Zero Line, Navtronics, Lake master.. Sooo many choices.

Hello everyone!

I can’t seem to make up my mind on which card I should get. I have a humminbird Helix 9 G2N Mega. I typically fish a small local lake in IL that doesn’t seem to be an HD option of either of the chips, so I was thinking a zero line chip, but I am not sure.

I do plan to journey around more often this year and hit lakes in IL and Wisconsin, so I don’t know if a zero line is the best option. I will most likely only be going once or twice a year to each lake and won’t have time to map out the contours using zero line.

What do you guys suggest?

If I am understanding your question correctly, I’d recommend having both a traditional map chip and the zero lines card. Your Helix should have 2 card slots if you want to spend the $ for both cards. If not, your Helix has 8 hours of built-in time to save autochart data (which is a minimal amount).

Autochart Live maps are going to be the latest most accurate, real-time data. So many people are missing out when they rely on other map chips. I fish the river a ton, and all of the big market chips are extremely vague and very inaccurate due to annual changes.

The downfall to Autochart Live is the time it takes to develop a map. If you want to map a relatively large area it’s going to take a while. My plan for this season is to spend 30 minutes mapping each outing before a line ever hits the water. By the end of the summer, I should have a pretty impressive map for the season.

Yeah. I don’t think the wife is going to let me spend for both. I have already used up all of my 8 hours and have so much more to map.

What about getting the Navionics app for your phone, or a tablet if you have one, it’s cheap, then get the zero line card and make maps every time you fish? You can upgrade to a better map chip later though none of them will be as accurate as the maps you make for yourself.

Maybe a Zero line card and buy individual lakes with

https://chartselect.humminbird.com

I am pretty sure you can record sonar for auto chart live onto just a blank sd card, but I don’t know how the unit will read it verse a zero line card.

You already spent over a grand on the unit, what’s another hundred bucks to get both cards and really have it all?

I think it depends on how you want to use the data you’re looking for…

1) Auto Chart Live + Zero Line card (find them on ebay for ~ $80) – you create the content and you own the content; no sharing of it. Yes, takes some time, but really allows you to focus on specific spots / details

2) Navionics + $120 for a Vexilar T Pod (since the Helix / Humminbird locators don’t talk to the Navionics app) will allow you to create your own maps… down fall is what is uploaded to their server is smoothed substantially and you lose some details, plus you’ve just shared your data with everyone on the app. The positive is it’s uploaded to your phone for easy use icefishing

3) A hybrid… get the Navionics app for your phone / tablet & use that to get you in the ballpark of the structure you want ($10). Buy a zeroline card to map in better detail / accuracy the spots you want to fish / know more about

4) Lakemaster map… which are specific to a state / body of water in some circumstances.

Did you go to the Navionics chart previewer? https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating@6&key=ssooGzmbxP
Make sure click on the sonar icon on the lower left and chose the high Sonar Chart layer

You can log sonar upload to Navionics and they will process the data to download to the map card. Navionics+ covers all US and Canada