish, the depth of fish and the ability to read the water structure are critical elements for any angler who cares to improve the odds of more fish being landed.
This nifty castable fish finder takes outs all three of these requirements with a bang and excels in these categories.
Nice Features on The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
Let’s just jump into the nice features the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ have.
Wifi-Technology on Smart Sonar Pro+
This is a very nice added feature, but it’s not a feature that necessarily sets the Sonar Pro+ apart from the rest of the pack.
The WiFI allows for connection to any Phone or Tablet.
This feature works seamlessly. In addition to the tablet and Phone connection, you can also view all scans and recent fishing trips on your devices and computer anytime after the fishing adventure.
It currently boasts a 260 Foot Scanning Depth and a 330 Feet Casting Depth.
A bonus from my standpoint is the display and lack of lag the Pro+ displays in a pretty streamlined process to your device. The WiFi for the Pro+ will work with both iOS and Android.
How Can Wifi Help You?
I think the benefits of WiFi are apparent, so we won’t dive into deep, but the ability to have something small enough to transport that can transfer the live feed straight into your mobile device is a very under-rated feature of the Sonar Pro+.
Depending on what kind of fishing you’re doing-especially ice fishing, it’s nice to need to carry less items down to the fishing hole. This allows for easy transport and keeps things nice and compact for you. Fishing pole in one hand. Bucket in the other. You’re good to go.
GPS with Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
Compared to the lower end version of the Smart Sonar Pro, the Pro+ comes stacked with GPS. This allows the pod to capture in-depth readings and give accurate feedback of depths, fishing locations and allow you to save and mark previous spots.
This feature is fantastic overall and should not be overlooked. I’m sure many fish finders will be releasing similar technology very soon. Sonar Pro+ will probably be remembered as a first ever to the market with built-in GPS technology.
How Can The GPS Help You?
I stress the importance of locating fish and learning behavior in almost every one of my blog post. This can also be one of the most challenging parts that anglers run into with fishing. Especially for bottom fishing or challenging cover prone species of fish. The Sonar Pro+ solves this problem dramatically.
You will have access to in-depth readings, depth levels and the ability to see a structure with much more ease. A nice added benefit to consider for your next fishing trip.
Sonar Capabilities With Deeper Pro+
Let’s touch on this for a moment. The Deeper Pro+ is going to come equipped with a dual-band sonar transducer.
- Band 1: Band 1 Will ping @ 90kHz over a 55-degree sonar cone. This will be most well utilized by scanning large bodies of water to locate your fish
- Band 2: You have the option of switching on the second-high powered band which will ping @ 290KHZ over a 15-degree cone. This will allow you to reach depths of 260 feet. It’s rare you would ever need this kind of depth, but it’s a nice feature to have the luxury to capture data up to these depths if required.
Mapping Capabilities With Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
The capabilities and advantage the Deeper Pro+ can bring to your fishing game are endless. A day never needs to be wasted if you own the technology. Sometimes a day is meant for nothing except scouting and learning about your prey’s habitat, the water structure and where to target the next time you hit the water.
You can’t catch dozens of fish each time you hit the water. It’s just how it goes. What you can do is learn as much as humanly possible about the waters. Try and determine the depths, holes, structure and bend changes on the body of water you are fishing.
So, let’s dive into what the Deeper Pro+ is going to allow you to do.
The Lake Book function
The lake book function is going to be your main mapping capability. It’s going to allow you to add existing maps of the waters your trolling or casting on and will give you the ability to import and export the data.
When you open the application on the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+, the device will show your current location. From here, the choice is yours on how you want to view it on your mobile device. You will have the ability to use panning and zooming to get a better read on your current location.
Other Mapping Capabilities
The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ will also allow you to search for new locations. Anytime you open the mapping you will be given the option to use
- Locations List
- Current Location
- Add a Location
- Previous Location Search
Mapping and Mapping History
This feature will allow you to come back to old stored data and view the previous maps without needing to be online. It’s a nice feature to have so you can quickly access the previously stored waters that you have already coasted around on or cast out onto.
This feature is also going to allow you to view and track the previous dates and times you recorded the original maps of the water.
It’s like having access to a full-blown fishing journal at all times. This feature also allows for full customization.
Why Would This Help You?
Well, first off, if you fish all the time and target more then one species of fish such as me with catfish and carp, you can save based on the information you need.
I can name some of my locations and collected data as for June Flathead Catfish hotspots or Deepest hole for blue catfish.
The choice is entirely yours but having access to the information with the click of a button is severely underrated valuable information.
Icons Within The Deeper Pro+
When you use your Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ for the first time, you may be a little intimidated by all the options and what it’s displaying.
You will have 7 Main displays taking place on your main screen when using the Deeper Pro +.
Here’s an idea of the 7 displays.
- Wifi Connectivity Icon: Displaying if you’re Getting WiFi signal and fully connected for Use
- Fish Depth: An Icon of a Fish with a Number Attached to It showing relative depth of the fish underwater
- Fish Position and Relative Size: Will show different size fish underwater and the size compared to one another
- Battery Level: Will be displaying the battery life remaining on your Deeper Pro+
- Water Temperature: Water Temperature and Depth of the actual device location
- Self-Adjusting Depth Scale: Will change depths and show the water depth as the Deeper Pro+ changes position
- Floor***(Perhaps the Most Valuable Feature) Shows you the contour and floor of the water so you can effectively look for useful bottom fishing locations and have a chance at better bait placements in the given body of water you are fishing.
