Hunting Bass

[samwise2u]

Wanting a couple of things.

 

First of all let me say that I have started fishing deep, looking for the bass sanctuary. It aint easy fishing something I can't see and it really drops my confidence level if I don't KNOW that I am at the right location. Been fishing bank cover and stumps in the water all my life. Now fishing structure. So...

 

1. Looking to map the contours the body of water I am fishing. Would like to see real time but taking it home, processing and back on the unit is fine. As long as I can look at a printed map, Hook-N-Line, see where a creek/road bed/ pond used to be and geaux and find it with this piece of electronics I am wanting to buy. Then map it myself and have it for future fishing trips.

 

2. Would like down imaging. Want to save the breaks, break lines and cover as way points.

 

Does not have to be a "fish finder". Priority #1 is mapping the bottom of the body of water. Would like for this be mounted at the bow. My eyes aint what they used to be so a large screen may be needed, but really comes down to price.

 

Suggestions?

[RoLo]

53 minutes ago, samwise2u said:

Suggestions?

 

That's an all-encompassing question, and I'm really not clear on your question.

You'd probably have better success if you broke it down into several posts.

 

As for down-scanning in deep water, it's actually easier than down-scanning in shallow water.

In Florida, I spend a lot of time in 4 ft of water, where the boat spooks the fish

and the narrow transducer cone offers a very limited field of view.

 

Roger

 

 

[Wayne P.]

1 hour ago, samwise2u said:

 

 

 

Wanting a couple of things.

 

First of all let me say that I have started fishing deep, looking for the bass sanctuary. It aint easy fishing something I can't see and it really drops my confidence level if I don't KNOW that I am at the right location. Been fishing bank cover and stumps in the water all my life. Now fishing structure. So...

 

1. Looking to map the contours the body of water I am fishing. Would like to see real time but taking it home, processing and back on the unit is fine. As long as I can look at a printed map, Hook-N-Line, see where a creek/road bed/ pond used to be and geaux and find it with this piece of electronics I am wanting to buy. Then map it myself and have it for future fishing trips.

 

2. Would like down imaging. Want to save the breaks, break lines and cover as way points.

 

Does not have to be a "fish finder". Priority #1 is mapping the bottom of the body of water. Would like for this be mounted at the bow. My eyes aint what they used to be so a large screen may be needed, but really comes down to price.

 

Suggestions?

You cannot "map" the bottom without knowing what the depth is. A "fish finder" (sonar unit) does that.

The GPS function saves waypoint. You need a combo "fish finder" and GPS unit to do what you want.

Along with that, the GPS part needs to be a Chart Plotter to have any mapping capability.

 

If you want a unit that will create contour mapping, you can do that a few different ways.

Some models do live contour mapping in real time, some take recorded sonar logs that are processed by another source to create contour maps that are then used in the unit just like purchase digital mapping products. The processed maps can be personal or shared depending on the unit brand or the mapping product.

 

You will not get any fine details like road beds or creek channels with any map creation product. Those features are added manually by companies that product digital mapping, and that takes another map source for reference--typically USGS maps.

 

Depth data and location data is used to create contour mapping, "down imaging" is not one of those.

 

I use three ways to create contour mapping:

Humminbird Auto Chart Live

Navionics Sonar Charts Live using Vexilar Sonarphone and the Navionics App

Navionics Sonar Charts using Humminbird sonar logs uploaded to the Navionics Sonar Charts server for processing, then downloaded to a Navionics map card after the data is processed.

 

Recently Lowrance has added the Navionics Sonar Charts Live feature to some of their units via a software update.

Lowrance has the INSIGHT GENESIS program to create contour mapping.

 

Garmin has a map creation function also-- do not the name of it.

 

 

 

This contour map was created from sonar logs that I recorded and upload to the Navionics Sonar Charts program.

