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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Ice Fishing With Electronics => Topic started by: GitRDone on Dec 11, 2018, 10:28 AM
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Hi All,
Looking to purchase a GPS unit this year to get some form of lake maps on. Wanted to see what people around hear recommend as i would like to either walk with it or attach to ATV. I know there are apps out there but came across a few schillings and would like to buy a unit specifically for tracking down some fish. I fish NY mostly and already have a flasher but not the type that could double as a GPS unit. I appreciate any info on units you currently use and any pros/cons in units I should be looking out for. Thanks in advance for any info.
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It sounds like you’ve already decided on a handheld gps unit? Because more than likely be ready for most people to tell you to just use your smartphone.
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Garmin ...can add/make custom maps ..they have several topo/lake contour maps for purchase ..
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It sounds like you’ve already decided on a handheld gps unit? Because more than likely be ready for most people to tell you to just use your smartphone.
I’m one of those guys ;D navionics has always gotten me pretty close to where I want to go
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If you're going handheld, look at Garmin Monterra, being android based you can install apps in addition to basic GPS functions. A couple that come to mind that could be of use; gopro, navionics, marcum...
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I have an older handheld Garmin Oregon. I have a Lakeview Hd chip as well as a Topo chip. Great asset for fishing or hiking. Take a pic with it and it automatically marks your spot on the maps. Great for marking your buddys honey hole without him knowing.
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compos and 2 land marks ;D
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compos and 2 land marks ;D
Jeez Trapp just stand still point your hands at 2 point then put your hands together lol save the compass for snow storms 😉 sorry trap I can’t help myself
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:roflmao:
I really don't know how to use my phone as a gps ,I should learn
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Thanks for the input. What are your thoughts on the hummingbird Helix units? I could always by the navionics chip and install and use for location and fishing, correct?
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Have a 688ci with navionics chip and it has worked great both on the ice and in my boat. The Helix 5/7 are further improvements on the product line.
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All I have to say is, a compass is useless in a snow storm and on a foggy day. My cheap hand held GPS works petty good in those conditions and will get me where I want to fish and back to where I started. I used a compass in the old days and ended up miles from where I wanted to be. I almost end up in Canaseraga Creek. >:(
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For sure a smartphone with the Navionics app is the way to go. You get all the GPS functionality, plus good lake maps. On my lake, people share points like hazards, where people have broken through thin ice. As far as I know, no separate GPS gives you lake maps plus sharing of points, and even the ability to share your location with others for meetups and safety.
:tipup:
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Yup, with the smart phone it allows other (government, Google, Amazon, ect...) to track you cause your location is turned on. My piece of crap GPS does not allow that.
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All I have to say is, a compass is useless in a snow storm and on a foggy day. My cheap hand held GPS works petty good in those conditions and will get me where I want to fish and back to where I started. I used a compass in the old days and ended up miles from where I wanted to be. I almost end up in Canaseraga Creek. >:(
that's why you carry a compass is for a white out .....(my batteries never wear out in my compass) and if you were miles off you need to learn to read on ..................end of story
and every outdoorsman should be able to properly read and use a compass
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A compass wont help me find drop offs or humps under the ice. I have a compass and bring it with me all the time. If i get lost i will use the compass but i am looking for something that gives me contours of a lake.
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compass sure would if you have a map of the lake.....you do know before GPS were fully operational 1995 we flew to the moon and back ,sailors crossed the oceans and we even hunted and ice fished and found our way around .....next week we will discuss how we lived before cell phones and video games
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Omg to early for 🍿 so I guess my toast will just have to do lmao
Trapp is this going to be a mini course
Or a full semester 😜
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no I just bought a gps
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Thanks Trapper2000 for not lending anything to the conversation except snarky responses. I am just asking other anglers what type of GPS they use for ice fishing and if they could recommend one. If you don't have something to add to a conversation/question might be better off not saying anything. Trying to shame people for not using a compass and saying they are not outdoors-men if you cant use a compass? Where does that fit into this post of GPS Units? I read a lot of post and only comment when i feel it is related to the post. Compasses not related to GPS Units. So, Thank you for informing me about the use of a compass and maps i appreciate it. Have a Good Ice Fishing Season.
