Experience with Deeper castable fishfinder anyone?

[snake95]

I really like the idea of the castable "Deeper" brand fishfinder.  The vast majority of my fishing right now is from the bank or docks; we often fish shallow ponds, but also get out to some deep water on southern reservoirs and along the coast.  

Does anyone have any experience with it?

In particular, I'd like to get thoughts on the risk of losing it.  I figure I would cast it with 60 lb braid on a dedicated med-heavy rod.  

I would be pretty careful about where I use it and my casting aim, and check my knot well before casting.  But man, I have a hard time casting $10 baits out, not sure if I have the guts to cast a $200 electronic ball.

If you have one, how concerned are you that you'll lose it?  Does it impact how you use it?  Or, do you just tie it on carefully and cast away without a second thought?

[Evan K]

I bought one this summer and used it a lot. It's pretty sweet. From a kayak it completely changed how I fish, and the same pretty much goes for fishing from the shore.

It floats so if you do break off you can probably still get it back easily enough. I haven't casted it too much on a rod and reel, but when I do even a M with 30 lb braid has worked ok so far. If that braid were to snag on something while it's being casted though it'd snap for sure. I think MH with 25 lb mono would be pretty much unbreakable.

I highly recommend the Deeper. You're not fishing "blind" anymore when you have one.

[aj88kc]

I would like to hear more info as well. I am bank bound and fish a lot of smaller ponds and lakes. I think it would be a great tool to have to help me find structure and the deep pockets. I have the same concern as the op.

[68camaro]

I just started looking at these and does look pretty cool, one question I have is how distracting will it be to use since you need to cast it out there and reel back, boat based models you just leave on and fish as you go.

Since it only works below 3ft will that really limit finding the fish in shallows, also any ideas if they will come out with side scan?

I do wonder though who the first rod builder will be to market the "perfect" rod for castable fish finders

[68camaro]

Over last couple nights I spent a lot of time reading reviews and watching youtube videos on the "Deeper" and decided to order one last night. Once I get I'll post review but everything I read or saw was very positive.

[snake95]

On 2/18/2016 at 11:42 PM, 68camaro said:

Over last couple nights I spent a lot of time reading reviews and watching youtube videos on the "Deeper" and decided to order one last night. Once I get I'll post review but everything I read or saw was very positive.

Same here, Camaro,

I'm going to give it a shot, and will do the same.   Going to just carefully tie the best knot I possibly can on some strong braid.  Then cast away.

Might put some bright tape or something on it to help find it if it gets away on me.  

Will also post once I get to try it out.

 

 

 

[68camaro]

Received Deeper yesterday and got to try it out today.  Deeper is very sharp looking, weighs in at 3.4 oz.  It is incredibly easy to set up and use. It does not come charged so allow 2 hrs to fully charge. I have a iPhone and iPad and downloaded app on each one. I hooked it up to my frog rod, a Dobyns 735C MH, XF with 50b braid. I think a Fast action rod would be better, maybe a Heavy due to weight of this thing.

I had 45 minutes free today so I took to one of my local ponds with goal of scanning the bottom looking for depth and contour of floor and structure. Once in water you just open Deeper app, connect via bluetooth. I never used a fish finder before but this thing is easy.  When you cast it does make big splash so anything there certainly will get scared away in shallow water.

What I found in my small pond is at its deepest the pond is only about 5 1/2' deep. Typical of manmade neighborhood pond the floor has no structure I could find and is very level, the drop from bank to middle is an minor slope. The Deeper works best in at least 3-4 feet of water but I was getting depth readings as shallow as 1.9' is some areas.

The color on the iPad and iPhone was excellent. Due to size of iPad I will be mostly using my iPhone but larger is screen is nice.

I do believe I saw some suspending fish but did not fish so not sure. As I got closer to shore it did pick up some of the vegetation. It is very good at creating a picture of the bottom and whats above the bottom. The wide beam is great for locating and the narrow beam really gives details to fine tune what you are looking at. I thought learning curve would be longer but I think I picked it up pretty quick. I did watch a lot of videos on how to read fish finders while waiting to receive this.

This thing is really nice and I can't wait to map floor of the two other ponds I fish, these are not manmade so I hope I can find some structure, ledges, etc where fish might congregate.

Only negative is that it did loose connection to Bluetooth several times, only had one time it took awhile to reconnect. I am not sure how I will use for fishing in shallow water though. Once I cast out and find fish, will they still be there when I pick up other rod to get them or will they be moving on?????

