Any of you using Humminbird GPS units?

[TGravo]

How's the detail of any canals or all areas here in South La. From what I see on the display in a store, it almost shows nothing?????

[Cooney]

Navionics doesn't offer very much on the map lakes charts for down here. I once called them and they said I would have to get a GOLD or PLATNUM edition. I checked those out and they were way better but I decided to get a blank SD card and make my routes that I fish then save them to the SD card. Works great and you know it's dead accurate.

[fishin couillon]

Travis, i did get your IM. I don't fish down there and don't know what to tell you. I do know that Lowrance is coming out with a mapping card Nautic Insight for the HDS units that covers the coastal waters. http://www.lowrance.com/Produc...t-HD/

[TGravo]

Whats odd is when I look on the lowrance unit in the store, it shows all canals everywhere around here. (I mostly fish bayou black area). The humminbird didn't show anything but the intercoastal. I was about to buy the humminbird but I'm not so sure now.

[Cooney]

Get the Lowrance for mapping...

[SUSHII]

If you are use to the older lowrance with the mapping cards you are going to be dissapointed either way you go(if you are thinking HDS). I had a HDS with the insight and it didnt impress me in the areas i fish

[jcdogfish]

I agree Cooney, I have hummingbirds now and use the navionics card. Some areas are similar to the lowrance but some are not so good. My son has an older 4000 lowrance GPS only and the maps are great, I think much better than the current lowrance units, He may have mapcreate, not sure. I think the only place the lowrance gps is better is down here with the canals etc. The best of both worlds would be lowrance on the helm and HB side imaging on the bow. I got used to the hummingbirds now and if you put a few waypoints where some of the canals are it is not a big issue for me but i've been fishing the area since I was a kid. And as far as the sonar side, if I can't touch bottom with the rod tip i'm fishing too deep but this old dog is trying to learn.

[MisterE]

It shows less than nothing actually. I kept my lowrance just for the maps. I have both. I use the HB for everything but the maps. I use my lowrance for GPS only and there isnt even a transducer hooked to it. The maps for HB(navionics) suck for this area. It would take 2 cards to accomplish what i need and the intracoastal card isnt all that great for the areas that i need it for and a different card for Toledo Bend. The lowrance has everything on it now(i use an old mapcreate chip)

[TGravo]

I made the guy put the navionics lake card in the HB unit today at BPS. The canals did show up with the card but still no where near the detail of the lowrance HDS 5 or even a Garmin unit. Both of those had the base maps too, nothing else. That sucks. I was pretty set on the HB too. Not sure what I'm going to get at this point.

[MisterE]

Bad thing about our area, to get the best of both worlds takes both brands. (at least for me)

[TGravo]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MisterE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Bad thing about our area, to get the best of both worlds takes both brands. (at least for me)</TD></TR></TABLE>
Thats kind of what it looks like. Sucks really.

[fishin couillon]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tgravo2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not sure what I'm going to get at this point.</TD></TR></TABLE> All you have to do is make a descesion. If it makes you feel any better, the area i fish up here doesn't have anything on the base mapping or the navionics. It's just basic outline of the lakes and rivers. There are about 4 lakes on the map and all the contours are incorrect. So i get to save money on mapping.

[TGravo]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fishin couillon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> All you have to do is make a descesion. If it makes you feel any better, the area i fish up here doesn't have anything on the base mapping or the navionics. It's just basic outline of the lakes and rivers. There are about 4 lakes on the map and all the contours are incorrect. So i get to save money on mapping. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm not even so much concerned about the lake details. I just want to make sure the areas I'm fishing are even showing on the map

[MisterE]

Having a good map on my GPS was everything to me. I just got this boat(my first) about 2 1/2 years ago and there was no way i was going to remember the trips i had with my old neighbors 25 + years ago. Especially because i was just riding and not really paying attention where we were going.

I love my humminbird, but I would have to get the lowrance for the maps first. One other option is to find someone with a handheld and use it to run some "tracks" and save them.