Map chips, which ones are worth it ?

[NymphO]

So, I did a search but nothing was really current or answered my question. Obviously my #1 target is salmon on LadyO and will prob spend most of my time within the 400' mark. Also plan to do some Erie eyes/perch and musky in the river,smb, and chataqua. Looking to see if the chips like navionics etc are worth the investment. I'll be running a carbon and an smaller elite this year (my first full year) and I want to get my gear right sooner than later. Any suggestions are appreciated ! Tia

[Todd in NY]

I use a Humminbird Lake Master Plus version 1 card in one of my fish Finders and a Navionics Plus Regions East card in my other fish finder. I did a side by side comparison in 2017 on Lake O and several smaller lakes in Northern NY, and I can honestly say that they are very similar in showing bottom depth contour lines. I have a slight preference for the Humminbird Lake Master card because on Cranberry Lake it shows the submerged islands as islands, but the Navionics card does not.

 

The bottom line is that it really depends on the lakes you fish and which card works best in your unit. I don't think there is a big enough  difference between the Navionics Plus Regions card and the Lake Master Plus card to determine a truly better card between the two. I've never used the other Navionics cards so I can't  speak for them. In 2018 I will be using my Navionics Plus card in my Lowrance HDS 7 Gen2, and my Lake Master card in my Humminbird 959. I like running both cards at the same time because there are sometimes slight differences in the bottom contour lines.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Todd in NY

[NymphO]

Todd - thanks for the info. Do you think chips are far superior, or a worthwhile investment over factory maps? I know there is a feature that I can plot and save my own readings but as a rookie I'd rather spend my time learning my gear and getting on fish than monkeying with the chart. I think if I sit there and poke around I'll be like the people you see out to eat at a restaurant jamming on their phones all night or the folks that text and walking into walls.

[Todd in NY]

I haven't seen the factory maps on the Carbons or the Elites. I would say wait  to see how those factory maps look to you before you buy a map card. I think the map cards are a good investment for those of us who are not using top of the line fish finders. Also, my map cards each cost in the $125 range or less. Some of the Navionics cards are out of my price range when all I want is to see the bottom contours.

 

For me, the map cards were a great investment. They show much better detail than the factory maps.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Todd in NY

[Xxx]

The chip I use is Navionics hot maps with 118 other lakes, and it does cover the eastern basin of Erie, plus just about any other lakes I was on. It was $199.00 in the premium, they have it in the platinum also which is 3D, my Elite series won’t run the platinum but all the HD’s units will. The chip offers much more than water contours, closest ramp, where the species your fishing (should) be in such and such time. 

[NymphO]

Now if the chips told me where the fish were.... I'd buy 2 !!

[Andre wallyandre]

You can view what you are getting with the Navionics card by looking here:

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating/search@7&key=_engG`}ewM

Once zoom enough you can activate the sonarchart that gives you 1ft contour.