I also don't want to spend all my time casting this but it definitely is a nice tool and once I learn how to productively use a fish finder I hope to increase fish caught. 

So far I love it, now I know the floor contour of one pond and can definitely use this to my advantage when fishing. I didn't see as many fish or bait balls as I thought but there is still a lot of water I did not scan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aj88kc]

Thanks for the in depth review. How did the connection feel where you connected the line to the sonar unit? That is the main concern that I had was the connection point being weak and breaking or popping out of the deeper. I don't want to have to go swimming after it. I'm getting to old and fat for that mess. 

[68camaro]

20 minutes ago, aj88kc said:

Thanks for the in depth review. How did the connection feel where you connected the line to the sonar unit? That is the main concern that I had was the connection point being weak and breaking or popping out of the deeper. I don't want to have to go swimming after it. I'm getting to old and fat for that mess. 

Me too:)

The screw that goes into the unit felt secure, but I would check occasionally. After 45 minutes and a bunch of throws it was still very tight with no wiggle.  I tied the line to the screw using a palomar knot for added protection. 

[snake95]

On 2/23/2016 at 2:51 PM, 68camaro said:

Received Deeper yesterday and got to try it out today.  

I am right there with you.  Thanks for posting all the details, Camaro.  Really glad to compare notes and hope our combined initial experience helps someone else.  Also got mine yesterday and tried in out on our ponds for about 10 casts yesterday, and 3 today.  My limited experience is 100% in agreement with everything you have posted.   Here's more on what I did and found:

I agree the app s very easy and intuitive to download and use. I also have been saturating myself with videos on YouTube and felt like I was 100% prepared with no real learning curve to speak of, just playing with settings.

Used a M or MH (not certain - just a stout one) ugly stick spinning combo with 30 lb Power Pro braid.  Tied direct to one of the attachments with a simple Palomar knot.  Feels like tossing a baseball.   

Found that you really "lob" this thing more so than cast it.  With my setup it easily flew further than I can cast most lures, even when tossed with modest effort. I could imagine sending it nearly into orbit if you were to really cast it -- but didn't have the courage -- or more importantly, need -- to try that.

The splashdown is like tossing a rock into the pond.  Based on this, the best approach might be to map out the area of interest, then come back later to fish.  I think it would spook a lot of fish.

It connected easily about 85% of the time, not perfect - but acceptable.  On a couple of the casts I had to reel it back to me before it re-connected

A few things I learned -- both pretty obvious in hindsight, but I was a little slow to figure out:

1.  It doesn't connect to the phones bluetooth unless plugged in, or the transducer is immersed -- i.e. it disconnects the second it is out of the water.   I went away thinking there was something wrong with my new unit -- but I sent a help message to the manufacturer before going to bed, and they responded before I got up explaining this.

2.  You are supposed to line up the arrows on the device to ensure a water tight seal (it opens up to reveal a charging port).

My concern about potentially losing the Deeper on a cast has been relieved a bit by the fact that it is not really cast on a tight line with significant tension through the cast, as would be the case when you have with a heavy lure you are trying to cast as far as possible. 

The plots are very clear on an iphone 6, and very easy to understand.

It will clearly be a fantastic tool for learning a new location, as well as understanding old ones better.  I have already learned that my main pond is much deeper (8-10 ft) on the upstream embankment than I ever expected.  I also found a couple of depressions that might hold fish in the future, and one that apparently held one today.  It also looks like it will be great for identifying cover that holds fish, and in particular, for identifying cover that could potentially snag a bait.  You could almost argue that this alone will partially pay for the unit in terms of snags avoided.  I don't think there is anything more difficult about bank fishing than the risk of having to break off lures snagged on unseen cover that you can't access.

I think it will be great for learning a new place in ways that aren't even really possible by dragging a weighted lure, or by probing from a boat.

Mine worked right to the 3 ft depth as advertised, maybe as low as 2 ft.

At a discharge outlet, it seemed to give false "fish" readings, presumably due to turbulence.  Not confident it will work in fast-moving water.

There will always be some amount of risk that the line will break.  You have to be willing to live with that risk, or potentially be prepared to go for a swim.  I now feel that risk is worth the trade-off considering the value of the data gathered.

 

 

On 2/23/2016 at 6:44 PM, aj88kc said:

 

Thanks for the in depth review. How did the connection feel where you connected the line to the sonar unit? That is the main concern that I had was the connection point being weak and breaking or popping out of the deeper. I don't want to have to go swimming after it. I'm getting to old and fat for that mess. 

