GPS/Sonar

[KrappieKid]

I recently purchased the Lowrance LMS334C GPS/Fishfinder. It has the port where you can plug in a SD card with some maps of area lakes. I have been looking at the Navionics South and East SD cards. I fish both Illinois (East card) and Missouri (South Card). I was opting to go thiis route because if you buy the regions seperately it covers more lakes that the entire US card. Does anyone have any experience with these? Is there another brand that I should be considering that may be better? I am brand new to GPS and know little about it.

KrappieKid

[crome]

i don't know any thing about the nav.brand of maps,but i use the lowrance brand fishing hot spots elite and they seem pretty good ,you can also go to lowrance's page and down load updates to the sd-mmc card as they come available

[J White]

a friend sent me a couple of "screen shots" from a Hummingbird with
the Navionics premium maps of a couple spots on one of my favorite
lakes - I was really impressed with the detail and contour lines - down
to 1 foot intervals in places. Night and day between that and the old
paper maps I am used to - gotta have it! :D
(they were from the "East" and "South" maps) The lake is right on the border
of the two, and it appears they have some "overlap", if I am understanding him
right. The lake was Pickwick, in the corner of TN, AL, and MS.

[THE FISHERMANS EDGE]

I have and use both hotspots and navonics. I like hotspots a better due to the fact it has a bit more detail when it comes to fishing spots, for example brush piles and contours of the bottom are a bit better with hot spots.

[ShilohRed]

a friend sent me a couple of "screen shots" from a Hummingbird with
the Navionics premium maps of a couple spots on one of my favorite
lakes - I was really impressed with the detail and contour lines - down
to 1 foot intervals in places. Night and day between that and the old
paper maps I am used to - gotta have it! :D
(they were from the "East" and "South" maps) The lake is right on the border
of the two, and it appears they have some "overlap", if I am understanding him
right. The lake was Pickwick, in the corner of TN, AL, and MS.

Wish I had a map like that. Also on the Premium maps Tn end of pickwick to And bear creek is on the North east maps and the south maps. I have the hot spots map and it not even close to the Premium maps.
This is a screen shot of the map.


The premium maps will on most lakes show 1' lines. You can see a point just by looking at it.
Also go http://www.lowrance.com/mapping/default.asp Enhanced Lake Maps Theres some free lake maps there for your unit. Just load them to you SD card and your set.
Pete

[THE FISHERMANS EDGE]

If you spend $2000 on a humminbird these are the maps you get...I thought the topic was for a Lowrance 334, maps are a bit different than the above.

[ShilohRed]

If you spend $2000 on a humminbird these are the maps you get...I thought the topic was for a Lowrance 334, maps are a bit different than the above.

Well to start with that map does not come with the humminbird.
And as for the post about this being for a lowrance 334. Yes it is!!And if you learn how to read a post he asked about an SD card. And both of them take the SD card and same map.. And that is the same map for both units.
So have a great day and read before posting about a $2000. unit.

Pete

[THE FISHERMANS EDGE]

http://www.lowrance.com/mapping/FHSelite/default.asp

This is the picture for the Hot Spots Map and Link...it is a personal preference as to what maps you want. I use a 332, so I went through the same delema trying to pick a good map, a few years ago choices were a bit fewer than today. Some of the information in this thread will help you make an educated decision. KrappieKid if you need some help let me know.
Thanks
Alan

[KrappieKid]

Thanks for all the help. With this I should be able to get one picked out. The one thing that I have noticed is that the Hot Spots show mostly larger lakes in my area while the premium show several smaller lake (1000 acres or less) that I fish regularly. I will keep you posted with what I find.

Thanks

[skiptomylu]

If you get the HD maps from Navionics and the lakes you fish have the High Def info on them it will have 1' contour lines, if not it will at least show all the creeks and major break contours. I like both Navionics and Lowrance maps except don't get my info confused with the map create at Lowrance. I have never used the create system they have.