Using the Deeper MAX Depth Finder For Mapping
Late this year, I picked up a Deeper MAX Depth Finder (get it here). with the goal of using it for depth-mapping Minnesota lakes from a canoe. I bought it directly from Deeper Sonar right when it launched, but a shipping delay with DHL, who claimed I needed to pay tariffs that Deeper had already covered, meant it took weeks to finally arrive. By the time that Deeper sorted it out with DHL, the paddling season was almost over, and I didn’t get to test it as much as I’d hoped.
Still, I managed to get it on the water for a first look. I had originally planned to use it to map a remote and seldom-visited lake in the Boundary Waters, but with limited time, I settled for something closer to home.
What is the Deeper MAX Fish Finder?
The Deeper MAX depth finder (or fish finder) is a sonar system contained in a small plastic sphere that can be towed alongside a canoe or kayak. It can also be cast by a fishing rod and reeled back in. It uses a phone or tablet as its its display.
Key features include three different beam widths, a depth range to 400 feet, personal 3D depth map generation, built-in GPS, and up to 15 hours of battery life. The app allows you to see the depth and fish locations in real time as you paddle, and it stores that data for later viewing. Deeper maintains an online portal where you can view your maps, download your data, and see but not download crowd-sourced depth data from other users.
For paddling use, the key features are GPS-based depth recording, multiple beam widths, and the ability to generate your own bathymetric maps.
The Deeper Sonar Flexible Arm Mount 2.0 allows the unit to float mount next to a canoe or kayak.
Why Did I Get a Depth Finder?
I’m not much of an angler, although my wife and kid are, but I enjoy mapping. While working on a project of turning Minnesota lakes into woodcuts-style illustrations, I found out that very few of Minnesota’s lakes have official bathymetry available from the MN DNR. You’d think the land of 10,000 lakes would have covered, but surprisingly, it doesn’t.
So, I thought it would be fun to start collecting the data. After watching a YouTube video by Lost Lakes about surveying a remote lake in Ontario, I decided to get the sonar unit that he used on his trip. Maybe there were better options out there, but after a little bit of research (and some glazed-over eyes), I ordered the MAX.
The Deeper MAX in Use
Because I got it so late in the season, I only had a chance to use the Deeper MAX on one lake. My kid and I chose Pit Lake near Grand Marais, Minnesota. It’s easy to access and relatively small, about 2,200 feet long and 500 feet wide, which seemed like a good place to start. My kid was mostly interested in seeing fish on the screen and maybe catching one or two.
We learned that it takes significantly longer to map a lake of that size than we had thought. We paddled up and down Pit Lake for about three or four hours, watching the map on my phone’s screen fill in with depth data, and I assumed that that would have a bunch of data to download when I got home.
I was wrong.
Each data point that we got was only from directly below the boat. If I wanted useful data, I should have paddled a tight grid pattern instead of a few long passes up and down the lake. Because the depth map looked detailed in the app and on Deeper’s website, I suspect a significant amount of interpolation was happening between data points.
Once home (and after suffering through Deeper’s fairly slow website), I downloaded the data. That’s when the mistake became obvious: we simply didn’t collect enough of it. After a fair amount of processing (I’m sure someone with more GIS experience could have done better), I managed to produce a passable map. For my purposes, it didn’t need to be perfect.
Next time, I’ll paddle a proper grid.
On the fishing side, we saw plenty of fish, and the device recorded the fish in the data as well. My kid didn’t catch any, though he claimed he had a couple of big bites.
Battery Life
Battery life on the unit itself was excellent, but the app drained my phone quickly. I ended up plugging my phone into an external power bank to keep it going. In the future, I may try running the app on a tablet instead. My phone is getting older, so it’s hard to say how much of that drain is the app versus aging hardware, but an external battery feels like a necessity for this app.
You can see Deeper’s version of the map here.
Looking Towards Next Year
One short outing isn’t enough to form a complete opinion of a piece of gear, but this first use taught me a lot about what depth mapping requires. The biggest takeaway is simple, and it’s that good data demands time and a good method. Next season, I’ll run a proper grid pattern and get denser coverage.
As a paddler and a map nerd the Deeper MAX feels like a tool with real potential, as long as you understand its limitations and plan accordingly. I’m looking forward to using it again next year, especially on more remote lakes.
The Deeper MAX is currently on sale, so if this kind of mapping interests you or if you want a fish finder for remote trips, it might be a good time to get one. You can get it here. If you’re in the U.S., I’d recommend buying from a U.S.-based retailer to avoid any tariff confusion. The price already includes them.
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