For those of you that have fished around the state and used both Humminbird and Lowrance, which do you think has the better mapping for MN lakes and why?
For those of you that have fished around the state and used both Humminbird and Lowrance, which do you think has the better mapping for MN lakes and why?
There was a time that I didn't fish but I cannot remember it.
I personally have a one of each chip and find that this is a lake by lake thing. Some lakes are better on one or the other. I would say that not one is better. Just my experience.
2019 Nitro Z19 Sport with 150 Four stroke
Swinging bass in the front
and wake boards and tubes off the back
Same here. Most lakes my Lakemaster chip is better, however, there are lakes where Navionics is better. Sooo, I too have both.Originally Posted by bassmastermatt
Thanks for the responses
There was a time that I didn't fish but I cannot remember it.
For MN lakes most of the time I have found the Lakemaster Mapping to be very accurate, but rivers, it seems the Navionics app is more up to date. This years flooding did a number on the rivers though and a LOT of silt washed down and created a lot of new sand bars. Very interested to see updated Google Earth imagery from the low water periods from early fall before the big rains came thru, if we are lucky enough to get those updates.
For Wisconsin lakes, I have found Navionics to be off on almost every one of them I have fished, and some of them are off by a huge amount. Lakemaster has been very good on the high def lakes in the Chesseland.
I know it takes a bit more time, but if you are fishing the same lakes often, I would just make your own maps. Autochart Live is a great way to make perfect maps using your own sonar (Humminbird). I just turn it on while I'm fishing, and before I leave the spot I'll take a few passes over the top to flesh the map out. Repeat at your next spot. After a time or two doing this, each spot you fish will be mapped to a level of detail that no chip can match. Now, I use Garmin (so the self-mapping feature is called Quickdraw Contours) so I don't know about how much space it takes on an Autochart Live or Genesis Live SD card, but for Garmin I can run hundreds of hours before the SD card would fill up. I have most of about 5-6 lakes mapped out pretty well using this technique. The accuracy is great even while moving up to about 8-10mph. It's practically perfect when you're running 5mph or less.
I highly recommend making your own maps. If you putter around a bit looking for spots, you can find some hidden gems that aren't on any commercially-available map.
Cheers!
Very good info fellas and appreciated.
I've been fishing MN lakes for many decades and now that I'm no longer derby fishing, I have to say my one true love is exploring new ones. I currently have Lakemaster and Navionics chips but run outdated HDS Gen 2 units. I am seriously considering upgrading them for better mapping and the live charting features. I get frustrated with the smaller less popular lakes on the chips that draw their data from the DNR 1960s surveys. I've only ever used Lowrance units so that it what I am used to. I have no interest in FFS but am very interested in Humminbird 360.
I'm very open to any and all input and recommendations you might have. Thanks.
There was a time that I didn't fish but I cannot remember it.
Given your situation, I think your instinct to upgrade to units capable of live charting is a good one. If you're on smaller, less popular lakes often, having the capability of making your own maps is so useful. For me, the pre-loaded maps are a good starting point for making my own. My Garmin units are 2-3 years old now, and their base maps contain "1-ft" contours of every lake I'm fishing, but I still regard them as a starting point that I fill in with live charting. Since Garmin uses Navionics maps for its pre-loaded maps, I can just go to the website https://webapp.navionics.com/#boating, zoom in, and scroll around to find out if a lake I'm going to is covered well by the base maps. For me, good boat control begins with good mapping.
Also, your interest in Mega 360 is probably warranted. Friends of mine that have Mega 360 say that its best use for them is when they explore new bodies of water. I'm sure you've felt like me when I'm on a new lake: disoriented! Which way from the boat is that reef? The point extends how far out here? Where is the weed edge from where I'm at right here? My buddies love Mega 360 for being able to properly orient themselves adjacent to cover and structure.
You will not be disappointed with M360!
I let my buddy buy one first so I could see what it was all about. After fishing with him and seeing it in action, I had have one.
My other buddy (who coincidentally has a Garmin Livescope) fished out of my boat once last year was impressed with the M360. He fished out of my boat about a half dozen times again this year. Needless to say, he bought a compatible Helix this fall and is planning on getting the M360 over the winter to go along with his Garmin, as they both have their place (ironically I decided I needed the Garmin Livescope after fishing out of his boat LOL). But, if I were to only have one or the other, it would definitely be the M360 for me.
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