Lakemaster vs mntrax chips

[icerube]

Whats the difference between the lakemaster chip and the MNTRAX chips ? To be used in a Garmin 60csx gps. Thanks

[Kirsch]

icerube,

The main differences are MNTRAX is an all-around sportsman chip. It includes roads, trails, campgrounds, hunting lands including both State, Federal, and even county hunting lands (certain lakemaster chips do include WMA only), fishing contours, sections, township, range and section numbers and more. For lake contours, it includes the DNR 5' contour maps. MNTRAX also has a very attractive update policy with updates only costing $20. For 2010, MNTRAX will also have a Google Earth version available.

LakeMaster is mainly a fishing chip but a good one. They use the same DNR contours with the exception of some of the very large lakes where they have the lakes surveyed.

So, bottom line if you mainly fish the bigger bodies of waters such as LOW in Minnesota, LakeMaster is probably for you. If you fish more of the mid-range to smaller lakes, MNTRAX is probably your best answer.

If you hunt and fish and do other activities, MNTRAX is definitely your answer and if you also fish the large lakes, you probably should have both.

[magic_minnow]

MNTRAX was very attractive to me until I found out they don't have river maps. Lakemaster has those. Alhough I liked MNTRAX, I needed the river. I would make sure your "home waters" are listed on the lake list for mntrax.

[Ed Carlson]

What rivers? Select few I suspect?

The main issue with navigable river data is it in under the control of the USCG and other governmental agencies, and they are fussy about how it is issued.

Most rivers are not easily found on a data card, except for the Garmin Inland Rivers data packet. And that is mainly for the larger systems and not ones we often use here in the upper Midwest.

More rivers would be nice, no matter whom is the issuer of the cards. Many of the ones we fish are not charted, and that is a whole new problem, as it relates to cost.

[magic_minnow]

I'm referring to the Croix.

[Scoot]

Magic minnow, does it have topo info for the Croix? I wonder about the accuracy of it??? Rivers are obviously very unlike lakes- water levels rise and fall a lot and contours change very regularly. Regardless, Lakemaster makes a great product. The Trax products are also great. I use both and I'm happy with both of them.

[magic_minnow]

Yes it does.