Corpusfishing.com

[Ol Sanch]

My boat actually has no GPS unit on it. When I bought the boat the unit was old and I could never get it to work. So I just said to hell with it and used maps. Call me crazy. Anyway, I've been contemplating getting a GPS. When I talked to the guys at the counter at BPS they basically said all the units are the same and the reason some are more expensive than others is the size of the screen. That doesn't sound completely true, so I turn to the all knowing fishing message board for advise.

My primary purpose for having this would be pursuing trout and reds in the ULM, Baffin, and Rockport areas. That said, what should I look for in a GPS? The sonar looked cool but do I need it? What about side sonar? Do all the units support the Navionics chip? How big of a screen? Any tips would be appreciated because missing out on key features or buying the wrong unit can be very expensive to rectify. Thanks.
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Do you even fish, Bro?

[mickeyd]

Good questions:
I am looking for a new gps and have had no lightening bolts hit with the solution yet.
Not all units support the Navionics chips(some Lowrance and Hummingbird units support Gold but not Platinum and so on). Base maps on Lowrance are different than base maps on Garmin(G2) but both rely on NOAA which does not chart some waters shallower than 1 foot, which in the past has excluded some bay areas around here. Do not know if that has changed with the current model year.
There is some good basic info on anglerproducts.com comparing systems but of course they are selling their favorites.
Lowrance has their new Elite series in 4,5,8,10 inch screens with the options of combo units(fishfinders/chartplotters) or stand alone with HDS, various transducer options, et. al. while most fishermen I talk to around these parts prefer the ease and consumer friendly versions of Garmin. I spent some time at West Marine last week and he wanted to sell me a Garmin which looked nice but I am holding out for some more info on the Lowrance units to be released this month(or so I thought).
Hummingbird puts out some nice combo units which will accept the Navionics chips and I have some kayaker buds that swear by them.
Let us know what you find out as I by no means know what the heck I am talking about but will continue to look until I find something....or not!
Mike
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Mike

[Popeye]

Sanch:
I just put a Garmin Chartplotter 441 (no SONAR) on my boat. I have no complaints thus far. It comes preloaded with the BlueChart G2 data for the entire U.S. It has very good coverage of the ULM...even has some of the popular fishing spots marked. You can also purchase a BlueChart G2 Vision card that will (among other things) overlay satellite images of your chart display. I haven't taken it into Baffin yet, however when panning through the chart it has alot of the nav hazards (rocks) marked...I'd be scared to say they're all marked, but alot of them are. Hope this helps.

[Capt Mike Singleterry]

The rocks in Baffin Bay have been known to move around, I've heard a number of people that have and use a GPS say after hitting a rock and ripping off their lower unit....."that rock wasn't there the last time I was here"


Mike

[Popeye]

I believe it. There's been a number of ships run aground on structures that "wasn't there" also. One needs to know and understand the accuracy rate of a GPS device. By no means should one rely solely on it. Nothing takes the place of a good Seaman's Eye.

[Ol Sanch]

Yeah, I read in the old GPS owners manual that the way points, and I presume the routes as well, can be X number of feet off in any direction. In other words, the device isn't exact. I don't know if that's changed since the device was produced but I doubt it.
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Do you even fish, Bro?

[justletmein]

I don't know if there are any more left, but Academy stores have the Lowrance HDS-5 (GPS+FF) on clearance for $399 right now and Lowrance has a $100 rebate on them for a net of $299. This unit is still selling online for $700+. I bought one and I've used it twice now, sure is nice to split screen the chart on one side and the nav compass on the other and just cruise. I haven't even used the fishfinder portion yet other than to see if it works, but in the spring I'll likely use it to try and find some Stripers at Lake Amistad.
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JJ

[texmike]

I have an older Lowrance. Works good once you figure out what it's limits are. Charts are good with the chip added. Sonar works good if your going at the right speed. What I mean by that is it will not keep up with you if your going fast on top of the water and eill put you aground before you know your to shallow. Been there done that. Now when I'm in an area that is new to me I slow down and let the sonar work. Hate trying to push the boat off a sandbar that I didnt' know was there and just reached up and got me. I have heard good and bad about each model just depends on who you talk to. Oh one more thing don't run your GPS/Sonar if you don't need it when fishing along with your bait well and other electronics. You will get the same surpirse I got. Dead battery. Boy that made it a perfect fishing day.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you can find a rock.
Will Rogers

[Oldguy]

I too just bought a used boat here in Rockport and really scratching my head on a GPS/sounder/charts, etc. Searching for answers on which to buy, Garmin or Lowrance. I see the prices are depended on what size screen you want. We are just fishing the bays and some offshore?

[skunked]

Garmin for saltwater and lowrance for freshwater. I have used both in both salt and fresh and have found this to be true. Garmin has better detail in saltwater and lowrance wins in freshwater. Don't depend on the gps when it comes to obstructions, none of them are 100% accurate. They can get you close (within 30 feet or so), but that's not accurate enough for my standards.

[Oldguy]

[mickeyd]

Thanks for the info "Skunked".
I have been getting just the opposite info what with Lowrance Platinum being the "go to" mapping system.
Hard to make a decision sometimes...
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Mike

[Drake]

I have worked with both companies. Garmin has by far the higher quality control standards and much better tx/rx radios.

That being said the best your going to get is +/1 3'. And often it is as much as 5'. That is great if you looking for a duck / deer blind and not so great if your trying to find something you can't see.

[Ol Sanch]

What is a "tx/rx radios"?
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Do you even fish, Bro?

[SaltyCuda]