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Archive for the ‘Fishfinder GPS’ Category
Several folks have asked how to find the manuals for their GPS fishfinders, or any GPS product for that matter. When you think about it you would think you need to purchase a manual, perhaps even end up getting it by mail or having to find a place to purchase it. After that you would need to find a handy place to store it where you can find it again when you need it. It is much simpler than that, really, to get access to the manual for your individual product for free.
First, find your manufacturer’s website such as Lowrance.com (http://www.lowrance.com/en/Downloads/Manuals/), or at Garmin.com (https://support.garmin.com/support/manuals/searchManuals.faces?refresh=true). I like simple as I am sure that you do also. Just search for support, downloads or manuals at the specific manufacturer’s site and then search for your particular model. Bingo! Download the manual onto your own computer, and you’re good to go! Yea! This will really simplify your life if you need to look up some details about your particular unit, especially since you can then use the search feature of your computer to find exactly what you are looking for in that manual once you download it to your own computer. Slick, huh?
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According to Gant Team on March 12, 2012, this year attendees of the Central PA Outdoor & Sport Show will discover freshwater fishing has entered the Smartphone age. Gogal Publishing Company of Warrington, Pa. will be on hand to demonstrate their Fish PA – GPS Guide for iPhone, iPad and Android phones along with their GPS Fishing Guide to Pennsylvania app for Garmin GPS units. These unique fishing apps give anglers access to almost 5,000 searchable fishing and boating destinations and then provide exact turn-by-turn driving directions to each location saving both planning time and travel costs.
“It works just like searching for the nearest restaurant or gas station on your GPS or Smartphone” says company President Mike Gogal, “…but in this case you find public access places to fish or launch your boat and then get efficient turn-by-turn driving directions right to those spots.” Each destination includes everything an angler needs to know including available species, fishing regulations, tackle restrictions, along with fishing seasons, size and creel limits plus boaters can find details on the many boat launches across the state.
With the GPS Fishing Guide apps, trout anglers can easily drive the most efficient route from any starting point to every stream, lake, and pond stocked with trout by the PFBC or to any of the designated “Class A” and “Wilderness” trout waters throughout Pennsylvania. Steelhead fishing is included with directions to the many public parking and access points on Erie’s streams and there are advanced search capabilities allowing fishermen to zero in on any type of specially regulated water such as Catch and Release Fly Fishing, Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures, etc. All trout regulations can be individually searched using the simple menu structure.
Bass and other warmwater species anglers will find the many public access fishing points on rivers, lakes, and streams confirmed by fisheries’ biologists to hold quality fish populations of bass, muskie, pike, pickerel, walleye, stripers, catfish, crappies and more. Each species is individually searchable and every destination includes the current fishing regulations, boating regulations, seasons, size and creel limits, along with general information including nearest town and county associated with that navigation point.
For boaters, the apps allow lake searches based on the size and type of motor as well as the ability to zero in on the many public access boat launches on Pennsylvania’s major rivers and streams. Each launch points includes details like, access names, ramp type, parking information, marinas, and docking where applicable.
More information can be found at www.ultimatefishingmaps.com
Of course, these are not GPS fishfinder combos, but they certainly would help you decide where to launch your boat to use your GPS fishfinders and narrow down the search much more efficiently. After all, why not find out where the best locations are currently thought to be before setting out for a day of fishing and be even more certain of a respectable catch of the day. Don’t go home with a lot of “fish stories” – go home with your share of fish! The app tells you where to start looking, and the GPS fishfinder combination actually finds where those fish are hanging out. Sounds like a Win-Win to me!
Peter Ottesen, Record Correspondent reported March 14, 2012 that striped bass continue to build in the Sacramento River as the spring run begins to take shape. The full moon and large tides caused the water to cloud up, preventing anglers from hooking too many on the troll. Find clean water and your chances improve.
“With this good-sized storm predicted, all bets are off,” said guide Barry Canevaro of Isleton. “Trolling was good on the Sacramento River at the Old Dairy and West Bank until the water got dirty. If conditions stay murky, I’ll continue to fish for sturgeon.”
Canevaro said eel is the “top bait” for sturgeon, worked in combination with grass or ghost shrimp or pile worms. He hooked sturgeon, some within the 46- to 66-inch slot and some oversized in the shallows of Grizzly Bay, Suisun Cut, Middlegrounds and between Roe and Ryer islands.
