AdamS Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hey everyone, I recently picked up a Lowrance unit but I'm not sure which map pack to get for it. I'll probably only fish in Ontario with it so I'm just wondering what's the best option for me and what do you guys use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller Posted August 19, 2014 Report Share Posted August 19, 2014 Navionics + pick and choose the lakes you want and download the extra sonar charts feature which gives you 1ft contours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Glad to hear you got the lowrance. I assume you had the engine repaired? I forget what chip I have. I think its the gold...the rail bed is clearly marked on it lol S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 I wouldn't spend the money on 1 ft contours. Especially for Rice Lake. It's just garbage tons of stuff that's just not there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Navionics Gold XL + Hotmaps. Although seriously thinking of Lakemaster Autochart. Edited August 20, 2014 by BillM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted August 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Hey guys thanks for letting me know. Now I just have to figure out the differences between the +, hot maps & gold Yes Sinker boat's done. Gotta pick it up this weekend so I'm hoping the weather's good there. I may try to install everything while I'm there if I'm feeling lucky... I wouldn't spend the money on 1 ft contours. Especially for Rice Lake. It's just garbage tons of stuff that's just not there. good to know thanks Although seriously thinking of Lakemaster Autochart. Bill, I've heard the lake master charts are supposed to be good but they're only for humminbird now right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Bill, I've heard the lake master charts are supposed to be good but they're only for humminbird now right? Yup, only for the HB units as far as I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Consigliere Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Navionics + is the best by far. Has all the data on the other chips you are talking about getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lape0019 Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Navionics + is the newest of the charts listed. It is actually a blank card that you download the maps that you want/need onto. From what I understand, you can download maps for up to 1 year after purchasing and you can only get the amount of maps that will fit on the card. If you need more maps, you have to buy another chip (Not likely). Navionics gold covers navigable water. It will have any woterbodies that have channels marked in them. Hotmaps is for inland lakes that are not classified as navigable (with Channels marked). Egsample, The great lakes will be on the gold where as while a local lake near your (for me mississipi lake) will only be on hotmaps. You can view which lakes/rivers are on the chips on the navionecs site but I am of the impression Navionics + is your best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Birdfish Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Do you have to use Navionics with Lowrance or can a Lowrance unit support another type of chip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 Do you have to use Navionics with Lowrance or can a Lowrance unit support another type of chip? http://www.lowrance.com/en-CA/Products/Mapping/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkpie Posted August 20, 2014 Report Share Posted August 20, 2014 I use hotmaps, but if Navionics+ was available when I was buying, thats probably the route I would've gone! I have the app on my iphone the odd time I venture somwhere that hotmaps doesn't cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted August 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Navionics + is the newest of the charts listed. It is actually a blank card that you download the maps that you want/need onto. From what I understand, you can download maps for up to 1 year after purchasing and you can only get the amount of maps that will fit on the card. If you need more maps, you have to buy another chip (Not likely). Navionics gold covers navigable water. It will have any woterbodies that have channels marked in them. Hotmaps is for inland lakes that are not classified as navigable (with Channels marked). Egsample, The great lakes will be on the gold where as while a local lake near your (for me mississipi lake) will only be on hotmaps. You can view which lakes/rivers are on the chips on the navionecs site but I am of the impression Navionics + is your best option. Thanks for clarifying things a bit more Lape. And thanks everyone else for their input I think I'm going to go with the navionics + since it seems to be the most versatile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirCranksalot Posted August 21, 2014 Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Navionics + pick and choose the lakes you want and download the extra sonar charts feature which gives you 1ft contours. You have to wonder about all the detailed 'info" on some of the charts. Where did it come from? Did somebody make all those detailed measurements or did they just 'make it up' i.e. extrapolation, interpolation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted August 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Hard to say. judging by this comment: I wouldn't spend the money on 1 ft contours. Especially for Rice Lake. It's just garbage tons of stuff that's just not there. It might be made up. But that's what I find funny about this whole insight genesis thing. Feel free to clarify. I don't understand the process entirely but, It's free for us to go out and map out all the bodies of water for them and the public, but then if we actually want to use the data that we created, on the same device that we used to recorded it, we have to pay $100? Am I missing something here? It's also made by Navico = Navionics so we're now giving them the info for their charts, paying $100 to use the charts we made, and say $200 for the 1 year subscription... