Fishfinder/GPS combo question

I have a friend that is looking for a Fishfinder/GPS combo and map for fishing the Rockport area.

I fish freshwater and know which units perform best and have the best maps but I am clueless in the saltwater applications.

Can I get some recommendations of best graph/GPS/map setup? I appreciate the assistance.

Navionics has good coverage inshore and offshore in the Gulf. Spot soundings with Nautical Charts and HD depth contours with Sonar Charts.

The actual maps can be viewed on the Navionics website's Web App. Have to zoom in to the .3 mile scale to see the 1' contours

Humminbird, Lowrance, and Raymarine have sonar/GPS units that read Navionics digital mapping.

Thanks! They had no map and ran up on a sand bar...that's the story I got from why now.

Hopefully I can teach them the offsets to avoid such hazards.

You certainly need some kind of map but I wouldn't rely on it to avoid sandbars. They change too much. I have a combo with navionics but what I do is set the alarm for 3 ft depth. If it goes off I immediately pull throttle back and figure out a way to trace my way back out or see if I can go around.

What bay were they fishing?

You can look on google earth beforehand and get an idea where the shoaling is going on. For example, it used to be a piece of cake to go out Pass Cavallo into the gulf. Now its tricky as the channel has wiggled around and narrowed. Some say that so much water goes in/out the jetty that Cavallo is silting in.

Depending on what chartplotter you go with or what kind of levels of information you are looking for, Navionics has a few different charts that would work great. The Platinum plus card, is a little more pricey, but offers aerial photos of ports or marinas, has the 1 foot contours, shows many different offshore structures, as well as the 3d and aerial overlay. The little more cost effective option would be the Navionics Nav+ region card. It is preloaded and offers all of the same Nautical data with the Sonarchart layer and 1' contours, but does not offer the aerial overlay, 3d or photos of ports and marinas. You can compare the 2 at Navionics.com or if you have any other questions feel free to ask away.

Thanks for the help! I've passed it on and hope they learn the lay of the drifting land down there. Running stumpy lakes I've always told folks "know where you go and go where you know"...sounds much the same down there except the stumps tend not to move around!

After a couple weeks of research, I just bought the Raymarine eS98 loaded with Navionics+. This was a package that included the chart program and transducer unit. Navionics charts are updated live as you pass over water, any body of water in the world. You choose the area you want. Your data and other boats data (running the same programs) are updated constantly and is downloadable to you. Best detail I have seen to date.

Check out Raymarine and Navionics.