Handheld GPS Help

[Branuss04]

Alright guys, you are going to be my final decision on this.  I've been looking around for a GPS lately, and have been leaning toward the Lowrance H20, I've heard many guys rave about this one.  I like it's features for the price.  I just worked 60 hours last week and beleive I need to spend some of the money on me.  I found one online, new for 95.  what do you think, should I go for it?  I will mainly be using it for marking structure since the lake I fish alot is extremely low.  Any other GPS's in the same price range that would compare to this one, or should I go for it.  Thanks.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Im watching closly also to this id like a waterproof one with not so many bells and whistles i dont need 1000 waypoints or the memory of a computer just something to mark 50 places and do it fast

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

PM "Alpster",....this is what he does for a living

[bocabasser]

i have the garmin 72 and i love it. it is around 200 bucks. i don't have the color one, but i don't need it.  it floats, and it has many great features. give it a look.

[Jig Man]

Most any gps will do what you want as long as it has a card slot for mapping and storing otherwise it will just become a dust collector.

[surfer]

Most any gps will do what you want as long as it has a card slot for mapping and storing otherwise it will just become a dust collector.

I use my handheld in conjunction with the depth finder to mark structure or trees and brush I drop out in the middle so no one can find them.  I only use the waypoints.  $80 Waterproof, Accurate to 30 ft, takes me about 45 seconds to mark and type the name of the point, accurate speedometer, no maps, no card slot.

I read the specs on a few of them before buying.  I wanted the more accurate one.  Some were only accurate to within 50 ft.  I borrowed an older one from pops and it took me 10 minutes to refind a tree in 17 ft of water.  More accurate is better.

[moloch16]

I've heard great things about the H20.  It should serve you well and do what you need it to do.  My research shows that all hand held GPS do pretty much the same thing and it's hard to go wrong with any of them.

I recently bought a Magellan Explorist 100 when it was on sale and does just fine.  This is as basic as you can get and it does everything I need I hoped it would do which is:

• Mark structure and fishing spots
  
• Log my route so I can find my way back to the boat ramp
  
• Tell me how fast I'm going
  
• Tell me how far it is from fishing spot A to fishing spot B
  

 

Your H20 will do the same, probably better than my Explorist 100

[Wayne P.]

I have the Lowrance H2O and I use the Navionics Hotmaps Premium software along with some free download maps from the Lowrance website. I use the built-in background map when traveling to other states to keep up with the distance-to go-to a particular location. You won't be dissappointed if you purchase that unit or the H2Oc.

[Crestliner2008]

As far as sonar goes, I'm a die hard Lowrance fan. However, I know a lot of very good fisherman in our group here that use nothing but Garmin for their GPS. So...last Xmas, my kids got together and bought me a package deal with the eTrex Legend Cx handheld. What a GPS! Not a lot of bells & whistles, but enough to make using it very "user friendly" and accurate. And if you don't think you need 1000 waypoints  ;D just wait! One lake alone I have almost 50. Times 10 lakes and couple of rivers....you go through waypoints like popcorn, believe me. Best part is, when I turn it on, I can go to any point I've marked by following the "breadcrumbs". This means that not only can I navigate in a total fog, but I also have the option of going the "direct" route - as long as I can see where I'm going. Any GPS is worth it's weight in gold, but this Garmin is a fine instrument, believe me.

[Long Mike]

I have the H2O and love it - but I wish I had bought the H2Oc.  The H2O will do everything you want it to do and more, but jeez that screen is hard to read in bright sunlight.  The color version would be much better.  In the  short year that I've had my H2O, I've become so enamored with the advantages of GPS that next week I will be replacing my depth finder with a Lowrance 522C combo unit.

[burleytog]

H20C

Anything less would be uncivilized...

Seriously, that thing plus HotMaps Pro is worth it's weight in gold, esp. if you run at night.

Don't waste your money on a GPS unit unless it accepts aftermarket map cards.

[tkite16]

    I agree the h2o c is the way to go.  I run the 2006 hot maps card in it . List good spots on the lake and tells what lures to use.

  My first real experience with it was at Table Rock Lake this summer . The guy in the marina told me about a brush pile on a flat in 30 foot of water near the drop off into 80 foot of water.  I found that brush pile  and saved it on there after I caught 5 decent spots off of it.

 We went back a month later and  I purposely didnt look at my hummingbird until i trolled to the spot i had marked wih my h20c. When I was sitting on the marked spot with h20c  I looked at my hummingbird and lo and behold there was the brush pile and we caught 2 more spots off of the same pile.

[GeneinTX]

I have the H2O and have enjoyed it.... for 95 bucks I would say grab it. Check the lowrance website and see if they have any enhanced maps for the lakes you will fish. The ones for my home lake seem very accurate and they are free!

I use GPS slot for work and play.... I don't think that any one company provides better GPS sevice (and I have used most.... both in the US and abroad). I do like lowrance because they use SD cards which are cheap and apply to most computers.

[Branuss04]

Well Guys, you persuaded me into the H20.  I am happy with my decision, I plan on getting the Hotspot card.  They have many of the lakes I will be fishing.  I put it on overnight delivery so I can have it for a waypoint outing to folsom lake on thursday (Just went there today and found somebody's boat that has been underwater for awhile. It's been dropping a couple feet every week)  I'm going to have a hard time sleeping at night until it comes.  Going by what everyone says, i made the right decision, Thanks guys.

[burleytog]

If you spend any money on a map card, spend it on Navionics products.  A friend loaned me a Fishing HotSpots card, it blows dogs for quarters.

[Guest avid]

Is there a gps out there where you can log in the location of the fish you catch?

For those of us who primarily fish one body of water, that would be an eyeopener I'm sure.

It would be that much cooler if you could type in the weight too.

[Wayne P.]

Avid, you can save any position including where you catch every fish. There is no menu item to record fish size, but the waypoint (location) number can be changed to the size. You can't duplicate waypoint names but you can be creative in your naming of the waypoints to make identical weights a little different like putting a sequential number or letter before or after the weight. Having a lot of waypoints names for the same location or very close to each other will be difficult if not impossible to view each one separately.

[bocabasser]

avid i always mark where i catch my fish, especially on the lakes up north like O, poga, toho etc. it just helps me when i go back.

[Branuss04]

If you spend any money on a map card, spend it on Navionics products. A friend loaned me a Fishing HotSpots card, it blows dogs for quarters.

Thanks man... That was going to be my next question.  What about cards for road navigation... should I go with Navionic products as well?

[Long Mike]

I've got the Fishing Hot Spots chip and have been very happy with it since I had nothing to compare it with.   But I learned this week that Navionics very recently introduced a new chip that blows the socks off everyone else.  I'm fishing with a Buddy tomorrow who has the new chip.  As I mentioned above, I have replaced my H2O with a Lowrance 522C.  We'll be fishing a Hot Spots lake tomorrow, and will be swapping out the chips.  I'll be able to tell you more tomorrow night.

[GeneinTX]

off topic......

Long Mike, I am looking at the 522c myself this year. Let me know what you think.

I am looking forward to your info!