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SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: LakeMaster maps suck!  (Read 2709 times)

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pmmpete

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Missoula, Montana
  • Date Registered: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 1989
In the past I have used Navionics maps on my fish finder, and they're pretty good.  From using them extensively, I know that they don't show some fine details.  For example, an area shown as a smooth slope on the Navionics maps may in fact contain a variety of ridges, gullies, pinnacles, and cliffs, which you discover by traversing along contour lines and jigging.  And those features often attract and hold fish.  Despite this occasional lack of detail, the Navionics maps are extremely useful.  You can see exactly what the Navionics maps for anyplace in the county look like by checking out the Navionics Web App, which is available for free at https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating@9&key=ewxbHpayvT

But I just bought a new fish finder, and wondered whether to buy Navionics or LakeMaster maps for the new equipment. The LakeMaster maps aren't available for viewing on line, but a list of LakeMaster maps for the western states is available at https://www.humminbird.com/support/chart-lists.  The website lists about 500 lakes in Montana.  But if you look more carefully at the list, you discover that not all of the maps are “high definition” maps.  Only 11 lakes in Montana are “HD Lakes,” which are identified by bold type on the list, and none of the lakes in Montana are “HD LakeMaster Surveyed Lakes," which are identified by bold italic type on the list.  Flathead Lake, which I fish a lot, isn't covered by a high definition Lakemaster map.  I went fishing on Flathead Lake with a friend who had just bought the LakeMaster maps, and discovered that the standard definition maps of that lake are less than worthless.  They look like a child was given a crayon and told to draw a couple of lines parallel to the lakeshore.  For example, at the northwest corner of Finley Point, the LakeMaster map doesn’t show the line of mounds up to 150 feet high which extends to the northwest from the point (from 200 feet up to 50 feet, and extending for about 3/4 of a mile, so they aren't a trivial underwater feature).  LakeMaster's contour lines just follow the shoreline of the point. When I saw the LakeMaster map, I thought that the fishfinder had failed to connect to the map card, and I was seeing the base map which came with the fish finder, but it turns out that that’s what LakeMaster’s “Standard Definition Survey” of Flathead Lake looks like.  By selling those crappy maps, LakeMaster is basically committing fraud. They're worthless. 

From pictures I have seen of high definition LakeMaster maps, they appear to have comparable detail to the Navionics maps.  So if you do most of your fishing on a lake which is covered by a high definition LakeMaster map, you may be OK on that lake.  It would be interesting to compare a high definition LakeMaster map of a lake which you know well to a Navionics map of the same lake, to see which map has greater detail and accuracy. 
« Last Edit: October 13, 2021, 08:14:37 PM by pmmpete »


snopro

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: HR
  • Date Registered: Jun 2008
  • Posts: 1111
You've outlined the case for why I'll never buy a ff without quickdraw or autochart.


pmmpete

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Missoula, Montana
  • Date Registered: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 1989
You've outlined the case for why I'll never buy a ff without quickdraw or autochart.
My new fishfinder is a Humminbird Helix 7 which has Autochart.  I'm a technology dope, but I hope I can figure Autochart out.  One thing I'd like to do with Autochart is to make maps of specific small areas of lakes where I know that the Navionics maps don't show some detail about features which I've fished over for years.  Another thing I'd like to do is to map large areas of some smallish lakes which aren't covered by Navionics maps.  But I'm not going to rely on Autochart for all of my mapping needs.  I'd rather let Navionics do all the hard work.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2021, 06:20:49 AM by pmmpete »


snopro

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: HR
  • Date Registered: Jun 2008
  • Posts: 1111
If Autochart is like Quickdraw, it will be very simple and should accomplish exactly what you're hoping for.


pmmpete

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Missoula, Montana
  • Date Registered: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 1989
A friend pointed out that the Navionics maps only cover the east (downstream) half of Fort Peck Reservoir, but that the high definition LakeMaster maps of Fort Peck Reservoir (one of only 11 high definition lake maps in the state) do cover the west half of that Reservoir, including the Hell Creek area. 
« Last Edit: October 15, 2021, 09:01:00 AM by pmmpete »


SD2OR

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Eugene, OR
  • Date Registered: Jul 2020
  • Posts: 619
So, I bought a Lowrance Hook2 this year. Only the second finder I've ever used. It did not come with any maps or software. I thought I'd still be able to drop pins in good spots off Depoe and PC, and be able to get back to them. So far, it hasn't worked.....