 

To add to Camaro's comments: the upper two connection points are "beefed up" with material and I feel pretty confident in that.  The lower point is in the main unit.  I can't see the connections being a big risk.

 

Hope this helps -- good luck!!

 

[68camaro]

Snake95, very nice write up and glad to see common thoughts on the Deeper. You mention a Ugly Stik and I was looking at getting one of these to throw the Deeper with a spinning reel also.

Now if they can only add side imaging as the next upgrade:)

[aj88kc]

Thanks a bunch guys for your reviews on it. I will more than likely be getting one very soon. 

[snake95]

10 hours ago, 68camaro said:

You mention a Ugly Stik and I was looking at getting one of these to throw the Deeper with a spinning reel also

Camaro,

I checked and I am using a 6'-6" med Ugly Stik combo as available at big box stores for the price of the rod alone at a specialty store.  The reel won't win any awards, but it can cast and crank the Deeper just fine.

It says "medium" but I feel like that rod has a significantly larger diameter and stiffness through most of the blank than the 6'-0" medium version, so it seems to handle the Deeper ball pretty well.  

Seems like the ideal affordable setup to dedicate to the task.

 

[snake95]

Guys:

I came up with something else to help reduce the chance of losing the Deeper: the "Deeper Keeper."  Made a floating tail for the Deeper via one of the spare connection points.  The tail consists of about 12" of 8 lb test mono tied to a tiny round plastic bobber. 

This Deeper Keeper at least gives me something to hook onto if the Deeper somehow breaks off my line.  Might take several casts to drag a lure across this tail and snag the Deeper, but at least there is a fighting chance of getting ahold of it compared to almost no chance with just a slick, round black plastic ball.

Tried a few casts.  The tail doesn't really get in the way or get tangled.  Maybe I'm crazy.  But I feel like this has at least reduced the risk of losing it.  I've retrieved lost floating lures in the past by hooking on to them, so I thought why not give yourself that option with the Deeper.

Of course, the Deeper typically flies further than my longest casts.  So that could present a limitation for the use of the tail.

 

 

 

[Wayne P.]

If anyone is interested in the same transducer type with more range at less cost, the Vexilar Sonarphone SP100 is WiFi with up to 100 yard range. 4 ounces and 4 hours of operating time.

$100 cheaper than the Deeper

Android and iOS apps.

[68camaro]

On February 25, 2016 at 8:07 PM, snake95 said:

Guys:

I came up with something else to help reduce the chance of losing the Deeper: the "Deeper Keeper."  Made a floating tail for the Deeper via one of the spare connection points.  The tail consists of about 12" of 8 lb test mono tied to a tiny round plastic bobber. 

This Deeper Keeper at least gives me something to hook onto if the Deeper somehow breaks off my line.  Might take several casts to drag a lure across this tail and snag the Deeper, but at least there is a fighting chance of getting ahold of it compared to almost no chance with just a slick, round black plastic ball.

Tried a few casts.  The tail doesn't really get in the way or get tangled.  Maybe I'm crazy.  But I feel like this has at least reduced the risk of losing it.  I've retrieved lost floating lures in the past by hooking on to them, so I thought why not give yourself that option with the Deeper.

Of course, the Deeper typically flies further than my longest casts.  So that could present a limitation for the use of the tail.

 

 

 

Snake, great idea, I thought of adding tail and really like your idea of adding bobber to end of tail to being able to hook. I can't wait to get to check out couple other ponds this weekend.

On February 25, 2016 at 9:20 PM, Wayne P. said:

If anyone is interested in the same transducer type with more range at less cost, the Vexilar Sonarphone SP100 is WiFi with up to 100 yard range. 4 ounces and 4 hours of operating time.

$100 cheaper than the Deeper

Android and iOS apps.

Well since I bought the Deeper I'm already done but it will be interesting to see how this compares with lower price. I couldn't image needing it for 100 yards but someone else may.

[Joshua Vandamm]

On 2/24/2016 at 8:07 PM, snake95 said:

Guys:

I came up with something else to help reduce the chance of losing the Deeper: the "Deeper Keeper."  Made a floating tail for the Deeper via one of the spare connection points.  The tail consists of about 12" of 8 lb test mono tied to a tiny round plastic bobber. 

This Deeper Keeper at least gives me something to hook onto if the Deeper somehow breaks off my line.  Might take several casts to drag a lure across this tail and snag the Deeper, but at least there is a fighting chance of getting ahold of it compared to almost no chance with just a slick, round black plastic ball.

