Just wandering if anyone has a Garmin GPS unit that's loaded with lake TOPO information. As best I can tell the info would be on a card (SD card or something of that nature) which they call "US Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hotspots". If so, my question is, is the topo info really good or is it sorta vague? We have a Garmin 172 console mounted gps unit and the card I'm describing costs about $120.00. We also have a Lowrance sonar unit that can double as a GPS. I know that the Lowrance software provides good bottom detail, but we'd have to purchase an antenna and the SD card in order to make "it" work. That's seems like it's going to cost about $350.00-$400.00. If I could determine that the Garmin bottom detail is good, well, I could get "out the door" for about $250.00 less. Any info would be much appreciated.
Bryan I use the Fishing Hotspots Elite card and the contour detail is exceptional.....one word of warning though......those channel markers are not even close. they appear to be in line but are off as much as 50 to 100 yds as to where the map shows especially coming out on to Marion from the canal. I ordered the new Hotspots Pro East card because it has both Ga. and SC. on it but it has been backordered with no promise date.
I use "US Recreational Lakes with Fishing Hotspots" in my garmin gpsmap76 hand held and it is really pretty good for topo and inland lakes, except for channel marker location, as mentioned by Roundhill. Note that I also found this to be true on the Lowrance chips (Fishing Hot Spots Elite, and Navionics Hot Maps). Off subject, but my new Navionics Hot Maps Premium 2007 is much more accurate, at least on Lake Moultrie, in my Lowrance lms337 than anything I've used yet, and the contour lines, as much as I've been able to check, are pretty much right on.
Tommy, i have the navionics hot maps gold east card from 04 and it is way off on the markers too. is the newer cards that much better? GARY
Gary, Navionics has done their own mapping on a lot of lakes, and Lake Moultrie is one of them. Yes, as far as I've been able to determine, the markers are pretty close to where the map says, but I've only been on the lake once since I bought the new chip. I bought the '07 version because it had everything on it, as far as the lakes I fish, which didn't justify buying the '08 version. The 1 foot contours that show up when zooming in really help further define the bottom, and it seems to be more accurate than the older versions that i've been using.
Blackwaterkatz, Is the bottom detail better on the Navionics software (Lowrance) than it is on the "US Rec Lakes with Fishing Hotspots" in the Garmin unit?
