Bought a Lowrance Expedition and looking forward to exploring the frozen water soon. The question is, which chip to buy. I am new to the world of GPS technology. My buddy has Navionics, but I have heard really good things about Lakemaster. My target area is mostly Central to Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Any feedback from you guys would be appreciated.
IDO » Forums » Fishing Forums » General Discussion Forum » Lakemaster vs. Navionics
Lakemaster vs. Navionics
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November 9, 2009 at 6:47 pm #814807
Not sure about the difference in Lakemaster or Nav.(I am sure you will hear something from others here). I can speak about difference in specific state maps compared to multiple state maps. I owe a multi-state Nav map and it is pretty detailed, but when I used a specific MN map that I borrowed, that map had much more detail than mine. We both owe the same model of NUVI by Garmin and the detail in the maps was very noticable. There you do for what that is worth.
November 9, 2009 at 7:02 pm #814811I have the navionics chip. It works ok for me, but if you want the real deal get the lake master. You get 1 ft contours on it and on the nav chip I have you get 5 ft contours and you’re lucky if they are right. I wanted to save some money by not having to get the MN and WI chips but I should have spent it. I think for ice fishing you would really be happier with the navionics. They use them on every ido ice outing to find the exact sopts they want to target. Im sure some of the IDO pro staff will have some Lake Master advice for you too!
November 9, 2009 at 7:12 pm #814815What I would suggest is to get on the Lakemaster website and check out the lake lists for each state. If the lakes you fish are on the Lakemaster chips you’ll be very happy with the accuracy and detail that just isn’t available on the other products.
Here’s the Lakemaster lake list for the 2009 MN chip >>> Lakemaster – MN lake list
Here’s the Lakemaster lake list for the 2009 WI chip >>> Lakemaster – WI lake list
If you spot a good number of lakes you fish on those respective chips I think you’ll be more than pleased with the product once you’ve got it in your handheld this winter.
November 9, 2009 at 7:16 pm #814817I guess the question that comes to mind is what lakes do you frequent, and does either of the two options include those lakes?
Personally, LakeMaster MN chip (and the Lake of the Woods/Rainy Lake) has every lake I frequent and it is the best quality. It is usually spot on!
November 9, 2009 at 9:10 pm #814836Well, you guys are excellent as usual. 85 LUND I am assuming you meant that for ice fishing I would be happier with the Lakemaster chip according to the rest of your post. What I am hearing is that the Lakemaster chip has better detail, but I may have to sacrifice the quantity of lakes that is covered. Well, I will take a peek at the sites you offered James, and thanks again to everyone for the outstanding feedback. The ice can’t come soon enough.
November 10, 2009 at 12:15 am #814870When you decide, you might want to check with Wade from Jolly Ann’s. His prices are hard to beat plus the service is very fast.
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