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Posts: 7
Location: Missoula, MT | Hi everyone, most of my fishing is for bass (yes I'm the ugly duckling non-trout guy here in MT), and I rarely even hook up my sonar. But when I head to MN for my summer muskie trip, I of course use it and rely heavily on it (for hazards and finding my way back to the launch on some of your crazy lakes, and obviously to see fish/structure) Up to now, I've only had one good sonar (read: newish), and it's at the console of my boat, I turn it around when I'm fishing in the bow, but that's even a hassle with the nice ram mount I have. I've now got another nice new sonar for Christmas. I love using the Lakemaster map while fishing, but also need it for navigation. Question finally coming up here.... do folks out there have multiple map chips for their sonars? I can't imagine taking the chip in/out every time I pull up to a spot to fish. I also can't imagine my owning my one chip gives me the right to copy it to another micro-sd card, but I'll probably call Humminbird or LakeMaster to hear them say that.
Anyway, figured I'd try to see what others do when they have multiple units. This year I'm also hoping to fish a couple WI lakes, so conceivably if I got chips for all units, now I'd need another MN chip and two WI chips, which seems crazy (especially since I use them a week a year haha!)
Thanks for any comments folks have!!! |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | Yes, most guys have one for each graph. I have a few. I would HIGHLY recommend not taking it out of the graph on the water because inevitably you will get butter fingers and drop it over the side of the boat. I was a centimeter away from this happening to a friends chip and I was being careful. One way to get away with one chip at the console is to fish from the back of the boat and leave the graph as is so you can see it from where you’re standing. Most Minnesota muskie guys fish this way. If you have a cable drive trolling motor this is obviously impossible.
And unless you’re a computer guru, I believe it’s not possible to copy these map chips. They have sort of blocker on them. |
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Posts: 7
Location: Missoula, MT | Thanks Kirby! That's what I was kind of thinking most folks probably did. I did confirm yesterday (from Humminbird) that the chips can not be copied, which is what I assumed but wanted to hear them say that. I also can't imagine myself taking the chip in and out, it wouldn't be "IF" I dropped it, it'd be "WHEN" haha!
I think my plan will be to simply get another MN chip, and maybe just get one WI chip. Started looking online yesterday and they already look like they might be out of stock again like last Spring. I'll also try and see if I can find anyone selling slightly older chips cause the most recent versions aren't as important to me since I'm non-local 
Thanks again! |
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Posts: 177
| I just got a 2nd chip to go with the new graph up front. Up til now Ive been steering out of the back with an electric steer trolling motor so i can see the graph. Person fishing in the front has been fishing blind which I believe has actually been an advantage to me in the back catching more since I just pound shoreline less than half the time. |
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Posts: 1209
| I have like 9 chips to fish in two states... sigh it sucks. But I could probably get around the MN lakes I fish without a high def map, just the built in one and fish with the high def |
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Posts: 216
| Connect the graphs via ethernet cable and it should share the map between the two units. |
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Posts: 480
Location: Northern Illinois | As far as Humminbird is concerned, only Onix and Solix will share mapping data via ethernet. Other models such as Helix do not. I'm not versed in what data Lowrance or Garmin can share. |
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Posts: 6
| How many different lakes do you fish? ChartSelect may be an option:
https://chartselect.humminbird.com/chartselect
Missoula area is one of my favorite places, I have family up the road from you on the Blackfoot. |
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Posts: 7
Location: Missoula, MT | kdgrills - thanks for the idea! I just checked and a couple of the lakes I've fished for an idea of what it'd be to download "as needed" and I can see it would add up pretty fast. Last year I think I fished about 7-8 different lakes and in past years it's been usually 6-7. One of my most favorite aspects of my week or so long trip out there is to not feel like I need to adhere to a "schedule", so I just take it where the wind (literally) takes me. Like last year on the tail end of my trip it got windy so I decided to try Elk Lake since it was so small.
I think my plan is to simply bite the bullet and get another Lakemaster chip for MN, and maybe just one chip for WI... at least until I fall in love with some lake over there and make that part of my yearly trip.
Missoula is a great place to live, but I sure do wish I was closer to all your lakes! |
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Posts: 6
| Yeah, depending on what you need, a whole state may be a better option.
I only fish a few different lakes in each of a few different states, so I went a la carte.
1st one I bought the whole bundle as I wasn't sure which layers I'd use, the rest I just
got hd contours & the most recent aerial, works for me.
You do have the big pike on Seeley to chase. We stayed on Inez one year, got a few smaller ones.
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Posts: 1187
| I'm replacing my 2008 vintage Lowrance units with a couple of Helix units, that will be installed when I take the boat out of storage. My question is regarding the Wisconsin state chip. On the website that lists all the lakes on the chip, it lists Green Bay, but has "N/A", next to it. Is all of the bay, all the way up to the bays de Noc, on the chip? I see that I can get that as an ala carte, but wasn't clear if it is all on the state chip. I'll be getting the Minnesota chip, as there will be enough lakes that I fish, that it will worth it. However, most of my Wisconsin/Michigan fishing, is in Green Bay/bays de Noc. If that isn't all on the Wisconsin chip, I think I'll just get it ala carte. Any help would be appreciated. |
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