Best Fish Finder for Shore Fishing

Thinking of fish finders elicits the more typical navigational, touchscreen devices that are shaped like an iPhone, except much larger. Well, things have changed in a very short time, and fish finders are now available for fishing on the bank or what’s called “surf fishing” on the beach. 

Now, we’ll cover a variety of shore-use fish finders out there; some of them are bad and some of them that are rather good. But for purposes of the best fish finder for shore fishing, the Deeper Pro + takes the cake. 

Click here to read our in-depth review of the Deeper Pro +…

If you got out of the habit of fishing for a time and are recently returning, you might be surprised to find those fish finders now come in the shape—and the actual use—of bobbers. 

All you have to do is cast your fish finder out on your line and let your bobber feed your smartphone real-time info so you know where the fish are in relation to your bait. 

What Is The Deeper Pro +?

In terms of physical functionality, the Deeper Pro + works just like a bobber, so you won’t find much use for it if you ’re fishing with a spoon lure or fishing for bottom feeder fish when you need the bait to get to the bottom and stay there. 

Features

• Dual Beam Sonar
• WiFi communication protocol
• Built-in GPS
• Bathymetric maps
• IPX7 Waterproof
• 260’ depth range

The Deeper Pro + uses dual beam sonar to fire beams at 15° and 55° at 290kHz and 90kHz respectively. While the depth range is listed at 260’, you can cut 20 or so feet when you are out on saltwater because the density of the water is increased. 

In freshwater, however, 260’ is certainly admirable. Unless you decide to go out on the boat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find that kind of depth. The built-in GPS keeps you consistently updated on your location and also provides you with local maps to download.

It also includes bathymetric maps for you to download and save. Whenever you cast it out, it scans the floor for you and gives you an intricately detailed look at the underwater geography within its range. Cast it out enough, and you can put together a sizeable map.

You never have to worry about water reaching the internals either. The Deeper Pro + was built to last and with an IPX7 rating against water, you would just about have to bash the thing open and hold it under a waterfall to do any real damage. 

Since it uses a WiFi connection with your phone, the communication is crisp and quick. WiFi’s range is a little bit longer than Bluetooth, so unless you are a monster caster, you should never have much in the way of problems getting information relayed back and forth. 

WiFi is traditionally a strong communication protocol, but it is easily degraded if concrete, steel, glass, or sheetrock get in between it and the device(s) that it’s trying to communicate with. None of which should be a problem unless you’re fishing in a landfill. 

When you open the box, you’ll get the Deeper Pro + device, a USB charging cable, a user manual, and a carrying pouch for you to keep it in if you happen to like the pouch more than any other methods you own. 

What Are Some Castable Fish Finders That Are Close To The Deeper Pro +?

The Deeper Pro + isn’t the only castable fish finder in the pool. There are actually several variations out there that are pretty good in their own right. None of these castable (smartphone) fish finders are going to replace a boat mount version but for onshore angling, they’re incredibly efficient and effective.

FishHunter Pro

The FishHunter Pro works just like the Deeper Pro +. It’s designed for you to easily rig it as a bobber. It has a transducer that is powerful enough to feed you RAW information instantaneously on the accompanying FishHunter Pro App (which is also available on iOS devices). 

You can also create your own, custom bathymetric mapping system that you can save on the app. The 3D view lets you know exactly what’s going on below you and it does so quickly, giving you time to move your bait if necessary. 

The five-transducer system points you in the direction of the fish, so you can reel in and cast out right on top of a school. It connects to your smartphone via WiFi which gives you the advantage of having a fast communication process between you and the device. 

Lastly, you can access multiple types of views on your smartphone, so you can choose whichever one fits your style and helps you locate what you’re looking for quickly.

Reel Sonar iBobber

The only thing that keeps the Reel Sonar iBobber from being in a neck-to-neck tie with the Deeper Pro +, is the fact that it uses Bluetooth communication protocols rather than WiFi.

Sure, it’s easier to use than WiFi, since you don’t have to do any alterations to your smartphone’s primary connection. However, Bluetooth is far more unreliable than WiFi, to the point where you can often lose signal without even realizing why. 

Outside of that, it has all of the same features that the Deeper Pro + has, with the exception of a little tripod device that comes with the Reel Sonar iBobber for ease-of-use charging capability. 

Garmin Striker

The Garmin Striker stands out immediately, as it has a slightly more “techy” aesthetic than any of the others on this list. It still functions as a bobber but it looks really cool doing it. This is also one of the more popular castable fish finders on the market.

It does use Bluetooth technology rather than WiFi but it has ice flasher tech, GPS, and fish icons to show you what exactly is going on down there. The one thing that stands out about the Garmin Striker is how easy it is to read. 

Garmin streamlined its app to make things understandable and not overly complicated by any means. 

JoyLog Castable Fish Finder

The JoyLog has a detection angle that’s 30° so you’ll get a pretty wide view of what’s down there. Aesthetics-wise, the JoyLog Castable looks more like a bobber than anything else and anyone that doesn’t know what it is wouldn’t think that it’s anything else. 

It has a solid, ten-hour battery that will get you through long fishing trips and claims a 300’ range, even though it uses Bluetooth communication protocols rather than the stronger WiFi. You don’t have to turn it on as it knows when it has been cast and comes on automatically.

That’s the biggest boon with the JoyLog as it’s really easy to forget that you turned on such a little device, draining its power overnight. The JoyLog will turn itself off for you, however, so it’s nothing that you need to worry about. 

Lucky Castable Fish Finder

The Lucky Castable Fish Finder is one of the odder-looking fish finders for shore fishing on this list. It doesn’t work with your phone but comes with its own device that has an LCD screen and hangs around your neck. 

It’s the perfect castable for beginner anglers as it’s very versatile and easy to use. It has a scanning depth of 328’ and you can even attach it to your boat for over the water use. It’s priced very competitively as well, so you won’t have to take out a second mortgage to afford one. 

Are The Best Shoreline Fish Finders Castable?

Castable fish finders, such as the Deeper Pro +, are absolutely thriving on the market, as of this writing. The reason behind that is the usefulness and efficacy of this little gadget. Also, you don’t need to be in a boat to use them. 

They mostly come in the form of bobbers and function just like a bobber, although with the power to scan the entire sea bed and feed that information back to your smartphone instantaneously. 

They use both WiFi and Bluetooth communication protocols and most come with a phone mount for your fishing pole. You rig it just like you would a standard bobber so there’s no need to get crazy and get a bigger tackle box to hold anything new. 

These castable fish finders simply imitate bobbers, so they’re very portable. You can carry one in your pocket or toss it in a tackle box. They’re resilient and obviously waterproof. Best of all, they don’t cost anywhere near the same price as a standard fish finder that is boat-mounted. 

All Things Considered

The Deeper Pro + stands out amongst its peers because it has the best tech overall and is the most reliable device on the list. Since it uses WiFi communication protocols, it’s much more effective than its Bluetooth cousins.

With the wide array of maps that you can download, including Bathymetric maps of the seafloor, and its longevity between recharges, the Deeper Pro + will quickly become your favorite device. 

Though the Deeper Pro + is the best fish finder for shore fishing, the others on this list are certainly worthy of competition. Either way, you go, you’ll wind up with an excellent tool to help you get to where the fish are.

Coverart Credit: Photo by Messina Photo from Pexels