Some of the best castable fishfinders you will find on the market are produced by Deeper. The company has a series of castable fishfinders on its lineup which can be divided into two main groups, the Pro series (Pro, Pro+ & Pro+ 2) and the CHIRP series (CHIRP and CHIRP 2). While the Deeper Pro+ 2 is the most advanced fishfinder in the Pro series, the CHIRP 2 is the most advanced in the CHIRP series. The main difference between these two is that the CHIRP 2 has a longer battery life than Pro+ 2. The CHIRP 2 also offers CHIRP frequencies which shows clearer images with higher resolution than a traditional single-frequency sonar like the Pro+ 2. This review compares the differences between two advanced castable fishfinders, the Deeper Pro Plus 2 vs CHIRP 2 to help you decide which is the right choice for you. In this regard, we will compare the design, battery life, price, and different features of each of these two.
Deeper Pro Plus 2 vs Deeper CHIRP 2 Full Specifications Compared
| Product Info |
 Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ 2 - Specs and Features |
 Deeper Smart Sonar CHIRP 2 - Specs and Features |
|---|---|---|
| ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE | ABOUT DEVICE |
| Device Name | Deeper Smart Sonar Pro+ 2 | Deeper Smart Sonar CHIRP 2 |
| Device Type | Castable Fishfinder | Castable Fishfinder |
| Brand | Deeper | Deeper |
| Date Released | September, 2021 | May, 2021 |
| DESIGN | DESIGN | DESIGN |
| Case material | ABS/Titanium | ABS/Titanium |
| Dimension | _ | _ |
| Weight | 90g | 92g |
| Fishfinder Mounting Style | Casting, Trolling motor | Casting, Trolling |
| Waterproof Rating | _ | _ |
| DISPLAY | DISPLAY | DISPLAY |
| Display Type | via phone | via phone |
| Display Size | via phone | via phone |
| Input | via phone | via phone |
| SONAR FREQUENCY | SONAR FREQUENCY | SONAR FREQUENCY |
| CHIRP | No | Yes |
| Beam Frequency(s) | 100kHz, 240kHz, 675kHz | 100kHz, 240kHz, 675kHz |
| Beamscope | 20° (240kHz), 47° (100kHz), 7° (675kHz) | 20° (240kHz), 47° (100kHz), 7° (675kHz) |
| Casting Range | 330ft | 394ft |
| Scanning Depth | 330ft | 330ft |
| Transducer Mount Style | Casting, Trolling motor | Casting, Trolling motor |
| Transducer Ping Power | __ | __ |
| BATTERY | BATTERY | BATTERY |
| Battery Life | Up to 9hrs | Up to 15hrs |
| Charging Mode | USB charger | USB charger |
| MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS | MISCELLANEOUS |
| Inbuilt GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Map | Bathymetric map | Bathymetric map |
| Preloaded Maps | No | No |
| Show Boat Speed | Yes | Yes |
| Water temperature | Yes | Yes |
| Show Water Depth | Yes | Yes |
| NMEA Support | No | No |
| Recommended for | Freshwater, Saltwater | Freshwater, Saltwater |
What is CHIRP and Why Does it matter?
CHIRP is a form of Sonar that pings out frequencies continuously in an ascending order ranging from low to high, thus sending out more power that results in better target returns, and subsequently results in a clearer image with higher resolution. This is unlike a traditional single-frequency sonar that pings out one frequency at a time. CHIRP is what you’ll find in many midranges to high-end fishfinders. It offers the best image quality when it comes to detecting and catching fish. Nevertheless, there are still very good fishfinders offering traditional sonars that have become the fishfinder of choice for many angulars.
How Does a Castable Fishfinder Work?
Like every other castable fishfinder out there that requires an app to be installed on your phone to be able to see and catch fish, the Deeper Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 work in the same way. With any of these two, you will need to install the Fish Deeper app on your phone. This app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and is available on the Google Playstore and Apple app store.
Once the app is installed on your phone, you will be able to search, connect and pair with whichever Deeper sonar you own. Once paired successfully, you should be able to see images of both fish and other objects in the water.
Fish Deeper app – One of the best fishfinder apps
It’s worthy to note that the Fish Deeper app is a well-designed app that is very easy to use and it has lots of features that give you options to choose your preferred way to fish.
- Choose Your Preferred Color Palette
- Choose Sonar Display Mode
- Display Sensitivity
- Fish Icons
- Choose Beam Angle
- Choose Fishing Types
- Mark Favorite Spots and Log Your Catches
- Download and Use Offline Maps
- Create Bathymetric maps
- Explore Full Scan History
- Automatic Sonar Update and Continuous Fish Deeper Updates
The app allows you to choose your preferred display color depending on the time of the day you’re fishing. This will allow you to get the best viewing experience irrespective of the ambient light conditions of the environment. You can also turn on the night fishing feature to enable you to see the sonar scans better in the dark. The night fishing feature can only work with the Deeper Night Fishing Cover which is sold separately.
The app also allows you to choose the display mode. You can choose between basic which shows only vegetation and water depth or raw which shows more detailed images of fish.
You can also choose the display sensitivity. You can choose between high and low sensitivity. Low sensitivity is best for dirty water while high sensitivity is best for clear water.
The app will also allow you to choose to enable or disable fish icons. You can show fish icons on the screen, their depth in the water as well as turn on or off the fish alarm that goes off when a fish is detected.