Do I need to buy maps in order to navigate and save spots?

If so, what is the cheapest worthwhile option?

Thanks in advance for any info or advice! 
A day without fishing probably wouldn't kill me,
but why risk it?

3rd Place AOTY 2023

3rd Place ORC 2023

1st Place Team Event BCS 2023
12th Place Individual BCS 2023

2nd Place AOTY 2022
1st Place Tiny Fish Slam 2022



2007 Red Hobie Outback "Serenity"
2021 Camo Hobie Outback "Lagertha"


pmmpete

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Missoula, Montana
  • Date Registered: Jul 2013
  • Posts: 1989
So, I bought a Lowrance Hook2 this year. Only the second finder I've ever used. It did not come with any maps or software. I thought I'd still be able to drop pins in good spots off Depoe and PC, and be able to get back to them. So far, it hasn't worked.....

Do I need to buy maps in order to navigate and save spots?

If so, what is the cheapest worthwhile option?

Thanks in advance for any info or advice!
Here's what I did for a number of years: When I was going to fish on a lake which has been mapped by Navionics, I'd go to the Navionics web app, take screen shots of the maps of that lake, paste them into a Word document, print the maps, and laminate them.  Then with the help of the maps, I'd explore around the lake with sonar.  When I found a prominent feature shown on the maps, such as a sharp drop-off, a ridge, or the top of a mound, I'd mark it with a waypoint.  If I found a school of fish, I'd go through the area in cloverleaf or figure eight patterns to pin down the location of the fish, the the help of the GPS track shown by my fish finder, which you will get whether on not you have a map chip in your fish finder.  And I did pretty well with those techniques.  Then I finally bought the Navionics maps, and wished I had bought them years earlier.

For some kinds of fishing, Navionics maps aren't particularly useful.  For example, if you're fishing weed beds along the shore in shallow water for bass or pike, and can easily find your favorite spots by using landmarks along the shore, Navionics maps may not be very helpful.  But when you're fishing away from shore, particularly in bigger lakes or the ocean, Navionics maps can be invaluable.  They allow you to go precisely to lake bottom features which hold fish.  If you do much of that kind of fishing, pull out your credit card and get the Navionics maps.  They're an excellent investment in fun.


Shin09

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Portland
  • Date Registered: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 549
So, I bought a Lowrance Hook2 this year. Only the second finder I've ever used. It did not come with any maps or software. I thought I'd still be able to drop pins in good spots off Depoe and PC, and be able to get back to them. So far, it hasn't worked.....

Do I need to buy maps in order to navigate and save spots?

If so, what is the cheapest worthwhile option?

Thanks in advance for any info or advice!

Do you have a Hook2X? If so, those are GPS only and you should be able to drop pins and see a track, but there will be no map.  If its a non-X model, it should at least have a basemap in there.  I forget how to change your map, but I think its settings - navigation or mapping - and there should be an option menu to pull down which maps are loaded.  I have been happy with the navionics maps and they arent too spendy, especially if you just buy the west coast ones.


SD2OR

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Eugene, OR
  • Date Registered: Jul 2020
  • Posts: 619
Thank you both for the info and suggestions.
I am pretty certain I have the Hook2, not the Hook2X.
When bassin the Willy, I do pretty much just use landmarks, and do pretty well.
It's mostly fishing for lings n buts off Depoe and PC, that I want the GPS help for.
Also, a couple times I went out this past summer, there was pea soup fog, luckily I was with others who did have good GPS. I would not have been able to go out otherwise, without being totally lost in the fog. I guess I just need to fiddle and experiment with the thing more.
I had dropped several pins off PC, but couldn't bring them up on the finder next time I went.
Will do some research, watch some YouTube, put Navionics on my Christmas list!
Thanks again guys!
A day without fishing probably wouldn't kill me,
but why risk it?

3rd Place AOTY 2023

3rd Place ORC 2023

1st Place Team Event BCS 2023
12th Place Individual BCS 2023

2nd Place AOTY 2022
1st Place Tiny Fish Slam 2022



2007 Red Hobie Outback "Serenity"
2021 Camo Hobie Outback "Lagertha"