Fishing Maps

[nathanhooper]

Ive always wondered, and I just read an article that mentioned them, but has anyone found that the makers of these "fishing hot spots" maps have a good map of Beaver?

I've got a topo map of it, so I'm just wondering if it has some other super secrete knowledge of the lake. That also makes me wonder if they are printing these than anyone who buys them is fishing those spots. So then it would seem pointless.

Anyone get one before?

[J-Doc]

Its by Navionics and its for sonar units with GPS.

You can get the app on your phone for only $10. It does NOT have super secret spots. Just gives you more defined contour lines at 1ft intervals vs 10ft spacing.

Can help you find areas once you know a particular depth range. It also has road beds, and other things that are a bit more defined than the printed map. You can also save waypoints and such.

[nathanhooper]

Right now I have been using the old cabellas app. Before you had to pay for it. It shows some rough contour lines, enough for the moment. Just looking for something more.

Does that app track your position and give you the ability to zoom and such?

[J-Doc]

Yes. It does. I hear there is a lengthy way to transfer them into your GPS unit.

[Feathers and Fins]

I have two hotspots of Beaver. Both are Pin-ups, They are used purely to track the migration patterns of the fish and stay home. In the boat its my sonar units GPS, truth be told I DO NOT USE IT that often. I zero in on a bottom depth line or shore feature, If the fish stop on the one I am on I go to the Droid and open Google-Earth and look back in time on the map and find a similar area and head for it. I know the lake but cant remember everything.

Say the fish are biting on a long point with a northerly hook and the point faces east. A few minutes on Google and I can find other points like that. Most maps that can be bought, have been, and usefulness is minimal at most until the angler starts marking them up with things not on them from the factory. Other option is make your own maps which is what I do most the time of the most productive areas.

[nathanhooper]

My unit is a GPS unit, but I do not have the external antennae for it. Wish I did, but man those things are expensive. I shouldn't complain as I got the unit for almost a steal. One of these day's I might come across one.

I have used my phone for the most part, and it helps with keeping me on the points when they jet off in a dog leg direction. I doubt I would use it for much more than that.

I was speaking of the paper maps in the original post. But on my phone would not be a bad thing also. Just wondered what all they had on them as I have never seen one before.

[Quillback]

I have the Hotspot maps of all the lakes I fish. Not so much for the "hotspot" info, but I use them to plan where I'm going to fish. They show stuff that does show on my Navionics maps like roadbeds, foundations, old bridges etc. Of course once you get familiar with a lake you'll use the maps less. but if you don't know a lake, the maps are great. I'd rather have studied the map the night before I go fishing and have a plan as to where I'm going to fish, rather than waste valuable fishing time once out on the lake looking at a GPS map and trying to decide where I'm going to fish next.

[J-Doc]

The Navionics app on my phone shows road beds, foundations, etc. I only use it as described above. Having the 1ft intervals for contour showed me some things I was unaware of though due to higher detail. It's a good app and I use it on occasion but only to plan ahead or when I key in on something, I look on the map to find more places like it.

[innova]

I use a hummingbird sonar / GPS with the Navionics hot map for the Southwest - Chip is 3 or 4 years old. It shows 1 foot contours, roads beds, foundations, etc. I know the lake well but would not run the lake at night or when the water is low without it. By using the chip, comparing it to the printed version of the Hotmap for Beaver Lake that Walmart sells and watching the fleet of striper guides on the water I can say most places the guides fish contain either a roadbed, a foundation, or some key topo feature that you would never know was there otherwise. Navionics also has a product called Navplanner 2 that runs on a PC that you might want to check out (way to many features for me list). All of the products and other map products have there place but they will not put fish in the boat. If you understand the basic habits of the fish you are targeting they are a great tool, otherwise they are a waste of money. As far as any being marked with a secret spot the printed version of the Hotspots Map sold at walmart does have areas marked and information regarding the species, time of year and even lure suggestions.

[nathanhooper]

Well guys, I might have just ran across the holy grail of maps. I went out last night with a friend who informed me that he had in his possession a "book" of maps of Beaver Lake. He said it was the old army corps survey map they did when they built the lake. Road beds, foundations, maybe even has where they clearcut and such. He said it was made up of a bunch of small prints that were then bound together in a book format, maybe 1" thick or so.

It was too late when we got back for me to take a look, but I am excited to actually be able to see something of this nature. It might not be anything more than what you can get on those chips or apps, but the way he described it was a detailed "blue print" of the lake. We shall see.