The 4 Modes of The Deeper Sonar Pro+
When you unpack the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ for the first time and get ready to use it, it will come with the option to use it in 4 different modes. You will pick the mode according to the kind of fishing you are doing.
Here’s a look at the 4 mode options you will have access to. All are slightly different and use unique features to give you the best overall experience.
- Standard Mode: This is essentially a basic fishfinder in 2d display
- Onshore GPS Mode: This feature will use the GPS feature built into the device.
- Boat Mode: Boat mode is going to allow you to connect to the iPhone GPS and continue to track as you troll around the waters. It’s also going to enable bathymetric mapping.
- Ice Fishing Mode: This will you to enter split screen mode and throws in the addition of a circular ice fishing flasher to the side by side traditional 2d View.
You have 2 easy pieces to this equation with the attachment. You have the attachment bolt and the attachment point. You then need to pick from 1 of 2 attachment points for the most optimal use. The user manual breaks it down like so.
- Fishing from A Dock: Attach the Bolt to the Middle Hole on the Deeper Pro+
- Fishing from Shore: Attach on the Bottom Hole
- Fishing from A Boat: Varies
Your goal with selecting the correct attachment point is to be sure that the transducer is always correctly oriented. It will allow for clean reeling and movement while keeping the Deeper Pro+ in the optimal
Optional Screen Modes With The Deeper Pro+
You have 3 optional screen modes on the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ you can select as well.
Here’s a quick overview of them.
- Night Color Mode: This is going to reduce the range of reds on your mobile device and enhance the ability to view at night.
- Day Mode: This will use high-contrast color and a white background that reduces glare and increases visibility during the day and peak light hours.
- Classic Mode: This is the standard mode using multiple colors. It’s going to show and separate colors efficiently for all underwater structure and the actual fish imaging on your mobile device.
Optional Add-On and Accessories For Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+
You do have the options of adding some goodies to the mix when you purchase the Deeper Pro+. Here’s a look at a few of the additional add-on and accessories that you can select from:
- Smartphone Mount: Simply attaches the fishing pole using either a cross horizontal display method or a vertical method.
- Night Fishing Cover: This allows for a flashing LED light in the transducer. Just meaning that you will have higher visibility during low lighting condition of the Deeper Pro+
- Boat Mount:This will use a clamp and arm extension and will allow you to connect the device straight to the boat and to be backed up by a lanyard.
Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ Durability, Quality & Application
- Durability: 94%
- Quality: 97%
- Application of Use: 0%
In my opinion, The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is a top pick for anglers looking for an extra edge locating and catching fish.
Especially for the price point, you can’t go wrong with this. It holds up in the elements, and overall connectivity is excellent. It also provides too much in-depth information not to consider.
Are there more complex and higher-end sonar/ fish finding technology available? Of course.
But the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is unique, durable and sits at an affordable price point.
As far as durability, when you open up the package the Deeper Pro+, it feels well-constructed and ready to take a beating. The bolt and attachment points seem solid, and I’ve no issues thus far with any connections or threading when used with different applications.
The only flaw I could see:
The charging port: Charging ports seem to be the first thing that goes or have trouble on devices such as this but to this day, mine has had zero issues and seems that Deeper got this done the first time correctly. The data and software the Deeper Pro+ utilize seems flawless and doesn’t seem to have any significant hiccups currently either.
Overall, excellent durability and excellent quality. Especially for the price.
Deeper Pro+ Vs. The Deeper Pro Original
The Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is the model one step above the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro. It’s the new and improved version. The most significant difference is that the Pro+ introduced the on-shore GPS capabilities and the WiFi extension and range of the Pro+ is superior to the Deeper Pro.
Who else comes close?
Really for the price point and the technology, comparing to other models would be like comparing apples to oranges. The only close replica or a decent side by side comparison would be the ReelSonar iBobber.
This is, however, another great piece of technology but overall, you getting a lot more bang for your buck with the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+. The ibobberis not going to have the same range and capabilities as the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+.
Other Tips and Tricks
Be sure always to make sure that you have the cover screwed down tight. This is the top cover we are referring to. You don’t any water getting into that beautiful new fish finder.
Connection – Don’t be afraid to blame the phone if connection gets spotty. Try rebooting the mobile device or turning cellular data off if you run into issues getting the phone to sync up with the Deeper Pro+
Choose the right Connection Point. We have already discussed this and it’s relatively simple to understand. Learn the applications of the Deeper Pro+ and how it maneuvers using the different connection points. The last thing you want is the device not running or working correctly. Use the appropriate connection point based on the style of fishing you are working with.
Remember that WiFi experiences interruptions and Interference.
It’s no secret that the signal can be lost easily with WiFi. Try your best to keep clear line and path to your device when fishing. Avoid interference and be sure to test the exact range and capabilities you notice in when you fish your favorite body of water.
Are you ready to make a decision?
What fish-finding techniques and models have you used in the past? Are you going to make the plunge and give the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ a whirl this upcoming season? Have I left anything out? I’d love to hear from you so be sure to leave a comment below.
Overall, I believe the Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ is arguably the best sonar/fish finding technology on the market today for the beginning and experienced angler. It has to many applications and features not to warrant the demand to give a try before making a final judgment.
At the very least, it’s going to improve and enhance your capabilities to learn the water you fish which is critical to catching more of your favorite game fish. Learn and play with the device until you have it matched to your exact liking and prepare for some well earned and excellent data to propel you to the next level in fishing.
As, always, I appreciate you and thanks for stopping by. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to subscribe to the email newsletter. I’ll be sure to update and keep you in the loop on all the newest gear and fishing equipment on a weekly basis.