Tried a few casts.  The tail doesn't really get in the way or get tangled.  Maybe I'm crazy.  But I feel like this has at least reduced the risk of losing it.  I've retrieved lost floating lures in the past by hooking on to them, so I thought why not give yourself that option with the Deeper.

Of course, the Deeper typically flies further than my longest casts.  So that could present a limitation for the use of the tail.

 

 

 

Snake this totally works...saved I disagree the other day! Glad I read this post. Lol

 

thanks!

[snake95]

9 hours ago, Jvanda1 said:

Snake this totally works...saved I disagree the other day! Glad I read this post. Lol

 

I am pretty sure you're saying you put a tail on yours and then cast out, it came off, and you rescued it by snagging on the tail?

 

Let me know. If that's the case, man, I'd be thrilled to hear that!

[Joshua Vandamm]

17 hours ago, snake95 said:

 

I am pretty sure you're saying you put a tail on yours and then cast out, it came off, and you rescued it by snagging on the tail?

 

Let me know. If that's the case, man, I'd be thrilled to hear that!

Yep! I just clipped a wire leader to a bobber. Cast out into a 90 ft rock Quarry from up an overhang 15 ft up! Snap on my line (won't be using one of those again) broke and brand new deeper pro+ sailed out free. Snagged it back in 1 cast from another rod. 

Iread this post just the day before!  ???

[snake95]

10 minutes ago, Jvanda1 said:

Yep! I just clipped a wire leader to a bobber. Cast out into a 90 ft rock Quarry from up an overhang 15 ft up! Snap on my line (won't be using one of those again) broke and brand new deeper pro+ sailed out free. Snagged it back in 1 cast from another rod. 

Iread this post just the day before!  ???

Wow.  Might be the best feedback I've ever got on this forum.  I can imagine the feeling of getting that back.  So glad to hear about your success!!

[Dtrombly]

Need a giant swimbait rod to cast it lol. I use mine on the jon boat and ice fishing 

[Joshua Vandamm]

I was using an older wire leader. Swivel broke. 

If I had a big swimbait rod that would be choice...i'm just using my 7.2 MH cranking rod.  Seems to do ok but the deeper is ridiculously heavy. You can't fling it out, gotta just lob it it still sails farther than any lure tho

23 hours ago, snake95 said:

Wow.  Might be the best feedback I've ever got on this forum.  I can imagine the feeling of getting that back.  So glad to hear about your success!!

Heck yea. Like 2X catching a new pb! Lol

 

cheers man

[cdharwood1]

I have a deeper. I received it as a gift about a year and half ago. I did get the opportunity to use it quite a bit before I left the country for an extended period of time. I wish I was able to give it to my neighbor for T&E before I took off. Oh well. I use it on a lake about 10-15 acres with a large dam on one side from a small fishing kayak. The unit reads bottom contours and bottom density well. Most of the lake I fish is less than 15 foot deep.

I have not had the unit indicate any structure or any fish, this could be due to the fact the fish were <5 feet or less in depth and there maybe no structure in the main body of the lake. It does indicate vegetation such as hydrilla and grass.

In <5ft or less the unit would be pretty useless, I can see down that far anyways. 

I will be taking the unit out to a main highland lake to see how it compares to my low end humminbird unit installed. I know there is ample cover placed in that lake and it will be a great learning experience.

One thing i really do like about this unit is called boat mode. Boat mode tracks and essentially contours the area via your GPS, this works pretty well and I was able to contour my whole 10-15 acre lake in about 5 hours of fishing over a couple of fishing trips. This is pretty useful.

 

As for battery life it is usually running out by the end of my fishing trip. So 4-5 hours. temperature does have an effect on this unit. It also drains cell battery so I would recommend you either use an old phone or charge yours completely(although mine does last through the day). You can also do what I do nowadays when I could be living without power for a few days and have a small portable recharging unit handy. If you have a tablet I would use that. Tablets can be found on websites such as Amazon for under 50$. You dont need anything fancy just enough to hold a charge and activate bluetooth.

[Joshua Vandamm]

Tip for bank fishermen...

 Get  A cheap RC boat. You can drag a deeper all around with it much more quickly than casting. Also easier to monitor what's below your lure this way

[68camaro]

Fishing banks the Deeper has been great and well worth the money. Recently got peddle kayak and moving at 1.5 - 2 mph I kept losing connection with deeper. trying to get it resynch'd with iphone was hassle so just bought a Lowrance fishfinder. I didn't have this problem slow reeling Deeper in after casting off banks.