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git stop ....no snarky response give me a map and a compass i and I get around pretty well I been doing it all my life you said a map and compass can't find drop offs ,you are wrong it can take you right to them if you have the knowledge to use them ,,,, the comment was made that a compass doesn't work in fog or a white out i can get back to my car if i can't see 2 foot in front of me and so can fishing mission it he learned how ...... i did say EVERY outdoorsman should learn how to properly use a compass so does every outdoors organization including the new York DEC .... fishing mission proves my point when he said he was miles off course was his compass off nope he didn't know how to use it ..... you asked what unit i use i told you ..... is gps good yup that's why freddie and i joked cause he told me the app to put in my phone .... would i use it YES ....would i totally depend on it NO still use my compass and map as well.....now i think your the one with snarky responces while your getting a compass today get some thicker skin and a since of humor as well ...if you want me to show you how to use a map and compass i'll be glad too
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All I have to say is, a compass is useless in a snow storm and on a foggy day. My cheap hand held GPS works petty good in those conditions and will get me where I want to fish and back to where I started. I used a compass in the old days and ended up miles from where I wanted to be. I almost end up in Canaseraga Creek. >:(
Only if you don't know how to use one. In the days before GPS I made my way through a swamp in a blinding snowstorm to the road. Missed my spot by a quarter mile. Oh, I started out at 4:30 and hit the road till 9:30. PM. I was on my third set of flashlight batteries. No BS... I felt pretty good about completing the mission.
Sure, GPS is more exact in conditions with poor visibility but battery life is always limited. Especially if you're using a phone.
Back OT: I've carried/used two handhelds, both Lowrance and both very good. Still use the H20C for hunting and carry it on the ice just out of habit. There are a bunch of good ones out there. Even the not really great ones, like I got, are surprisingly good. Garmin is probably at the top of the handheld list if I were to do it again. If you're going to rely on it to get you out and, more importantly, get you in don't but something cheap because it's more affordable. Stick with known reputable manufacturers and push to get a little more than you can afford. Once you learn how to use it if you cheap out you'll always wish you had gone the little extra. If you get more than you need you'll grow into some of it and will likely not ever be disappointed with your purchase.
NOW, I would never have a locator without GPS. Used to have the handheld mounted and running on 12v on the boat but it was always a pain to have to leave the front of the boat, go back to the console and add a waypoint for crib, rockpile, breakline, whatever. Once I sold the Vexilar, which was doing double duty as a bow mount unit on the boat, I bought a Lowrance x67 because of its size and both graph and flasher modes. I almost immediately kicked myself for being a cheap smack and not getting the m68. Same unit only with GPS. So I blew out the x67 and got what I should have had in the first place. Advantage? It goes in the boat with me all non-ice season, small enough to be easily portable on a buddys boat or rental, I can simply lean over and save a waypoint without leaving my fishing. THEN, when ice comes I can walk right back to all those locations I saved during open water. No fumbling with two units.
When you on the ice you can save your spots there too. Oh, snap, I forgot my GPS at home. How will I get back? When was the last time you forgot your locator (assuming you have one)? I will never, never, never own another locator without GPS. Both boat units have it and I only use one on the ice.
Last gasp: I'm sorta in the trap camp on the loss of basic skills and the reliance on technology. Tech is great and even superior at times to basic skills. BUT, can you carry enough batteries, can you get a signal, drop your phone or whatever down the hole, crush under a vehicle wheel or otherwise lose it? If you can't or did, can you get where you wanna go? If you're going to play outside you'd better know how to fly by the seat of your pants. I've always got a compass in my tackle bag and have a sense of where I am and where I want to go.
