What ia a Chartplotter vs GPS?

[eyedabassman]

I will be in the market to up grade my fishfinder. And I need some help with all this new up grades. I guide at night and am looking for a good setup. I have been on the lake at night a few times when the fog came in and I had a hard time getting back. So I need some thing that can track my path and put my hot spots in. I am not sure what a chartplotter is?

I have about $ 500 to $ 600 to spend. And I want a brand that is easy to use. And what brand do you think would be a good one?

Thanks for any help!

[5bass]

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

[George Welcome]

Wow: you need to spend some time with someone in a good navionics shop as they are two different pieces of equipment.

The chartplotter integrates with GPS and electronic navigational maps at its most base level and can get extremely sophisticated as the quality progresses. However all all chartplotters work with ENS which are official updated electronic charts.

A GPS is a much more basic piece of equipment in function but should serve your purposes of lake navigation unless you are fishing very large lakes.

[Fishing Rhino]

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Fishing-With-a-GPS-Chart-Plotter&id=3640600

http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/gps+receiver+howto.html

[Wayne P.]

I'll add one more thing to the puzzle. Some GPS and Sonar/GPS combos are plotters and not chart plotters. Those just show a track were you have traveled and show waypoints you have saved. Some of the less expensive Sonar/GPS units are that type.

Units that do the same thing with the capability to have maps overlayed on the screen are the chartplotters.

[eyedabassman]

I'll add one more thing to the puzzle. Some GPS and Sonar/GPS combos are plotters and not chart plotters. Those just show a track were you have traveled and show waypoints you have saved. Some of the less expensive Sonar/GPS units are that type.

Units that do the same thing with the capability to have maps overlayed on the screen are the chartplotters.

Thanks guys, The lakes that I fish are are not that big any where from 500 to 1800 acres. But I will be moving down to Table Rock Lake in Mo. in about a year. So Wayne are you saying I don't need a chartplotter and to get a less $$ GPS sonar/plotter? I am more intrusted in my tracking path of my boat and setting waypoints?

[J Francho]

A GPS/Sonar unit will be fine.

[Wayne P.]

eyedabassman, you don't "need" a chartplotter, BUT if you will be fishing a large body of water it will be a great benefit.

You can get a Sonar/GPS chartplotter combo and not purchase any mapping softwere until you need it later. The smaller bodies of water you mention probably won't be shown on any mapping software anyway. For your use at those places you will just have a plotter function.

[eyedabassman]

Thanks Again, What brand would you buy for what I need?