Lowrance GPS Lakemaster chips?

[TNFL]

I just got a good deal on a new Lowrance XOG, and am wondering about the chips.

Are the Garmin and Lowrance chips the same. I assume they have the same lakes, but are they compatible in different brands of units?

Has anyone heard of any plans for a 2009 version of the MN chip? The lake list looks pretty good, but there are at least 4 lakes that I go to that didn't make the list. They are no all-star lakes, but they are either close to home, or I know people that live on or have cabins on those lakes.

Borden- crow wing I think

Clear- Washington

Green- isanti

Spectacle- Isanti

[croixflats]

The lowrance and Garmin are not compatible to each other but they are the same as for lakes.

[PerchJerker]

Correct, can't use a Garmin chip in a Lowrance gps and vice versa. LM usually doesn't let out any info about new lakes, or when the new chip will be out.

[gregg52]

that chip is an amazing piece of technolgy i wouldnt go fishing

with out it just like not going with out a locater

i think it has 700 lakes and low is a different chip

[TonkaBass]

gregg52, agreed. I fished for years without a chip and honestly having a chips you save so much time not searching for little turns and points. It's kind of like cheating a little, but you still have to get them to bite.

[gregg52]

ya all the tech cant get them to such that bait in

but it so cool finding those spots last week i found a small

hump zoned in on it fished the steepest point did rather well

[eyepatrol]

I'm getting the H20 with the LM chip and can't wait to use it! I've seen a couple of these units and it's amazing how many subtle spots are out there that I've missed over the years. The DNR maps are nice, but they certainly don't have the detail.

[ponzie]

Do you need a different chip for the Lowrance high def units or will the standard Lake Master chip from a few years ago work?

[gregg52]

whats a high high def unit

[nater]

tnfl - i got the same unit ordered, can't wait.

Check out the 09 Nav chip. It looks like it has all the small lakes I fish and even the ones I fish with 1 foot contours. I might have to consider this chip over the LM. I would get a bird with side imaging in the summer then!

[ponzie]

Quote:

whats a high high def unit

check them out at lowrance dot com

[TNFL]

Quote:

Check out the 09 Nav chip. It looks like it has all the small lakes I fish and even the ones I fish with 1 foot contours. I might have to consider this chip over the LM.

I heard someone else talking about this map, but I can't find it. What is the Brand name?

[honkerhunter64]

Glad to see some guys talking about this. My wife finally gave and is letting me buy a H2O, and I've been torn between LM and navionics. It seems the navionics has more of the lakes I fish, so I've been leaning that way, but any opinions would be helpful.

[Chode2235]

Are the Nav lakes ones that they are out scouting and recording the depths (ala Lakemaster) or are they just porting the old DNR maps?

I have the lakemaster chip, and have noticed that their soundings are much different than the DNR maps.

[PerchJerker]

I've been torn between LM and navionics. It seems the navionics has more of the lakes I fish, so I've been leaning that way, but any opinions would be helpful.

My opinion is that getting the most lakes you fish in high defintion is the most important factor, and getting the most lakes you fish in contour maps is the 2nd most important factor. Nav has many more lakes than LM so if you're doing a lot of fishing on lakes that aren't the biggest, most popular lakes then Nav is likely to be a better choice for you.

We have a cabin in northern MN, lots of small, not-well-known lakes in that area. Almost none of them are on the LM chip, but quite a few are on the Nav chip. I use the Nav chip up there.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Glad to see some guys talking about this. My wife finally gave and is letting me buy a H2O, and I've been torn between LM and navionics. It seems the navionics has more of the lakes I fish, so I've been leaning that way, but any opinions would be helpful.

The Lakemaster chip will zoom in a lot closer then the Nav in the H2O units. I bought a Nav chip of Kab last year and was disappointed in the lack of zoom and also the slow response of the chip.

[TNFL]

I always thought the Navionics chips were more for the ocean, ports etc.

I visited the Navionics site and thier list seems pretty impressive including thier HD maps for the 09 North version. One of the lakes I previosly listed (Clear, Washington Co.) which didn't even make the LM chip is a HD map on the NAV chip. I'll have to get some more specs as to the compatability with my XOG as I think it will only handle a 2gb SD card. They also listed a Navionics Dealer (a local bait shop) in my area so maybe I will bring my XOG in there and see what they can set me up with.

[JCR]

PerchJerker. Does Navionics have Redgutbay on Rainy yet? Lakemaster don't, however I watched Navionics map it last fall.

[PerchJerker]

PerchJerker. Does Navionics have Redgutbay on Rainy yet? Lakemaster don't, however I watched Navionics map it last fall.

They call it a partial survey so I don't think it's on there yet, but I don't know for sure. The best suggestion I have at this time is to call Navionics and hope you can get a reliable answer from them.