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Trap, I asked for GPS units not compass and maps as they are not a GPS unit. No need for thicker skin, just need people to stay on topic and not try to hijack a legitimate question and give their 2 cents about using something that was not part of the topic. You look at all my post, no snarky comments or disrespect to anyone. You may not think your comment was snarky but when I am asking about GPS units and people are responding about GPS units and you bring up using a compass and maps? No place in the conversation. No worries, I am not mad or upset just letting you know my thoughts on your input to a question i asked to people that use GPS units. Hope you have a great ice season. Just an FYI, I am a former scout leader/outdoor rec student and used compasses quite a bit so i was just looking for some ideas for new technology as I came across a few schillings and wanted to up grade. Thanks
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I just purchased a Garmin 680t Montana nice unit but I haven’t loaded up the Birdseye yet , and wirenut45 sent me an H2o and it works great and again thanks ,old habits die hard as I still carry a compass
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well I kinda thought the thread was about navigating and we were supposed to post our opinions when you started saying you couldn't find drop offs and rock piles with a compass and a map(guess you never read the scouts manual) I thought you were asking questions and when fishing said he couldn't find his car in a snow storm that we were having a open conversation on how to navigate and find our way on the ice .....that's ok but I'm glad your a past scout leader my scout leader was a lot more open to new ideas and a lot less rude ..... and I'm betting you don't need a gps or compass to figure out where I think you should go ;D have a great season on the ice
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and my offer is open i'll show anyone how to use a compass and a map and you will be pleased at how well you will be able to find things and how well you will be able to get back
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well I kinda thought the thread was about navigating and we were supposed to post our opinions when you started saying you couldn't find drop offs and rock piles with a compass and a map(guess you never read the scouts manual) I thought you were asking questions and when fishing said he couldn't find his car in a snow storm that we were having a open conversation on how to navigate and find our way on the ice .....that's ok but I'm glad your a past scout leader my scout leader was a lot more open to new ideas and a lot less rude ..... and I'm betting you don't need a gps or compass to figure out where I think you should go ;D have a great season on the ice
::) ::) ::)
I'd love to see someone reliably find the same dropoff or hump with a compass and a map with a 1/100th the efficiency of the cheapest GPS unit. Safe to assume you throw on your buffalo hide overclothes and ride a horse to the launch too? The question was about recommendations for GPS units. Nobody cares that you know how to use a compass, and nobody asked, so drop the holier-than-thou act Copernicus. Also, when did using a compass become a "new idea"? Around the time they stopped throwing rocks at the sun out of fear?
Anyhow, the Navionics app for your phone is cheap and amazing, any battery issues are solved with a small juice pack, and there are plenty of small waterproof phone cases for short money too. I'd look into that well before spending the money for a dedicated handheld GPS unit. I've been using it for 5 years plus on ice and open water and never felt the need to upgrade (if you can even call it that) to a stand-alone unit. I couldn't justify a GPS unit unless I was doing huge water snowmobile/ UTV trips or exploring desolate wilderness. I'd say try that first 100%.
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flyfish first I bet I can get you to a exact point with a compass and map number two I never compared which is "better" because there is no such thing as "better" merely pro's and cons to both ..... you actually left the mass room to come give me a hard time ???? lol amazing
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flyfish first I bet I can get you to a exact point with a compass and map number two I never compared which is "better" because there is no such thing as "better" merely pro's and cons to both ..... you actually left the mass room to come give me a hard time ???? lol amazing
Yeah ok Magellan. And whenever you make it to that exact point you're referring to I'll let you know how the fishing was since I'll have already been there for 3 hours. I'll drill you a couple holes too because you probably won't have enough time to chip them out with a sharpened moose antler or whatever before dark. Pros and cons right? Hey how much ice before it's safe for a covered wagon by the way?
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Just get Navionics for your cell phone..
On a slightly different subject re compass being useless in fog! :) ;D ;D When I grew up on the Atlanic coast the only time inshore fishermen used a compass was when it was foggy!! :) ;D ;D
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I’ll tell you guys something , Trapp likes to ruffle some feathers relax He’s harmless , but trust me he’s a very good fisherman
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Freddie .....fish on :roflmao:
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trapper you mean fish on ,,, or FISH ON!!! ;D ;D
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I may have exaggerated a little stating that a compass was useless in a snow storm or fog. The compass will get you in the general direction, but even a cheap GPS will put you within 50 feet, probable less of where you want to go. I will put my cheap GPS up against a map and compass any day. Lots of ship wrecks have happen in foggy weather in the old day. Now they use GPS and we have few of them.