Others tout sturgeon above Rio Vista in Cache, Prospect, Shag and Steamboat sloughs.
On the San Joaquin River side, school-sized stripers to 8 pounds are found in the Mokelumne River, Peacocks, Santa Clara Shoals and Prisoner’s Point. The trick is to locate a school and stay with it. Flies, lures and jigs will score if a concentrated school is discovered.
Of course, the best way to fish in murky water is with a GPS fishfinder combo. GPS fishfinders will help you find that school of fish and stay with it as Peter suggested is the best way to get a really good haul while out fishing. After all, a simple GPS fishfinder combination doesn’t need clear water so that you can see to the bottom of the river, lake or other body of water. It will help you figure out where the shoals are and which items are the fish and which are the debris or the contour of the lake or river bottom. Anyway, now that the weather is really turning nice you want to maximize your fishing opportunities. Why let a storm stirring up the silt on the bottom ruin your day? Get out your GPS fishfinder combo and have one of your best fishing days ever!
This was a strange winter, to say the least. Someone told me recently that this is only the fourth time in 100 years that we have had such a mild winter up here in the Northeast. Doesn’t really surprise me. I have been saying that we had a prolonged Fall which seems to have bumped into an early Spring. Don’t know where winter went, but it sure didn’t come to our neck of the woods this year!
We heard from several folks from around the country who wanted to go ice fishing with their GPS fishfinder combo, but not from around here. Well, not much anyways. Fishfinder GPS works great for ice fishing, but you need plenty of ice for that to work safely. It’s pretty slick! You can even use the same GPS fishfinder combination unit to watch more than one hole at once with the included ice transducers which will let you fish two holes simultaneously. There is an ATV bracket which lets you attach your GPS fishfinder combo to an ATV or snowmobile for easy lake navigation. Again, you need some serious ice to be safe driving around on it, but that’s just me. I have this thing about breaking through the ice. No falling through the ice and ending up swimming in freezing water which is over my head for me! Thanks anyway. I guess I’m a little jealous of the folks who actually had some seriously cold weather this year, that is to say those folks who actually had winter this year. After all, ice fishing can be a lot of fun.
I do remember one particularly cold winter when we actually had a small fire on the ice – it was that thick – and cooked hot dogs and marshmallows with our young son. Those are the things memories are made of.
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever.
Anyway, GPS chartplotters or GPS fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it
Turn by turn directions for marine GPS? That’s a new one on me! I was talking to someone who asked for that just recently. That sounds pretty slick, but can’t say I have ever seen that before. After all, on a river or a lake the maps are going to show you where there are obstacles and where it is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever. Anyway, GPS chartplotters or fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
is safe, deep enough for the boat to navigate safely. Nobody sticks to just one particular route unless they are navigating white water or other treacherous situations, working around shoals or sandbars or whatever. Anyway, GPS chartplotters or fishfinder combos are meant to show you the lay of the land, the obstacles and the channels which, if you actually use their aid, will help you to navigate safely and to find where those big fish actually live, but won’t give you a strict street map setup. After all, in my book that is much of the magic of spending time on the water, the ability to wander freely and enjoy the ride. Again, turn by turn directions? Not really, but marine GPS will still certainly help you to find your way and bring you home again.
Well, I was talking with a friend recently, possibly getting a little giddy talking about fishing now that the weather is finally turning around. We are experiencing Spring! About time! Anyway, he got a new GPS fishfinder combination to celebrate the season and made an amazing discovery – whether you have a GPS fishfinder combo or not, if there are no fish in the area you will still not catch any! Well, I tell you, that was pretty disappointing, but the fishfinder GPS is helping him locate a new spot to fish, this time where the fish actually live. Pretty funny actually, as all this time he has been trying different lures and different bait thinking he was doing something wrong. I guess he was doing something wrong after all, but certainly not what he was thinking. This weekend should be gorgeous, so I am sure he will be out on his boat looking for a much better fishing hole. His fishing should improve greatly this summer once he finds where those fish actually live. Mine will, too, if I join him in the search. Happy Spring, Happy Fishing!
