Lakemaster Maps – Pool 4 “Pro Maps”

For all you river guys out there, Lakemaster has released maps for both Pool 4 and Pool 8. The maps are in 3ft contours, which are obviously better than the 5ft “normal” ones, but not as detailed as the ReelBottom maps.
At any rate, I thought I include a couple screenshots of what the maps look like. It appears there is a problem with the set I received, as the original “placeholder” map shows up over the real map. You can tell by the contours all becoming the same color. I will be emailing Lakemaster regarding this.
I’m not familiar with either Pool 4 or Pool 8, so I’m throwing this up there for the guys who do know it, and see if it is worth it or not. I realize this map will differ due to various water levels… it may be a good idea to see what the “estimated” stage was at when these were created.

I originally bought the Pro Map package for the additional lakes it has in 3ft contours.

another screenshot…

Can you post the scene shots of the channel from below the dam to the “Y”? It seems like these maps are missing an enormous amount of detail but want to see one frame further downstream from that first one before I can be sure.

thanks. interesting product.

Will this work??? How in the heck are the measuring depths? What about high water, low water, I have found 5′ holes one year that are washed away the next. I realize that it for most of the river it will be fine, but rivers change so much.

What does everyone else think? Good product or not?

Sure James… here you go. On this one, you can get confused by the problem this map has. The deeper shade of blue appears, like I said, to be the old placeholder on the map. If you just look at the contour lines…. you can figure it out.

Ok… this is kinda what I thought from that first image. The definition and attention to detail is poor. Very. I mean, shouldn’t all of the wingdams be shown, not just ONE. I could see missing the itty-bitty wingdam on the MN side furthest upstream towards the dam…. but I mean they missed a couple whoppers too. And the depth contours on the WI side along the sandflat on down towards the “cat hole” are missing the good stuff and any of the larger inside turns that are the fish magnets on that flat.

Sorry to sound pretty negative on this but I’m not impressed. Steve Vick has “give-away” maps at the resort that are more detailed. I am basing this on seeing just a few shots and the rest of the map could be “right on” but from the little I’ve seen… it’s not very good.

I’m guessing that the answer to the question of this being a useable product will be no. I agree, there are just too many outstanding issues that will affect the quality, and confidence, in the map. However, it may be useful to some extent for someone to get an idea of where to initially start… but that’s a very big *may*.
But, thats just me. You guys will be able to better answer that than me!!!

To be useable this map should at least make a point to show the few serious navigation hazards on the most popular stretch of this particular body of water. Especially for those just starting out. As a guy that could draw a better map from memory than what they have here, this to me is a poor attempt at best.

I’ve seen the Reel Bottom maps and they’re incredible. If this map is designed to compete with that product, Lake Master has some catching up to do.

Isn’t the Hot spots map for pool 4 produced by Lake Master or is my memory failing me. The Hot Spots map is pretty good for its age and is still pretty useful even considering all the changes the river has undergone since it’s first printing.

Hey…. negative or positive, doesn’t matter to this guy. Just letting you guys see it before you decide to purchase!

The last week or 2, I’m starting to have a few reservation regarding the Lakemaster product. First, just the quality of the Pool 4 map, with the old map laying over it is pretty ridiculous. Maybe it’s just my version, but nonetheless, it a product for that kind of money should be more refined.
I also found out the map datum for Lake Calhoun is appoximately 400-500 ft off. Thats a big difference when your’re trying to get on a specific break by using the GPS!!

But, that’s all I can say that I’ve had problems with. Mille Lacs, and other lakes, seem to be right on.

Thanks for sharing this with us. This kind of info can really help out others that may be looking at this product. If you’re a river guy, not so good. If you fish Mille Lacs or other bodies of water, it may be the ticket.

We all appreciate you taking the time to post the photos!

I think it depends on what GPS you have. It may be worth looking to see if yours has a selectable datum. Most use the WGS-84 Earth model, but there are several hundred different datums and coordinate systems out there, with each being a little bit unique.

I purchased the Lakemaster Package last year and found it to be a joke. I ended up sending it back to the company for a full refund. The tech I spoke to regarding the glitches that I had with it informed me that it had “bugs” for some operating systems.
I was thoroughly unimpressed!