I will take you to a place in the Adirondacks where there is a vein of iron ore in the ground you will find your compass useless and my cheap GPS will work just fine. I know the area with the iron ore quite well from my days as a boy scout trying to do map and compass when our compasses would point everywhere but magnetic north. Nobody completed the map a compass rout that day.
Like every tool a GPS, compass and other navigation devices has its prows and cons.
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fishing and I can take you were the cover is so dense you can't get a gps signal ..... every ship wreck that happens now has a GPS on board in fact we had a fatal in Oswego foggy they punched in where the launched headed in forgot there was a wall and hit it ..... a compass and map get YOU to a exact spot I'd guess no because you sound like you don't know how to use them can I get to a exact spot ,seriously yes I can....I been hunting the adirondackes for decades before gps I learned how when I was a kid ,to me it's second nature .and always found exactly where I wanted to be....same is true on the water if I have a map and compass I can find it and it doesn't take any longer then finding north setting the compass and map and your on your way ....... now for some reason people are fighting over which is better neither your right both have pros and cons I merely am stating THIS IS HOW I DO IT! and that was what was originally said how do you do it and what unit do you use ...... I use a compass and a map I do not get close ...I get exactly where I want to go .....
ps I have heard many people say they came upon places a compass didn't work in the outdoors I personally never seen it .... buildings yes in the woods or water no but if it did it would be a very short distance .....
I'm serious i'll show you how to use one the right way hell you can google it and learn faster then fighting with me and have a better chance of winning ..... the DEC tells you carry a compass the Sierra Club recommends a compass and even has workshops to learn how .... you need to know how to plot a course with a map and compass to get a captians or guide license I believe ......
it's simple it's cheap and it's easy ..... and if you learned how it is exact
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I don't know and never met trapper2000 but my money goes on him and his compass over any gps device. I would hunt all the time with my father as a kid, im now in my 40's, He was special forces in nam, he would use his compass all the time. The compass never failed him. Now myself I will use a gps, not everyone has that skill.
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fishing and I can take you were the cover is so dense you can't get a gps signal .....
I have a GPS that I use for various purposes incl bushwhacking style hiking and I find that ironic or maybe a bit 'perverse"! When would a person likely need a a GPS-----er, maybe when he is 'lost' in the woods..........duh! I must admit, though, that my newish Garmin is much better than my older Magellan----newer technology, I guess. I take a compass for backup whenever I think I might need it. Different strokes for different folks and so on and so on and scooby dooby doo!!
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I have to agree with Fishin_mission. I grew up hunting in the mountains of Benson NY. Dad taught all his boys how to use a compass and I'm glad he did. However, he also showed us what a mountain side full of iron ore will do to your compass. If you didn't know what was wrong you could walk for a week to travel 2 miles. I now use a Garmin faithfully but that is because you can store all of your favorite locations as waypoints as well as making your own routs. Still like a compass I just think new technology cannot be denied as long as you carry spare batteries.
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Also must add that your GPS will take you right back to yesterday's hot hole even with fresh snow hiding it. Try that with a compass.
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LOL - compass and map = dead reckoning. They will get you there and back and are the most reliable. Electronics (GPS) are subject to more failures. Learned to fly quite few years back, from a 90 year old instructor. Always said "tose fancy electronics are very good, but when they fail; you need to know how to get back, or to where you want to go. Compass and Map!
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Also must add that your GPS will take you right back to yesterday's hot hole even with fresh snow hiding it. Try that with a compass.
I do ;D
and I never said not to use a gps I'm going to have Freddie show me a few things ,unlike a few I'm never afraid to learn more ....
