gps mapping for lake erie and lake ontario useful?

[steve dover]

i have a lowrance global map 1600 gps which works good for what it does but have been looking at units such as garmin 176 and 182 where i can get detailed maps, are they useful for lakes like erie and ontario for the extra expense.

[FreeByrd]

Steve,
If you go with one of the Garmin units that can accept the Bluechart chips you should be really pleased with them on Erie and Lake Ontario. I fish mostly western and central basins on Erie goingto lots of different harbors through the course of a season as far East as Geneva. It is nice to have the electronic chart displayed in unfamiliar waters plus the bottom contours and spot soundings are great. The Bluechart chip for Erie covers all of Erie, the Detroit River, Lake St Clair, the Niagara River, and the Western half of Lake Ontario.

I wouldn't be without a mapping chartplotter GPS.
Good Luck,
Steve

[Toolman]

Steve,

I agree with Freebyrd. I got the 182 w/Bluechart chip (thanks to the advice of Steve and others) and I love it. If I felt a little richer I would have gone with the 182C or the 1006. Both pretty sweet, but I like mine.

Tim

[steve dover]

thanks for imput, i was afraid you would say that, ive been agonizing over decision (funds) for a couple of weeks now, i think i will get the garmin 182 from the research ive done etc, thankx,

[Toolman]

Steve,

You won't be dissapointed with the 182. I agonized for awhile before deciding on the 182. I think I made a good choice.

Tim

[SS]

Freebird/Toolman,

Do you think having the contours significantly enhances your ability to locate and stay on fish? Offshore vs nearshore? I think I want to know whether widely scattered deep offshore fish sometimes associate with subtle contour changes? Any answers to questions I haven't thought of will be appreciated too :)

TIA,
ss

[Toolman]

SS,

I've used the GPS to troll with general contour lines before. One day in particular I had really good success this year doing just that, but I can't say for sure that we wouldn't have caught the same fish trolling in a different direction.

Different fish within a body of water do different things, but I think some relate (suspend) off of a food shelf (such as the sand bar at Vermilion, an island flat, reef, etc.) at a depth corresponding to the depth at which they were feeding. I think if you can locate fish and the depth/distance they are relating to that particular structure and keep your baits there, you up your chances of connecting with them.

Tim

[SS]

Tim,

Thanks, should have just asked if you think it helps you catch fish:)

Silentsixty

[SS]

Tim,

Thanks, should have just asked if you think it helps you catch fish:)

Silentsixty

[ifishman]

Is the 182 user-friendly for the technology challenged such as myself?

[Beaconhill]

I have a lowrance x-16 with the navionics xl map of lake erie and I could not be more pleased with it.

[jl]

I shopped Garmins hard last year. I ended up going with a 210 which was discontinued in 2001. My 2001 West Marine catalog showed that they sold for $1200. I couple guys were selling them off on e-bay last year and you could get one for $400-500 new depnding on your patience level. I bought the lake erie G-chart which was replaced by the blue chart and love it. The chart is very detailed. I typically spend 4 days a week on Lake Erie and it has taught me a lot. I also bought the northern lake michigan chart and it was a complete waste of money. Great detail of the harbors. Only depths up to 35 feet on the big lake. Not much use for Salmon fishing.

The 210 has a very large screen and all the features except WAAS. You can compare them to the 182 on Garmin's web site.

There is a guy that has a couple of g-charts for sale very cheap on the swap board if you search back. He has been trying to sell them for a long time, I'm sure you can find the post.

Just something to think about.