Wow, here’s a tough comparison we were recently asked to make. Which GPS fishfinder combo should I buy, the Humminbird 587ci combo or the Garmin GPSMAP 441S? Ooh, that one is tricky. Those are two very good options to fit his needs, but which is better for him? Okay – let’s try.
First, they are a close match on screen size 4-inch diagonal for the GPSMAP 441S compared to 4.5 for the 587ci Combo. Both have built-in maps, Garmin GPSMAP has the worldwide marine basemap, and the Humminbird 587ci has a UniMap. Both have card slots for maps and saving waypoints – that’s handy. Also, both use either a Tilt & Swivel quick disconnect mounting system or can be flush mounted – flexibility. Each will hold 3,000 waypoints, and the 587ci holds 50 routes versus GPSMAP 441S with 100 routes. The GPSMAP 441S will accept a couple of external antenna choices, where the Humminbird 587ci has no port for external antenna so you want to be sure it is used in an open boat, not from a cabin unless it is near the windshield – good to know. As for cartography; the Humminbird fishfinder combo uses Navionics maps, and Garmin GPSMAP uses BlueChart g2 Vision cards.
Of course, there are even more differences and similarities between them. Now do you see why it is tough to help someone choose which GPS fishfinder combination to choose? I definitely prefer to help folks find the information, but to make the final decision themselves as the differences between them can be a non-issue for one boater, but critical to another depending on their boat and situation.
Whether fishing is your profession, you pursue fishing as pure fun and relaxation or even if you compete in fishing tournaments with your local fishing club, make this activity more productive as well as safe with a GPS fishfinder combo. The use of this system makes fishing easier in many ways and at the same time makes it safer so you can enjoy a bigger haul and a hassle free fishing trip. If safety is a concern for you, then your answer lies in marine GPS technology.
These devices steer you safely back to your starting point in case you hit upon rain, fog or darkness. As soon as you start, you can mark your location by longitude and latitude, and your system keeps a record of your travel route. This allows you to return safely to your home point, in case of any confusion due to bad weather or visibility.
Also, if you are part of a fishing event where you work in a group you can send the coordinates of your location to your friends if you like. You can also use this system to increase your catch. In all probability, you will end up with a bigger haul than the next guy. Your GPS fishfinder will help you locate the fish easily. Once you catch fish at some particular spot you can mark the spot in the GPS device and collect locations of such points in the device. Use these coordinates for your next trip. You could also mark a circle using the point in the middle as center for deciding your fishing zone for future trips as there is maximum probability of catching fish in this zone.
So what are you waiting for? Invest a nominal amount on a GPS fishfinder combination and get a lot in return.
Too funny. Recently our 15-year-old went camping with a friend of ours, trying to make the most of the end of summer. They really like to get together to hike and fish, have plenty of cookouts and just hang out together. Anyway, after one long day of tramping around in the wooded trails and cooking hotdogs on sticks over the fire pit they decided to relax out on the lake with fishing poles in hand. After a while of just floating around casting his line and reeling it in, our son started complaining that he caught a snag. They both worked a little to try to get it free when they finally managed to begin reeling the snag back toward the boat. I am thinking if they had bothered to bring the GPS fishfinder along they would have known that “snag” was one of the largest large mouth bass our friend had ever seen! Now there’s a fish story to remember, certainly a memory to last a lifetime.
A common question that you hear is “is there a site that one can go to for a profile to fit a GPS to the person and needs?” Generally you can go to any of the major manufacturers’ web sites and find comparison charts on their models. Most manufacturers have comparison functionality on their web sites that could help determine what to look for. It looks pretty basic, and you may have already determined what you are looking for, now you just need to find the right unit. First you must decide what type of unit are you looking for – automotive GPS systems, motorcycle GPS, marine GPS chartplotter or fishfinder, handheld GPS units? I especially like Garmin’s site for doing comparisons of features. There you can pick your interests (basic handhelds, mapping handhelds or on the side there is a link to geocaching). You can learn a lot from their site, and they have a wonderful comparison feature. This would be a terrific place to start. If you like geocaching there are also sites such as geocaching.com which teach you a lot and are a lot of fun. I generally like helping you find answers to your questions, but at the same time a feature which makes great sense to one person will sound like a waste of time and money to someone else, so you really need to do the final homework yourself to be sure you really find the GPS unit which suits your needs and that you will love for some time to come. I hope this helps to simplify things a little for you.