It can be viewed on the Navionics website's Web App, viewed with the Navionics Mobile App, and download to a Navionics map card as the Sonar Charts map layer.

 

[samwise2u]

Thanks for your responses RoLo and Wayne P.

 

I assumed that GPS would be an integral technology in what ever unit I purchase.

 

That Navionics map is exactly what I am looking to have in the boat. Depth contours, road and creek beds and whatever else is there. With an icon showing where I am on the map. Cool.

 

How long does it take for Navionics to update their server?

 

Have a Minn Kota Edge 45 36" trolling motor, any problems attaching the transducer?

 

Lets say I want Auto Chart Live, Navionics and down imaging. Would a HELIX 9 DI GPS fit the bill?

 

[RoLo]

1 hour ago, samwise2u said:

Thanks for your responses RoLo and Wayne P.

 

I assumed that GPS would be an integral technology in what ever unit I purchase.

 

That Navionics map is exactly what I am looking to have in the boat. Depth contours, road and creek beds and whatever else is there. With an icon showing where I am on the map. Cool.

 

How long does it take for Navionics to update their server?

 

Have a Minn Kota Edge 45 36" trolling motor, any problems attaching the transducer?

 

Lets say I want Auto Chart Live, Navionics and down imaging. Would a HELIX 9 DI GPS fit the bill?

 

 

 

I use a "Navionics Plus" microSD card which includes Nautical Charts, SonarCharts & Community Edits.

'Community Edits' is provided by field users like you & I, who elect to participate in the program.

In essence, Navionics is getting free updates without putting us on their payroll,

all the same, it's a win/win situation. Incidentally, Community Edits are updated daily.

I'm not aware of more accurate bathymetry than Navionics, but even they leave much to be desired.

 

Creating your own charts is more accurate, but to do a good job you'll need the patience of a saint.

By the way, "Auto Chart Live" is proprietary to Humminbird (I've had my belly-full of Humminbird),

whereas the custom mapping product from Lowrance is called "Insight Genesis"

 

Roger

[Wayne P.]

1 hour ago, samwise2u said:

Thanks for your responses RoLo and Wayne P.

 

I assumed that GPS would be an integral technology in what ever unit I purchase.

 

That Navionics map is exactly what I am looking to have in the boat. Depth contours, road and creek beds and whatever else is there. With an icon showing where I am on the map. Cool.

 

How long does it take for Navionics to update their server?

 

Have a Minn Kota Edge 45 36" trolling motor, any problems attaching the transducer?

 

Lets say I want Auto Chart Live, Navionics and down imaging. Would a HELIX 9 DI GPS fit the bill?

 

 

Humminbird units read Lakemaster digital mapping and Navionics digital mapping. The Helix and discontinued number series units do not read the Community Edits. The ONIX does.

 

Lowrance units will create Community Edits and read downloaded Community Edits.

 

Yes the Helix 9 DI GPS does the above and has the Auto Chart Live feature.

 

You can view all the current Navionics Nautical Charts maps and Sonar Charts maps on the Navionics website's Web App. They are current as of yesterday.

If you get the Navionics Mobile App (Boating or Boating HD) you can have the maps and Community Edits on your smartphone or tablet. You can create and share Community Edits with your mobile device also.

If you purchase one of their map cards, you can have the same data that the Web App has when you update the card. You get a year of Freshest Data updates for all new purchases.

 

For Sonar Charts uploads, it takes about a week to process sonar logs unless the body of water is not on their worldwide base map as at least an outline.

If you record data to use with Navionics Sonar Charts and any part of your tracks are shown on land either due to inaccurate shorelines or no shoreline, Navionics will re-draw or draw the shoreline (zero line) to contain all the data you collected.

The map sample I posted above was not on their world-wide base map. Just land was shown. They created the shoreline after I uploaded the first few sonar recordings.

I had over 75 waypoints for that lake before the Sonar Charts program was activated in the US so all of them were shown on land with any map card like this.