You can select your preferred beam angle depending on the sonar type you’re using. You can select from low or high for the Deeper Pro series, while you can select from low, high, or mid if you own a Deeper CHIRP sonar or the Pro Plus 2. The selected beam angle determines the area scanned as well as the quality of the sonar return. A low beam angle offers the best clarity but a smaller area is scanned while a high beam angle will allow you to scan a wider area, but with less clarity.
The app also allows you to choose your preferred fishing type. There are four fishing types; standard, ice, boat and onshore fishing types. The fishing type selected will determine the amount of information shown on the display.
Just like a regular fishfinder, the Fish deeper app will allow you to mark your favorite fishing spots, and you can also log your catches. This will allow you to plan better and save more time.
The app also gives you access to download and use offline maps, this can serve for reference purposes. There are a huge range of maps that you can download for free for your preferred location. It’s recommended that you download offline maps using your phone’s internet connection as it’s faster. Meanwhile, while there is a generous list of free maps, a few maps are premium and will require payment to download.
All Deeper sonars except the Deeper Start and Pro will allow you to create a bathymetric map of the water where you fish. Deeper fishfinders like Pro+ 2, CHIRP and CHIRP 2 have inbuilt GPS that allows you to create a bathymetric map directly from the device while those without inbuilt GPS like Deeper Pro will connect to your phone GPS to generate a bathymetric map.
You can explore a full scan history from your Deeper sonar in the app. This allows you to see what you might have missed. There is now a live scan history that allows you to access scan history without pausing the sonar.
The Fish Deeper app will enable automatic updates for your Deeper sonar, while the app is continuously being updated with more features and bug fixes.
Deeper Pro Plus 2 vs Deeper CHIRP 2 – The Difference
There are not too many differences between Deeper Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2, both have the same durable and compact design, fast charging, maximum depth penetration, and Wi-Fi for connectivity. Nonetheless, sonar type, battery life, and price are the slight differences that separate these two.
- Sonar Frequencies (CHIRP vs no CHIRP)
- Battery
- The Casting Range Differ
Although both Deeper Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 offer three frequency modes, only CHIRP 2 offers CHIRP. With any of these two fishfinders, you have the option to choose from a 100kHz with a wide 47° beamangle, 240kHz with a smaller 20° beamscope, or a higher 675kHz with a 7° beamscope. That’s to say that even though, Deeper Pro+ 2 offers decent image quality, CHIRP 2 which sends out a longer pulse than a single-frequency sonar puts more energy in the water which results in better target returns with clearer image quality.
From the available frequency modes, the 100kHz frequency which has the highest depth penetration and a wide 47° beamscope can be used to scan a wide area, though it offers the least image quality. Meanwhile, the higher 675kHz frequency will allow you to horn-in on your target because it offers the highest image quality with a target separation of 0.4 inch but has the least depth penetration.
In other words, both CHIRP 2 and Pro+ 2 offer three frequency modes, however, only CHIRP 2 has CHIRP that offers better image quality than a single-frequency sonar.
The battery life of both sonars also differs, the CHIRP 2 has a longer battery life than Pro+ 2. It comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion 1300mAh battery while the Pro+ 2 comes with a 950mAh rechargeable battery. While CHIRP 2 has up to 15hrs of battery life, it’s up to 9hrs with Pro+ 2. Meanwhile, both support fast charging, and it takes less than 2hrs to fully charge any of these two.
Both sonars are designed in such a way that when it’s not in the water, the fishfinder automatically turns off, and when it is back in the water, it turns back on automatically. This way battery life is managed to allow you to get longer battery life.
The batteries of both Deeper Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 are replaceable. So just in case, the battery gets damaged after a protracted use, you can order a new battery which will cost you some money.
To prevent the battery from getting damaged, it’s advised to charge any of these two at least once every 3-6 months even when not in use.
Although both the Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 offer the same depth penetration of 330ft, the casting range differs. The CHIRP 2 has a longer casting range than Pro+ 2. While the Pro+ 2 has a 330ft casting range, the CHIRP 2 offers 394ft casting range. Although you may never have to cast out that wide, its still good to know that your sonar has the ability to stay connected at such distance.
One very nice remark from angulars who have used both the Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 is the stability in connection even when cast out far and wide. Both fishfinders are equipped with WiFi which enables faster transfer of real-time data to your phone.
Similar Features
Beyond the few differences we mentioned above, both Deeper Pro+ 2 and CHIRP 2 have similar designs. Both have very durable designs made of ABS and titanium materials. Both are also very compact and lightweight. Both fishfinders have inbuilt GPS which will allow you to generate a bathymetric map as you fish. A bathymetric map can help you plan your fishing more effectively as it gives you a clear understanding of the topography of the sea bed. Moreover, you can also download free offline maps from the Fish Deeper app which can help you plan and navigate better as you travel on water.
Deeper Pro Plus 2 vs CHIRP 2 – Which is Better?
Both sonars are well designed and are easy to use. These two also have lots of features that can help you catch more fish. However, the Deeper CHIRP 2 is obviously a better fishfinder than Pro+ 2. It has an inbuilt GPS and is one of the very few castable fishfinders that offers CHIRP which will allow you to see clearer images of fish. Moreover, it has a longer battery life as well as a greater casting range than Pro+ 2.
Nonetheless, the Deeper Pro+ 2 is also an advanced fishfinder. It offers three frequency modes and has a similar target separation as CHIRP 2. And it has an inbuilt GPS that allows you to create a bathymetric map without connecting to your phone. It’s no doubt one of the best castable fishfinders.