Quote Originally Posted by OBRage View Post
As I try to learn new lakes or even new areas on the same lakes, I constantly have to fold and unfold paper maps. Do any of you use GPS lake map chips in your depth finders? If so, which do you like or think is the best and why, Lakemaster or Navionics?
You need to review the lake list for each companies mapping against the lakes you fish. For example, I'm in Arkansas and bought a Humminbird only to learn that their Lakemaster mapping doesn't include a nearby 40,000 acre lake (Ouachita) at all! I ended up buying a Navionics map chip, but it's not ideal.

Last year I learned that Garmin had new survey maps (most lake mapping is made from old topo maps from before the lake was filled) of nearly all the lakes in Arkansas, including a high definition map of Lake Ouachita. I bought a 5 inch Garmin 50s that I use as a standalone GPS mapping unit. These maps are accurate too, they accurately show the river channels, drops offs, etc. Something I can't say about the Navionics map in my Humminbird. The river channel in Ouachita is often hundreds of yards off on the Navionics map, but dead on with the Garmin map.

For my area and my money Garmin has everyone else beat hands down.