Is mapping software like Navionics worth the price?

[Mi11er]

I have been looking at the different mapping software and am wondering if it is worth the price to get?  Do they offer that much?  

[Wayne P.]

If is worth the price if you need digital map software to help you navigate and look for potential fish locations. That is up to you to determine.

[Bluebasser86]

To me they are. Being able to see contour lines alone is reason for me to having mapping. Thankfully my Garmins come preloaded with good maps for almost all the lakes I fish. 

[IowaBass15]

When you can bundle them for 99 dollars with a unit then of course 

[Jsinkic]

It's great for finding fish but also for fishing new waters if you go to different lakes. Helps avoid/find shallow rocks and what not. It helps being safe as well as find fish I think. It's worth it.

[Mi11er]

21 hours ago, IowaBass15 said:

When you can bundle them for 99 dollars with a unit then of course 

Wish I would have spent the extra $59 dollars to do that, mistake to not just get it pre-loaded 

[FluffChucker]

Thumbs up for good mapping software. There are a few lakes in my area that without good mapping software aboard, you could very likely hit a stump or shallow rock bar. You wouldn't believe the number of boaters I see stranded after busting their props or lower units on things like those. Most of those mistakes could have been avoided had they ponied up the $100-125 for good mapping software. That to me is worth the price right there. Couple that with being able to see contours and potential fishing spots, and it's a pretty good bang for you buck.

 

If you still aren't sure you want to spend the money, save this link to you computer. http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en

You can also download their phone app for around $15. I use it for ice fishing, and will say that it is the best $15 I've ever spent for that sport.

[KSnapper]

My experience is the basic maps that come with Lowrance units suck at very best.  The navionics maps I have bought are marginally better.  I feel that 1 foot contour intervals is a minimal requirement for a map chip that you have to pay extra for.    I have a Great Plains Mapping chip which is excellent detail for Kansas and Missouri Lakes.  It has 1 foot contours of course, but it also shows old railroad beds, road beds, foundations, plus the creeks and river beds are shaded accurately for navigation through the adjacent trees.   

[WIGuide]

It all depends. If you're like me fishing 30 or more different bodies of water every year it's worth it's weight in gold. Not only does it help me find fish, but it allows me to not tear stuff up as well by avoiding otherwise unmarked hazard areas. Take a look at your different options.   Around me at least not all lakes are mapped as well by certain companies. One lake may have a great map on the lakemaster chip, while the navionics version has next to no detail, yet the next lake you fish might be the exact opposite. I run Lowrance, and it's nice they have Insight Genisis which allows me to go out and make my own maps.Not only does this help me get more detail, but it allows me to make maps on lakes that have no mapping at all around me. 

[contium]

Mapping software is definitely worth it. Finding good charts can be difficult though. Here in CA, they all are pretty much worthless. The are so far from accurate as to be dangerous. I've run Lake VU HD, Navioncs+, Lake Insight Pro, Navionics Sonar Charts Live and Insight Genesis. Navionics Sonar Charts Live is great for real time mapping out on the water. However, when I upload them to Navionics, they do a VERY poor job of integrating them into Sonar Charts. I'm currently most happy with Insight Genesis (Lowrance only). I have mapped out a few lakes in there entirety and the results are amazing. And around here, I'm noticing more and more users contributing to the social maps. 

[Wayne P.]

With Navionics Sonar Charts and my sonar logs, this lake went from this:

 

To this:

 

 

 

[contium]

On 5/17/2016 at 11:12 AM, Wayne P. said:

With Navionics Sonar Charts and my sonar logs, this lake went from this:

 

To this:

 

 

 

I wish got the same results as you. I love Navionics Sonar Charts Live and use it almost exclusively until the lake gets mapped in Insight Genesis.

[Mi11er]

On 5/17/2016 at 11:46 AM, contium said:

Mapping software is definitely worth it. Finding good charts can be difficult though. Here in CA, they all are pretty much worthless. The are so far from accurate as to be dangerous. I've run Lake VU HD, Navioncs+, Lake Insight Pro, Navionics Sonar Charts Live and Insight Genesis. Navionics Sonar Charts Live is great for real time mapping out on the water. However, when I upload them to Navionics, they do a VERY poor job of integrating them into Sonar Charts. I'm currently most happy with Insight Genesis (Lowrance only). I have mapped out a few lakes in there entirety and the results are amazing. And around here, I'm noticing more and more users contributing to the social maps. 

I am going to check out that Insight Genesis as I have a Lowrance.  I can see now that it is definitely worth the price to get the mapping software,  the $200 is a small price compared to the hidden stump that does not show up on the stock map.    

[Wayne P.]

32 minutes ago, Mi11er said:

I am going to check out that Insight Genesis as I have a Lowrance.  I can see now that it is definitely worth the price to get the mapping software,  the $200 is a small price compared to the hidden stump that does not show up on the stock map.    

That hidden stump won't show up on Insight or Genesis. If you don't have a waypoint for it, no map is going to show you where it is.

[Mi11er]

12 minutes ago, Wayne P. said:

That hidden stump won't show up on Insight or Genesis. If you don't have a waypoint for it, no map is going to show you where it is.

Oh, well I figured it would have a lot more detail than the stock map on the unit.   Not really a hidden stump but old roads and obvious trails that will go through through to parts of the lake.  

[contium]

It's a good idea to see what charts are the best for the area you need. They all vary. You can see what Navionics looks like for your lakes using there webapp, particularly Sonar Charts. For Insight Genesis, create an free account and look a the social maps. Just make sure you have some idea about what the lakes really look like when comparing. All those pretty 1' contours look great but they can be very far from accurate or spot on. Lakes they have actually surveyed with a boat are really good.

[Mi11er]

12 hours ago, contium said:

It's a good idea to see what charts are the best for the area you need. They all vary. You can see what Navionics looks like for your lakes using there webapp, particularly Sonar Charts. For Insight Genesis, create an free account and look a the social maps. Just make sure you have some idea about what the lakes really look like when comparing. All those pretty 1' contours look great but they can be very far from accurate or spot on. Lakes they have actually surveyed with a boat are really good.

Thank you for the tip, I am really new to the mapping software game and really do not have a clue really on how it works.  I appreciate the feedback.  

[WIGuide]

On 5/20/2016 at 9:33 AM, Mi11er said:

Thank you for the tip, I am really new to the mapping software game and really do not have a clue really on how it works.  I appreciate the feedback.  

Here's a little bit of mapping I did on a previously unmapped lake with Insight Genesis. All the lines are representative of water depth. In this case they are 1 foot contour lines, so for every line you see out away from the bank the water depth is another foot deeper at that line. Where the lines are closer together the water gets deeper quicker, and where they are spread apart, the drop is more gradual. If you see a contour line that connects with itself (an example on this map is on top of the point on the bottom near the middle of that map or in the channel in the darkest blue area) it represents either a rise or depression. Most charts use some sort of shading to help your eyes out. In this case the darker the blue the deeper the water. Even though this is Insight Genesis, all contour maps work off the same principal. This not only helps you with navigation, but it helps you to identify fish holding structure. 

Hopefully that helps a little with the understanding what you're looking at.