I see everyone mentions they learned to use a compass but never mention the map .....without the map it just tells you were north is ......
with a map and the know how you can find the coordinates .....that's how ships sailed, planes where flew, bombs were dropped
it really works
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I thought i knew how to use a compass fairly well but I don't know how you would find co-ords with a map and compass.
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Trap I am sure you can find a location where my GPS does not work. just like my ore vein with a compass. Yes you can run into to things is a boat/ship if you are not familiar with the area. Over confidence with any system is what gets you into trouble.
I had used a compass in year past to try to get from one point to another in fog and heavy snow, but I found the GPS would put me right where I wanted to go in very difficult weather conditions. I could only get close with a compass not right where I wanted to be.
I am guessing your about the same age as I am, 60-65. I wish you success with learning how to use your GPS. I think you will like it in the long run.
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I thought i knew how to use a compass fairly well but I don't know how you would find co-ords with a map and compass.
not being mean do you honestly know what coordinates are? what about latitude and longitude are ? they are the same exact coordinates on the map and compass as on your gps
my God I like you guys you make me feel like Einstein.........well except for fishforpike he knows exactly what I'm talking about
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Gps and compass ha ha amateurs. I use a Iceland spar
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another gps con if ya all used map and compass we wouldn't be moved to the electronic basement
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Gps and compass ha ha amateurs. I use a Iceland spar
and I wonder how the Vikings used it
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It has been speculated that the sunstone (Old Norse: sólarsteinn, a different mineral from the gem-quality sunstone) mentioned in medieval Icelandic texts[ was Iceland spar, and that Vikings used its light-polarizing property to tell the direction of the sun on cloudy days for navigational purposes. The polarization of sunlight in the Arctic can be detected,[ and the direction of the sun identified to within a few degrees in both cloudy and twilight conditions using the sunstone and the naked eye. The process involves moving the stone across the visual field to reveal a yellow entoptic pattern on the fovea of the eye, probably Haidinger's brush. The recovery of an Iceland spar sunstone from the Elizabethan ship Alderney, which sank in 1592, suggests that this navigational technology may have persisted after the invention of the magnetic compass.
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The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (since about 206 BC). The compass was used in Song Dynasty China by the military for navigational orienteering by 1040–44, and was used for maritime navigation by 1111 to 1117.
so yes it was however I am sure the Vikings were un aware on the device.
I find the Iceland spar fascinating
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Don’t have a dog in this fight. Just bought the Helix ice 5 G2/gps combo. I have the Navionics maps from my open water sonar. I don’t think I need gps or a compass to get off the lakes I fish. So if you’re wanting a gps unit and are looking for a good sonar unit the Humminbird could be something to look into. Thing I am looking forward to is when I am on open water and find a nice location I can mark it and go back to the same spot on the ice. It’s a tool that I have so I am going to use it. If gps and phones go down I am going to be dealing with more immediate problems than getting of the lake in whiteout conditions.
Keep it safe! JDL
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A Helix would definitely work for what you need. With a Helix you could use it in the boat in the summer. I have some Helixs in the boat and love the new Chirp and Mega HD on the newest unit. For ice I have a MarCum LX9 that I love. It has the camera and sonar combined. For ice I used to think that a combo unit with GPS included would be the ultimate, but I learned pretty quick that for me at least, that is a P.I.T.A. I use my cellphone with the Navionics app for locating contours and just have a little ram mount on my handlebars. I never could quite find a good way to pack a combo unit that was very good and not a problem. The Navionics app for the phone works pretty good, and I'm up here in Montana where it seems like lake contour data is kind of a last thought for the big mapping companies. Just not enough people here to be a priority I guess.
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Hang on guys, just got back from four days of fishing and sausage making. This'll take a coupla minutes...
(https://i.postimg.cc/FRgbDKMT/jiffy-pop-finale-o.gif) (https://postimages.org/)
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good old jiffy pop ;D
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Hmmm. Took longer than I thought. Carry on! :roflmao:
(https://i.postimg.cc/tJyMXK2y/1x5mhe-H-gif.gif) (https://postimages.org/)