Corpusfishing.com

geargrinder · Joined: 25 Mar 2014 Posts: 4

Over the years, I fished primarily the surf and docks, but recently acquired a bay boat. Now I feel that a whole new world has opened up! That's just it, there are so many places to fish, I feel I need some sort of GPS/Map unit while on the water. I can study paper maps and charts all day/night long but once I'm on the water it can be a little daunting to connect real-time locales to a spot from a map. What electronics would you recommend that is easy to use (I'm old and analog) and would speed up my "exposure" to learning where everything is? Thanks!

Oil Field Trash II · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 1560

lowrance with a platinum navionics chip is pretty good.

garmin is also good, just different interface

if you have an iphone you can download the navionics app for about 10 or 12 bucks that will have a lot of the same data as the navionics chip for a GPS unit.

also download google earth on your computer, and that will show you a LOT of detail for this area.

lagunarat1975 · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:08 am Post subject:

x2 on the lowrance but there is no replacement for time on the water and paying yer dues
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Matt · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:34 am Post subject:

Lowrance is good; I prefer Garmin simply because I've run boats with Garmin GPS the last few years and have gotten used to it.

Can't really go wrong either way.
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RPool · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:46 am Post subject:

Good advice, but just one word of caution. I spent lots of time trying to learn lots of spots and converting them to waypoints. A GPS unit is a nice safety device and one that can help you learn the water. But I remember my very experienced instructor pilot years ago, as I earned my private license, telling me over and over to get my head outside of the cockpit to see what instruments were not telling me. Running spot to spot yields limited success. I would highly recommend investing some time and money with someone that can connect the dots for you regarding bait life cycles, bait movement, atmospheric influences, temperature influences, hydrology, fish biology, etc. Anyone that has read Sherlock Holmes is familiar with his saying that it is a "capital mistake to theorize without data - that one inevitably twists facts to fit theories instead of twisting theories to fit facts". In that same sense, use your GPS to access spots that fit biology rather than trying to twist biology into the spots you know. I've learned more from hours of those exact discussions with Mike Singleterry than the years I spent chasing spots. Have lots of fun with your new boat!

RPool · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:26 am Post subject:

Ha! I typed "cockpit" and it posted "Sheboygan"!

Central Scrutinizer · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 1:18 pm Post subject:

Can't agree more ^^^

GPS units are a great tool, but they can also be a severe crutch, if you rely on them too much. Nothing like a good set of eyes on the water, and the surrounding landmarks to get you familiar with an area.

RPool · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:15 pm Post subject:

OK, for whatever reason, this site really doesn't like that place in an airplane where the pilot sits and insists in naming it a town in Wisconsin! Even previewing it doesn't work. LOL

Chef Lefty · Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:47 pm Post subject:

Has potlicking already been suggested? Sorry, I skipped to the last post.
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ceejkay · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:08 pm Post subject:

i grew up my entire life using garmin. my last 2 gps/bottom scan has been lowrance elite series. they are fairly cheap and work great IMO. i agree with the above.
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If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:26 am Post subject:

Very good advice RPool! In racing sailboats this is known as "getting your head out of the boat", and the term surely fits for a fishing boat with electronics. The latter are simply tools on either type of boat. The ability to "see what you're looking at" is invaluable, and can't be made up for with tools.

Having said that, a good GPS and/or chip are great tools yo have! Cool

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Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

spooledagain · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:52 am Post subject:

Google Earth is a great tool to use to learn the area. Too bad they don't have street view on the water.
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if it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is

Oil Field Trash II · Full Grown Flour Bluffian Joined: 25 Mar 2008 Posts: 1560