Navionics or Lakemaster ?

[GPS Map Question]

I am looking to add a new Lowrance 5300 GPS to my boat and looking at a new map card for LOTW and Rainy. I see that Navionics has a new card "Hot Maps Premium LOTW+2k" looks good and also has Lac Seul, Mille Lacs, Devils Lake and Gull amoungst others. Seems like a good value.

The question is relative to Rainy and LOTW, which has better definition, Navionics or Lakemaster ? Or is there no significant difference ?

I don't want to spark a heated debate, I am sure many have their own opinions. I am just wanting to know if there is a difference between the two.

Thank You

[hondo]

Okay, I have my opinion.

I have the Navionics LOTW+2K card and get VERY frustrated with it at spots on LOTW. I bought that card instead of LakeMaster because of all the other lakes on the Nav card ........ but after fishing several spots scattered over several miles out of Arnesons and Bablers road I was ready to throw the card away. I've since compared the Nav card to LM for those areas and it looks clear to me that LM is way more accurate and detailed and shows whole structures that Nav has missed completely. If you're not familiar with that area, there's lots of rocky reefs and humps over there.

But, I've used the Nav card on other areas of LOTW and it seems good there, but those areas tend to me more like flats or boulder fields so there's not as much contour change to mark. And I like the Nav card for the other lakes on it, most of which are not on the LM cards.

But for just LOTW, I am kicking myself for not going with LakeMaster.

[rpieske]

I had this same discussion with Navionics. They tell me the most up-to-date card they have for LOTW and Rainy is the Hotmaps Premium'09 North card. To me it is easier to read than the LM card. But I think you are probably right about it being more accurate. I think I'll just get both and since my GPS has two card slots I can have them both in at the same time and switch back and forth; the Navionics for travel and the LM for fishing.

[hondo]

To me it is easier to read than the LM card.

That's a good point, I also like how the Nav card looks on a color screen.

[hammer_gold_spinner]

At the sports show I looked at both the Nav and lakemaster chips for Rainy. The Nav chip had little of the Canadian side while Lake Maps has everything but Red Gut. The biggest difference I saw was that the demo I saw of the Nav map showed no names for islands or reefs that I fish while the Lake Map did. Don't know if that is true for all of the nav map or not. Was told that a new update for Rainy would be coming from Nav later this year so needles to say I bought the Lake master chip. Will continue to use the old Nav chip for the rest of my fishing lakes.

Mike

[Larry Carr]

Hammer,
Not sure who showed you the Navionics LOW chart, but the one you saw was evidently the prototype as there is a huge amount of survey data on Canadian side of the new HotMaps Premium N5 chart, with more to come in about a month.

Larry Carr
Navionics

[rpieske]

Larry:
I bought the Platinum Hotmaps 09 Region 20 (Canada) chip. Can you confirm that this has exactly the same detail survey information for Lake of the Woods as the Premium 09 North chip? Thanks.

[Larry Carr]

Sure does. The HotMaps Premium N5 and the C5 have the same data for LOW and for Rainy on both charts.

Larry

[John in Mn]

Lakemaster just updated the LOTW / Rainy chip for 2009. Just released this week. Something to consider too.

[Larry Carr]

Just an fyi...The Navionics North N5 now includes all of the MN, WI, ND, SD, MI PLUS the new LOW, Rainy, PLUS lac Seul, Eagle, and Big and Little Manitou. Here are the specs:

North Region Facts for 2009:
99 New HD Survey Lake
339 HD Survey Lakes
500 New Lake Maps
6,710 Total Lakes
Includes Canada/US LOTW chip info plus bonus Canadian lakes liek Lac Seul

All that on one chart for $149, plus you can trade in your old chart for $50 back when ya buy a new one.

LC