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted August 21, 2014 Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) It's free for us to go out and map out all the bodies of water for them and the public, but then if we actually want to use the data that we created, on the same device that we used to recorded it, we have to pay $100? Am I missing something here? It's also made by Navico = Navionics so we're now giving them the info for their charts, paying $100 to use the charts we made, and say $200 for the 1 year subscription... This is the best part. You go out waste your $$$ on gas (truck and boat), shell out X amount of $$$ for the software in the first place, only to have the privilege of providing that same company FREE depth readings for them to create updated maps with, then charge you to dl them? HAHAHAHAHAHHA what a scam! Why do people fall for this? Not to mention if you're on a lake that doesn't have any depth charts available, you've just given out your honey hole. This is why the only type of software I'd look at similar to this would be Lakemaster Autocharts (or similar). It will update the current map with the info you gather from recording and you process yourself on your PC. Edited August 21, 2014 by BillM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lape0019 Posted August 21, 2014 Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Just remember that you will also be accessing everyone elses information as well which could cut down on the time you have to spend. As for the information. people do surveys of the water all of the time. Some is more accurate than others but for the most part, someone has had the job of charting the waters. They seem to be pretty good with the navigable waters but I have been on one lake where the data was way off. I am talking about the map stating 90FOW and me being able to see bottom 2 feet below the boat. This was an inland lake that was no more than 5 miles long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinker Posted August 21, 2014 Report Share Posted August 21, 2014 Rice lake is probably the worste map of all the maps I've used. Its not so great. There is a lot of structure on the map that just isn't there, but the main stuff that you will want to fish is there, and you will find some good stuff in the lake that isn't on the map. I find the rest of the trent severn is pretty good....good enough anyways. S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamS Posted August 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2014 This is the best part. You go out waste your $$$ on gas (truck and boat), shell out X amount of $$$ for the software in the first place, only to have the privilege of providing that same company FREE depth readings for them to create updated maps with, then charge you to dl them? HAHAHAHAHAHHA what a scam! Why do people fall for this? Not to mention if you're on a lake that doesn't have any depth charts available, you've just given out your honey hole. This is why the only type of software I'd look at similar to this would be Lakemaster Autocharts (or similar). It will update the current map with the info you gather from recording and you process yourself on your PC. Exactly Bill. That's pretty cool that Lakemaster updates the 'current' map with your recording. That's how it should be. Just remember that you will also be accessing everyone elses information as well which could cut down on the time you have to spend. And I appreciate that aspect. I just don't like the fact I can't use what I personally created unless I pay $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishboch Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 So I have just begun to research this topic and I was very excited when I read that I could create my own maps for lakes where no maps exist !!! This is the situation for one of my favourite fishing holes and many other water bodies around the region. So I am wondering if anyone here in Canada has a HB unit and has used this new feature to successfully create their own maps. The more I have been reading, the less I believe that this is possible. First off, they mention the use of LakeMaster chips. Everything I have read so far pretty much says there is no LakeMaster coverage for Canadian lakes except the Great lakes, LOTW, or Rainy River. On top of this, in order to save your custom maps you must save them to somethinfg called your ZeroLine Map card which costs another $100 but that's not a big deal. This card has a number of different folders on it which are used to create and save your map but one of these folders is the following directly from the installation manual: LkMaster: This fiolder provides the basemaps files for your regional map. DO NOT change the contents of this folder! I'm assuming this would be the geo-positional outline data for all lakes in the region. So seeing as LakeMaster has no Canadian coverage to start with, what is the likelyhood that they would have any Canadian basemap data on this card ? I guess it is possible so it would be very helpful if anyone with one of these new units could reply and let us know if this actually works. Thanks. Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIFTER_016 Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 C-MAP MAX-N+. It's the only electronic chart that has NWT lakes and rivers on it. All other mapping seems to stop @ the 60th parallel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 that is what I have been trying to figure out about the mapping too no southern ontario the other one says 2 million lake outlines but I still can't see anything about ontario and radioworld mostly sells humm'n s with the built in maps but no canada why would people buy this?????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now