Any fishing people here?

[gonzo]

My dad's after a fishing GPS for his yearly fishing holiday and he's asked me for advice since I'm the only one in the family with GPS. The thing is that he doesn't want to do anything tricky with it, he just wants to mark places of interest, record routes after he's made them (to allow him to make his way through sandbanks) and possibly have a localised map (a specific 10 square miles*). He's said that the minimum screen size is 3.2" and it needs to be readable in sunlight.

What's good and not? Is there anything else that's handy to have that's not on the list?

*However, it's likely that the depth charts will have changed slightly about a month ago because of a pass that's been opened up.

[numbnuts]

Garmin marine GPS
Any GPS will do I use an Garmin e-map when I'm out sea kayaking and also fish from my kayak, the screen on mine is 1.75x 2.25inches it only has road maps, but I can at least see were I've been (biscuit trail) and plot waypoints.
Garmin do a complete range for marine use, but the charts (blue charts) that go with them are not cheap
ps Garmin also do fishfinder/GPS combos

[gonzo]

Ta NN. I've found the appropriate map and it's not too expensive as it's only one small area. I'll speak to him and pass on the fact that the charts aren't essential.

How accurate have you found the the basemap is at plotting the coast line?

[numbnuts]

How accurate have you found the the basemap is at plotting the coast line

"blue charts" are the same as marine paper charts
set your GPS to lat/long hddd mm mmm

[Panoramix]

There are 2 way of navigating with a Gps, you can either:
- See the GPS as a glorified sextant/decca and read your position on the screen and then plot it back onto the map. For this any GPS will do. You can also enter before you go a route made out of waypoints and the GPS will tell you by how much you are off route.
- Use the GPS as an interactive map showing where you are. You need a GPS combined with a chartplotter + electronic maps for this.

Most yachties I know use the first solution as you can still draw your route on the paper map and plot the effect of tidal streams on your course. Also if your gps dies, you can always carry on navigating by dead reckoning from the last plotted position.

The second option is good on an open boat with no chart table, also you can buy one that does GPS + Chartplotter + Fishfinder which be would ideal for fishing (but expensive!)

I have learned to sail in North Brittany, navigation can be a bit tricky there so may be people in other areas do it differently!

Edit: and i forgot to say the reputable makes I know of are Garmin, Lowrance and Magellan.

[gonzo]

- Use the GPS as an interactive map showing where you are. You need a GPS combined with a chartplotter + electronic maps for this.

I think that's the option I'll have to advise him on as most of the fishing is done in very shallow waters so he needs to be able to see where the channels are quite rapidly.

Ta for the tips all!

[andrew_s]

Garmin marine GPS

Of those, the 76CSx is much the same as a 60CSx, but is handy in a boat because it floats, and the Colorado is reputedly not properly waterproof because the slide-on battery compartment lid damages the O-ring seal.

[Pancho]

- Use the GPS as an interactive map showing where you are. You need a GPS combined with a chartplotter + electronic maps for this.

I think that's the option I'll have to advise him on as most of the fishing is done in very shallow waters so he needs to be able to see where the channels are quite rapidly.

Ta for the tips all!

The resolution for finding channels will only be as good as the paper charts. And only as reliable as the last survey - probably many years ago and many, many tides and storms ago.

Sounds like he really needs to measure depth; then he needs a sounder. If it's a small dinghy type boat we're talking, you can even buy battery powered handhelds about the size and shape as a torch. Just hold it in the water and read off the depth.

[Panoramix]

- Use the GPS as an interactive map showing where you are. You need a GPS combined with a chartplotter + electronic maps for this.

I think that's the option I'll have to advise him on as most of the fishing is done in very shallow waters so he needs to be able to see where the channels are quite rapidly.

Ta for the tips all!

The resolution for finding channels will only be as good as the paper charts. And only as reliable as the last survey - probably many years ago and many, many tides and storms ago.

Sounds like he really needs to measure depth; then he needs a sounder. If it's a small dinghy type boat we're talking, you can even buy battery powered handhelds about the size and shape as a torch. Just hold it in the water and read off the depth.

And by the way,even if you can achieve 10m accuracy most of the time, you may sometimes get crap signal and it is better to assume 50-80m accuracy which is plenty enough anyway!

