Map Card Recommendations for Sag. Bay

[Spuddy64]

Hi all,

Just purchased a Lowrance H2Oc and am looking to buy the best map card for it for Saginaw Bay. I see there are Hot Maps, LakeMaster Pro Maps, Navionics Hot Maps Premium, etc. and I dont know which one would be best for Saginaw Bay. Suggestions or recommendations please before my brain shuts down from the stress:yikes:

[bigrackmack]

I would also be interested in the best one.....I agree it is very confusing trying to figure out which one is the best.....Was also interested in a Erie one....Isn't thier a map chip that has most the great Lakes on it?.......Thanks....Mack

[bigrackmack]

Welcome to the site...I almost forgot....Mack

[DanP]

I cant's speak for the others but lakemaps pro gives the inland lakes and most of Michigan waters of Lakes Erie, Huron, Michgian plus Lake St Clair and Detroit & St Clair Rivers. In december the gander store in port huron had lake maps pro on a H2OC and they used it as a store sample - Utica store did not. I did not buy for great lakes but inland and Lake St Clair so I have not looked at them - Some of the other members have used it in the big lakes and can probably give more information. You can also go to lakemaps web site and details of lake coverage on their site. Also gives some decent road detail.

New to GPS H2O and lakemaps but so far happy!

Dan

[gilly]

Seems to be the million dollar question. I was at the Novi show looking at the lakemaster pro maps. They seemed pretty good. I noticed they didn't show as many contour depth lines in LSC as the SCR. The guy said that is because the depth is more consistent. I asked him how old the data was versus the Navionics new Hot Spots 2007 map- which is suppose to have recently resurveyed lakes. He wasn't sure but said their data came from goverment type surveys and their mapping folks were much better than those in India who do so for Navionics...:yikes: In other words the data is one thing but to then design the contour lines on the map is quite an art form. I am sure the coast gaurd type data is quite dated and with the large drop in water levels even more so.

I have been looking and am starting to conclude that DR, LSC and SCR are not some of the more recently surveyed on the 2007 Navionics hotspot chip which runs $150 versus the Lakemaster Pro at $100. I will stop in at the GM store in Port Huron and check it out. Sure wish I could trade up to a h20c since I have the monochrome model which was before color but still only a few years old. Great unit for sure.

[kingfisher 11]

Last year I talked with a guy at Franks about maps for the bay. They had them so I would get of hold of Franks. I might even have the guys business card I talked with. For some reason the maps for my specific finder was not available at the time. It was just my model number.

Let me know if you need me to dig out the business card?

[Hunt4Ever]

I have the H2Oc also and I use the Navionics chips. They have a new chip called the "Fishin Chip" that has more detailed contour information than the standard chip. It comes free when you buy the new chip. There is a postcard that you send in registering your new chip and they send you the fishin chip.

[Spuddy64]

Looks like I am going to try out the Lakemaster Pro chip. I am going to try and find a store that has one that I can demo, and I will post an update then.

Thanks

[hitechman]

I would also be interested in the best one.....I agree it is very confusing trying to figure out which one is the best.....Was also interested in a Erie one....Isn't thier a map chip that has most the great Lakes on it?.......Thanks....Mack

Best is in the needs and eyes of the user. To me a topo map is best as I do little fishing. Ya gotta check them out to determine which is best for you--and make sure that map is downloadable to your brand of GPS.

The best topo map I found will only load onto a Magellen, but I've found Garmin is the best GPS for me.

Steve