Rainy Lake Mapping

Navionics or Lakemaster card for Rainy Lake?
I have an old Navionics card and it’s ok for its age but see both brands have updates. Thoughts?

Lakemaster is very good. I haven’t seen any map that is accurate in shallow bays or swampy shorelines. Lakemaster also shows built in routes. I sure wouldn’t travel the lake without GPS map.

I agree
Lakemaster is best I’ve found. I beleive it’s the Rainy – LOTW’s lakemaster card for Lowrance is what I have always used.

Just a question about LM maps. When they come out with a new version of a map say—-WI, MN, R/LOTW are there many improvements? What is the difference of a version 2 vs a version 5 for instance. Just asking because I have V2 and V4 of WI and as far as the map part I don’t see a difference on the couple lakes I fish mostly. I know you need at least a V4 to run the link on MK i-pilot.

mxskeeter wrote:

Just a question about LM maps. When they come out with a new version of a map say—-WI, MN, R/LOTW are there many improvements? What is the difference of a version 2 vs a version 5 for instance. Just asking because I have V2 and V4 of WI and as far as the map part I don’t see a difference on the couple lakes I fish mostly. I know you need at least a V4 to run the link on MK i-pilot.

In my experience, the difference is in the number of lakes actually surveyed with modern technology. Unless they’re marked as high definition, they’re usually 10-foot contours derived from 1930’s era technology. I wish the mapping companies would provide a good reference data base showing the incremental changes in content from Version 1 to the current version.

The Lakemaster is great for sure. Plus you can set certain colors for depth ranges. Example, I set anything from 5ft or shallower to red. It was really accurate, I was going thru an area highlighted in white (which was the 5ft to 10ft range on the chip), smoked a rock and when I zoomed into the 50ft zoom range, sure enough, there were a couple of red pixels….

Do you care about the Canadian side or just the American? What unit is the chip going in. If Canadian here’s a couple things

Get the LM regular not the “plus” with the satellite overlay. It does’t cover much of the Canadian side and is worse with shorelines.

Beware that many many hazards are not marked if you go off into bays. The old paper maps and the base maps inside the new Helix units are much better. No idea why they couldn’t import the old data into the new chips.

bigstorm wrote:

The Lakemaster is great for sure. Plus you can set certain colors for depth ranges. Example, I set anything from 5ft or shallower to red. It was really accurate, I was going thru an area highlighted in white (which was the 5ft to 10ft range on the chip), smoked a rock and when I zoomed into the 50ft zoom range, sure enough, there were a couple of red pixels….

The problem is only 2 colors you can adjust is red and green, which also is the color of marker buoys makes high speed tight areas tricky. I really zoom in when traveling under 30 feet or known Rocky areas. I also mark rocks that I come across that don’t show up unless zoomed in. Use the skull and cross pirates’ icon. Rainy has some rocks not on the map and a few areas where the depth is off. Takes a few years to get comfortable. Be safe.

Hire a guide for a day have him go in your boat mark safe routes and a few fishing spots. Well worth the investment.

Wayne

Wayne Daul wrote:

The problem is only 2 colors you can adjust is red and green, which also is the color of marker buoys makes high speed tight areas tricky.

Good point. I wish the shallow water highlight was a pale yellow or something so you could see the contour lines better. The red also hides the tracks you make, maybe I could change that but haven’t looked into it.

Anyone know what the difference is between the new Lakemaster MN V9 that now includes Rainy and LOTW and the dedicated Rainy/LOTW chip that’s been around?

I was shopping for a new MN chip tonight and was really shocked to see these two on the MN v9 lake list. Maybe the MN chip has the US and not the Canadian side? Maybe the dedicated Rainy/Woods chip will become obsolete? Other?

Good point. I wish the shallow water highlight was a pale yellow or something so you could see the contour lines better. The red also hides the tracks you make, maybe I could change that but haven’t looked into it.
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I think you can change the color of your track.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

Good point. I wish the shallow water highlight was a pale yellow or something so you could see the contour lines better. The red also hides the tracks you make, maybe I could change that but haven’t looked into it.

“I think you can change the color of your track.”

I agree… knowing I can with my lowrance, not quite sure with birds…

Mark

Yes, you can change the track color. That doesn’t always help when you start accumulating lots of tracks.the yellow suggestions are spot on as a third color. That is what I suggested to Bird tech. I don’t think they are boaters so don’t understand the problem.