I am new to the boating community and was wondering if a gps is a want or a must these days. I have a 18 foot chaparrel. I live in Beaumont nd will be on the river for now and some time later I want to enjoy the salt water.

GPS is being relied heavly upon by traveling fishermen. If you do not have just one lake it will be a real plus. I live on a lake and very seldom even turn it on. If I travel to another lake that it has been sometime since I was there then I will refresh my memory by looking at saved way points. The salt water aspect I would think would be a must.

Depends on the kind of fishing/boating you do. For my style of fishing it is a must. I fish submerged points and humps in open water. Very difficult to find w/o a GPS. If you are just cruising the lake, or bass fishing (beating the banks) a GPS is helpful but not mandatory. If you are on a large unfamiliar lake a GPS with trails enabled will keep you from getting lost and let you know where you've been.

What BigDad said...I use mine the same way.

It is nice not to have to use shore markers to find a spot in open water and the maps on the GPS are a huge help. There are days when I want to go catching and the GPS helps me alot. There are days that I am just out enjoying all that God has and I never look at the GPS

Yes.

I kind of look at it like this: It is like Braided line it is not a must but it is there win you need it. And lets not forget those foggy days on Monticello in December when you can't even see the end of your boat.

And lets not forget those foggy days on Monticello in December when you can't even see the end of your boat.

Saved me many times!!!!!!!!!

I use mine quite a bit, one of the wisest purchases I've made...

Infinity;

I was skeptical when about the GPS feature, figured at first that it was an expensive gadget that I didn't need. BUT since I wanted Side Imaging I had to buy GPS to get it.

Anyway, after using it for the summer, the GPS has paid for it's self time and time again. The biggest way that it pays for it's self is more time fishing, and less time staring at the flasher watching for that hump or drop off.

I can now go straight out and land on the hump in seconds, not worry about the engine scaring the fish off and be fishing in seconds rather than cruising circles around an area looking for the depth to change on the flasher.

On new lakes the GPS helps as well, when I fished the TSA tournament on Richland Chambers I never had to worry about finding the ramp again, I just marked it's position and went fishing. When I lost my paper map on that trip I didn't lose stride I just used the GPS to find candidate spots for fishing.

I'm hoping to make Lake Buchanan this weekend as well, and again I'll use the GPS 99% of the time while out there.

I also plan to do some coastal fishing, and once your a few miles off shore your out of site of land, and I'll be drift fishing most of the time, so a compass would find Texas, but once I found the shore I doubt it would help me find my way back home.

I wouldn't say it's a requirement to have a GPS, but I guarentee that if you have one you'll find a number of uses for it, and over time you'll wonder why you ever fished without one.

If you get a good GPS unit and learn to use it properly it can be an invaluable tool! I have a hand held Garmin and use it traveling, hunting, and on the water. It takes me to the structure and mounds off the Texas coast and following my trail back at night in the dark keeps me out of he shallows. Its nice to catch fish at a featureless spot and be able to come back to that spot and continue to consistently catch fish time and time again. Using the additional software with the unit help find the underwater features. I wonder how I ever got along before I bought mine.
One suggestion I do have for you would be to do your reasearch before you buy one. One that fits someone elses needs may not fit yours.

The first time I installed mine and thought it would not be that much help, man was I wrong.
You can mark your trails and save waypoints. Great way to get all the way across the lake in a storm too. I got caught in a storm where you couldnt see the front of the boat, got under the bimini and made it all the way back to the ramp safely. If it wasnt for the GPS, no telling what would have happened. So many nice helpful features, I wouldnt trade mine for anything.

I fished Sam Rayburn for the first time a few years ago during a Top Six event.

Without GPS on Big Sam, I would've had to fish the coves near the ramp.

It was especially helpful following my GPS trail back to the ramp after fishing the Black Forest all day.

The second day we launched a few minutes before safe light amidst high wind and persistent rain, and made it back to the Black Forest in no time following our same trail saved on the GPS!

I hope you guys aren't using GPS to run on plane when there is no visibility. Just because you know how to get to the bridge at Monticello in the fog doesn't mean it's safe to run there on plane.

Artie

Can anybody tell me a good sorta low cost gps that I can use on my boat.