Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

I have a Lowrance 520 and I can get a mapping card with it.  What is a better for here in Michigan? Fishing Hot Spots North or the LakeMaster (MI)?  Thanks!!

Andy

I have both.  They both have pluses and minuses.  The Lakemaster has more detail, and is highly accurate in the St. Clair River, Det. River, and inland lakes.  But it's not all that accurate for Lake St. Clair.  But it's no less accurate than the Navionics on the lake.

However, on my Lowrance LMS-480, the Navionics is easier to read at higher speeds because the icons are bigger and there is more definition between the depth numbers and other symbols and text.  The Lakemaster looks a little cluttered and sometimes I find myself turning off the depth numbers to make it easier to read when I'm moving at high speeds and the unit is shaking on the console.  The Navionics isn't as accurate in the St. Clair River, Detroit River, and inland lakes though.  It has less detail in other words.

So it depends on what you want the chip for.  For ease of navigation on a smaller screen, I'd recommend the Navionics.  For detail, I'd recommend the Lakemaster.  Personally, the detail of the Lakemaster has helped me find good fish holding areas in the rivers, but aside from that, it's not been as much of an upgrade as I thought it would be.  Just my opinion. 

But if you're up North and don't need big water mapping, the Lakemaster seems to have way more detail on the inland lakes it covers.

Thanks Revtro!

I'll be doing most of my fishing on the little lakes with a big lake (LSC or Erie) once or twice a year.