Sounder tells you where the danger is only when you are about to hit it!

[Pancho]

Sounder is better for following the contour of a, say 10m wide, channel than using GPS of unknown accuracy and charts of dubious survey age.

True, you need to know the area (either from a chart or from local knowledge) to know the channel exists. But I'd sort of assume you have that awareness if you're putting to sea[1].

[1] Having spent time as RNLI crew though, I'm all too aware that such seamanship is often lacking.

[Panoramix]

There are many ways to navigate and you can indeed follow a contour, I imagine it is dependent on one's confidence with such or such technique. I remember my dad doing this + dead recknoning in pre GPS/decca time in foggy conditions.... but this was stressful!!! May be it is easier in some places than others. I can imagine it being valid in the Thames estuary where there are big sandbanks which are well defined. You need to be sure on which side of the channel you are! A few years ago we were travelling back from the Netherlands to Brittany in poor visibility off the Belgium coast and we did GPS (it was 100-200m accuracy back then) + fine tuning with sounder. Everything was under control.

If you give me the choice between GPS or sounder, I will say GPS especially if I know that there is a risk of poor visibility. But it is true that a sounder is really useful (especially if the OP fishes on sandbanks) and if it does not blow up his budget that is definitely worth considering. You can find combined units (GPS + map + sounder/fishfinder). A fishfinder is just a fancy sounder.

You can get away with a watch, compass and a log, but this may imply that you wait several hours until the conditions are right to navigate through a tricky area! Each time you add another bit of navigation kit, it just means that you can navigate safely in trickier conditions, seamanship is about knowing what is safe and what is not!

btw: Pancho, top man for volunteering for the RNLI 

[gonzo]

Sorry for not coming in earlier to add to the facts!

The boat he rents over there has a depth finder. The problem is that there are various channels through the sandbanks that are achieved by following markers. Going off course at any time means that the boat can get grounded. The current situation involves taking binoculars to see the marker posts, aiming for them then getting out the binoculars to see the next ones.

I know that it's possible to take charts, get current location from GPS and then plot a course, but he wants to simplify things so he can just follow a heading on the GPS.

FWIW, the location is here:
Google Maps

[Panoramix]

I know that it's possible to take charts, get current location from GPS and then plot a course, but he wants to simplify things so he can just follow a heading on the GPS.

FWIW, the location is here:
Google Maps

In this case, it is really simple, what he needs to do is buy any GPS that can do waypoints and routes (virtually all of them do), spend an evening entering the position of the markers as waypoints in the GPS and make a route for each channel that he may use (one waypoint per marker). When he wants to follow a channel he needs to select the right routein the right direction,  and each time he reaches a waypoint, the gps will give a bearing to the next one.

If he does it like this, chartplotting is just a nice to have function. (but still nice to have). If he goes for the charplotting option, I would still advise him to spend the time entering the waypoints beforehand.

[gonzo]

In this case, it is really simple, what he needs to do is buy any GPS that can do waypoints and routes (virtually all of them do), spend an evening entering the position of the markers as waypoints in the GPS and make a route for each channel that he may use (one waypoint per marker). When he wants to follow a channel he needs to select the right routein the right direction,  and each time he reaches a waypoint, the gps will give a bearing to the next one.

If he does it like this, chartplotting is just a nice to have function. (but still nice to have). If he goes for the charplotting option, I would still advise him to spend the time entering the waypoints beforehand.

Thanks for the tip! I'll pass it on.

[Pancho]

Just remember that the Yanks put their buoys the wrong way round.

[gonzo]

Just remember that the Yanks put their buoys the wrong way round.

They don't call them buoys either!

[andrew_s]

My 60CSx (and by extension the 76CSx) has a marine route following mode that takes you back onto the course between waypoints, rather than just directly towards the next waypoint.

[Pancho]

My 60CSx (and by extension the 76CSx) has a marine route following mode that takes you back onto the course between waypoints, rather than just directly towards the next waypoint.

Which is just slightly rather important if there's any cross current or tide.

[Panoramix]

My 60CSx (and by extension the 76CSx) has a marine route following mode that takes you back onto the course between waypoints, rather than just directly towards the next waypoint.

Which is just slightly rather important if there's any cross current or tide.

or helmsman gets distracted by pamela like coastguards running on the beach