Recreational fishing begins Sept. 16, LDWF says.
I have a Humminbird 798, but the mapping on it is horrible for the Bayou Black area. They dont even have Minors Canal between the Intracoastal and Lake DeCade.
Is there anything I can do? I’m about to go get me a Garmin. I looked on the Navionics site, but would that replace my existing map and add bayous that aren’t currently there, or would it just add depths and things like that?
Right now, as soon as I turn out of the Intracostal into Shell Pipeline or 70-Mile, it looks like land.
Capt. Paul’s response:
The Humminbird 798 comes with a mapping system that they call a base map. A base map is just what the name implies, a basic map on the entire U.S. Most base maps show major rivers, lakes and bays, but simply do not show the smaller details. This type of detail is what the Louisiana coastal marshes are made of.
I suggest that you call the Humminbird support section at 800-633-1468 for assistance and their recommendation, but I believe that the Navionics GOLD marine charts will provide a more detailed view of your fishing area than the present Humminbird base map that is in your unit.
The Humminbird and Navionics web sites both indicate that the below mapping software will work in the 798 ci and 798c units.
Navionics Gold, USA Code 1XG — Mapping area covers entire US West Coast and Baja to Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii and Alaska, from Dixon Entrance to northern Alaska including Dutch Harbor and the Pribilof Islands, includes US portion only of the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, Finger Lakes, Ohio River, Cumberland River, Kanawha River, Allegheny River, Green River, Illinois River, Missouri River, Tennessee River, Mississippi River, Arkansas River, Green River, Tennessee-Tombigee Waterway and Gulf of Mexico from Brownsville, Texas, to Venice, Fla., and entire US East Coast, including Martha’s Vinyard, Nantucket, Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, Block Island, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Northern Bahamas to Long Island, Cay Sal Bank, Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, Fort Myers and Tampa Bay.
The Gold Series of mapping lists for about $200, but I’m not sure that it will have the detail you need for your area. To be sure, visit a stocking Navionics dealer and ask to see the Gold 1XG mapping on a GPS or computer screen. Find the Orange Grove area, and zoom in to a more detailed view of the area. If the view meets your needs, that is the mapping to go with.
The mapping comes on a SD memory card that is placed into your GPS unit.
Navionics does not permit the return of cards once the packaging has been opened, so be sure that it suits your needs.
Navionics also offers a Hot Spot Lakes for the south-central U.S. mapping software that would work in your unit, but I don’t believe that it covers the Louisiana coastal marshes.
Once you decide on what program to go with, you probably can find it on the Internet at a discounted price. Remember that they do NOT take returns on this type of purchase.
