This article introduces the latest features on the Deeper CHIRP+ 4 and explains how they help you better understand underwater environments, identify fish, and analyze your fishing spots using advanced mapping tools.
AI Fish Detection
AI Fish Detection uses an advanced machine learning model to interpret sonar data in real time and distinguish fish from noise and vegetation.
It helps remove guesswork by automatically identifying fish based on actual sonar returns.
How it works:
Continuously analyzes sonar data during live scanning
Evaluates shape, structure, and movement of sonar returns
Marks fish only after detecting a complete object
Because the model confirms a fish only after detecting a complete sonar return, fish are marked only once the object is fully visible in the sonar data. This ensures higher accuracy and helps reduce false positives.
What you should know:
Detection is based on real sonar data
Fish which was detected by AI will be marked as fish icon (see photo below)
This feature can be enabled/disabled in the settings from the right side of the screen
Detection accuracy depends on sonar stability in the water and wave conditions
When casting with a fishing rod, reel in slowly and steadily for best results
When using a bait boat, always use a sonar mount to keep the device stable
When using a boat, use a flex arm to maintain proper sonar positioning
For best detection accuracy, use the narrow beam (7°), but ensure the sonar remains stable during scanning
AI performance will continuously improve in future appupdates
Like any detection system, it can occasionally make mistakes depending on conditions
Personal Vegetation Maps (2D / 3D)
You can create detailed maps of underwater vegetation in both 2D and 3D views.
Underwater vegetation mapping shows the structure and distribution of plants, including weed edges, vegetation pockets, and clear lanes between growth areas. This allows you to clearly see how vegetation is spread across the bottom and identify key transitions and open spaces.
It helps you identify areas where fish are likely to hold, locate clear paths for casting or retrieving your lure, and better understand the overall underwater structure and layout of the bottom.
Note: Vegetation mapping is based on advanced sonar data analysis and may not always perfectly represent underwater plants. For best results, please follow recommendations below:
Sonar stability in the water and wave conditions
When casting with a fishing rod, reel in slowly and steadily for best results
When using a bait boat, always use a sonar mount to keep the device stable
When using a boat, use a flex arm to maintain proper sonar positioning
For best detection accuracy, use the narrow beam (7°) or mid beam (20°), but ensure the sonar remains stable during scanning
The wide beam (47°) is not available for vegetation mapping due to lower detail accuracy
Map accuracy improves whenever you scan over the same spot multiple times
Personal Bottom Hardness Maps (2D / 3D)
Bottom hardness mapping visualizes changes in the lake or river composition, helping you understand how different bottom types are distributed across your fishing area.
These maps are created based on sonar readings, where the device analyzes how the sonar signal reflects off the bottom to determine its hardness. It detects variations such as hard areas (gravel or rock), soft areas (mud or silt), and transition zones between them. These transitions are especially important, as fish often gather in these areas, helping you identify more productive fishing spots. Here are a few important things to know:
Detection accuracy depends on sonar stability in the water and wave conditions
When casting with a fishing rod, reel in slowly and steadily for best results
When using a bait boat, always use a sonar mount to keep the device stable
When using a boat, use a flex arm to maintain proper sonar positioning
For best detection accuracy, use the narrow beam (7°) or mid beam (20°), but ensure the sonar remains stable during scanning.
Wide beam (47°) is not available for bottom hardness mapping due to lower detail accuracy
Map accuracy improves whenever you scan over the same spot multiple times
Bottom hardness is shown using a color scale, where darker/softer tones indicate soft bottom (mud or silt), and brighter/yellow tones indicate harder bottom (gravel or rock); transitions between colors show changes in bottom composition.
Fish Locations on Your Maps
Detected fish are saved and displayed directly on your maps, allowing you to review past activity beyond the live scanning session.
Fish detected by AI are marked as Fish icons, stored at their exact detection locations, and can be viewed later in both 2D and 3D maps. This helps you analyze fish activity over time and identify high-probability areas for future fishing sessions.
This feature can be enabled in Map Settings (see example below). It works independently from the Fish icons setting in sonar view - even if Fish icons are turned off in sonar settings, detected fish locations will still be saved and displayed on your maps.
Hotspot maps are created when the “Fish locations” toggle is enabled in Map Settings. The Fish icons setting in sonar settings only controls the visual display of fish on the live sonar screen, while hotspot creation is handled separately through map settings.
How hotspots work
Only hotspots from the current session are displayed on the map
When a new session starts, previous hotspots are no longer shown, and only newly detected fish locations will appear
Hotspots from previous sessions can still be reviewed in Scan History