Help me pick a new fish finder

[MN Fisher]

6 minutes ago, RipzLipz said:

In addition, they have something called safety depth.

Ya, it's a great little feature...for Bass Trek I've got it set to 3' on the App.

[gim]

I think most modern GPS maps are shaded in color like that based on depth.

 

My Lowrance units utilize that feature as well.

[RipzLipz]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

I think most modern GPS maps are shaded in color like that based on depth.

 

My Lowrance units utilize that feature as well.

Wasn’t intending to sound like I’m touting it as a feature in favor of one unit versus another, was trying (and doing a bad job of it) to point out some capabilities are limited or only available on certain brands of cards in HBird units only. Didn’t want the OP to run out & buy a Navionics card expecting to do everything a Lakemaster can do. Pros & cons for cards, as with about everything we use.

[gim]

Just now, RipzLipz said:

Didn’t want the OP to run out & buy a Navionics card expecting to do everything a Lakemaster can do.

I actually didn't know Navionics was compatible with Birds either until @casts_by_fly indicated that.  I thought only Lakemaster worked with them.

 

I still use the Insight Reveal Maps on one of my Lowrance units.  I don't think they are even made anymore.

 

I have about a 15 year old handheld Lowrance H20C that also still has a Lakemaster chip in it.

[RipzLipz]

@gimruis Have been for quite some time, as far as I know. I know my dad had a bird unit that predated Helix & I believe he had a Navionics chip in it.

[IneedAnewScreenName-98161861]

So I should go with which card....... Again please remember I'm in canada

[RipzLipz]

2 hours ago, IneedAnewScreenName-98161861 said:

So I should go with which card....... Again please remember I'm in canada

My response is in hopes of helping you the most in the long run, based on my experience. I feel you learn very little by being told how to spend your money. I am by no means a guru at this. With that said, I would recommend you do the research & figure out the answer above on your own. More questions to which only you can answer may come up as you’re narrowing it down, if only considering between the 2 that were discussed yesterday. Some things to consider/ask yourself:

1. Where will the unit be used the most (home waters or extended fishing trips)?
2. What specific unit and/or mapping features will you be using the most given what species you target & how you fish for them?
3. Check compatibility. Make sure the specific card works with your specific unit. Some of the newer LM cards/features aren’t compatible with older generation units (G1, G2, G3, etc.).
4. Double check the coverage area to make sure your primary waters are included (LM provides listings under each card detail page on their website).

Those are pretty basic questions that you should be able to answer. If you cannot, then you may find you’re in over your head very quickly or spending money for things you don’t really need. You need to read carefully. If you don’t understand something, like Autochart Live, SmartStrike, Relief Shading, etc. & if needed, come back & ask specific questions. I promise you won’t regret learning this stuff if you plan to use your unit to its potential. Remember, you can take information from mapping, sonar, down/side imaging to help paint a more complete picture of what may be going on underwater & that should help you decide where & possibly how to fish.

 

Look at Lakemaster first. It has the most to offer with HBird units. Know what features do what with LM. If you just need a map to show depth & for navigation, look at Navionics.

[Tennessee Boy]

3 hours ago, IneedAnewScreenName-98161861 said:

So I should go with which card....... Again please remember I'm in canada

You can view Navionics maps online and you can get apps to view Navionics and LakeMaster maps on your phone or tablet.    LakeMaster has a free trial in the app so you can use that to view the lakes in your area to see which provides the best coverage of your lakes.  A map is only as good as the data used to create it.  LakeMaster might provide the better map for one lake and Navionics might be best for another.

[casts_by_fly]

with a humminbird unit, i'd probably lean lakemaster if its available and good in your lakes.  I tend to favor in-built compatibility than cross company compatibility.  A company has no inherent incentive to make a think work for someone elses product/software/etc while they will want to ensure their own stuff works right.

 

As everyone above said, check both for your area and see which has better mapping for your lakes.