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@gimruis Have been for quite some time, as far as I know. I know my dad had a bird unit that predated Helix & I believe he had a Navionics chip in it.

Wasn’t intending to sound like I’m touting it as a feature in favor of one unit versus another, was trying (and doing a bad job of it) to point out some capabilities are limited or only available on certain brands of cards in HBird units only. Didn’t want the OP to run out & buy a Navionics card expecting to do everything a Lakemaster can do. Pros & cons for cards, as with about everything we use.

@casts_by_fly In addition, they have something called safety depth. If you set it to say 10’ then everything 10’ or less will be blue. Everything greater than 10’ will be white. Not to be confused with using different colors to define different depth zones (color shading maybe - don’t recall the specific term). You can also see the safety depth feature using the online Chartviewer. Click/tap Menu in the lower/middle area of screen, a menu will appear on left. Choose Map Options & you should see Safety Depth. I’ve set it to 15’ so you can see the blue/white differences on the map shown below. My apologies if this is confusing towards your original question. So many different terms between one brand & another. Watched some YT videos & 95% sure the ability to color different depth zones with say, red, green, blue, etc. is limited to Lakemaster cards only, as is bottom hardness via colors on a map. Hardness can be determined/guesstimated using red/green palette & side imaging, from what I have gathered. That’s how guys can find shell beds on southern lakes, where shell beds are often targeted, without having true bottom hardness capability, so to speak, in combination with other sonar output.

Sorry - I was only referring to depth shading regarding it being possibly exclusive to LM cards. Yes, Navionics is 100% compatible with HBird & for the most part looks like the online Chartviewer does. I have Solix units & under settings, after the Navionics card is inserted, there should be 2 choices, basemap or Navionics. Solix’s have 2 card slots, so I am assuming if I inserted a LM chip in the unused 2nd slot I would get a third choice as to which map is displayed. Not sure how it would be with Helix. Last one I fiddled with had 1 SD slot so I am assuming the unit would either give you a choice in your settings or just automatically make that your map.

@Bluebasser86 Ahhhh - forgot you said it had already snowed out there. None of that here yet in central IN & we’re going to be seeing more days in the 50’s but wind & rain for a few days. Hoping I can go just once in December.

@The Bassman I will PM you sometime if you don’t mind. Maybe we can hook up (see what I did there) if logistics are do-able?

If you ever lived in Bloomington you may know some folks my dad knows. ‘78 was the blizzard year, was it not? I know it was 77 or 78 - I was in grade school when it hit. Lived north of town off old SR-37 in a don’t blink or you’ll miss it burg called Dolan, not too far from Unionville & Lake Lemon.

I think that is either exclusive to Lakemaster or you need a more expensive option on Navionics which I’ve not tried. Once you get to the Platinum option, your coverage decreases to regional. Prices on Navionics mapping is per year, meaning if you wish to update your card you have pay that price yearly (not just a one time fee) however you can use your card forever, just without updates.

I own 2 Birds. Lakemaster is nice & offers coverage regionally but it’s expensive (IMO) if you’re traveling out of state to a different region & will require another card for that region. They used to offer pay per lake (pay $X for maps of one lake, via download) called ChartSelect but I believe that’s been discontinued. Not all Lakemaster lakes have been surveyed in HD (1 foot depth increments). Anything with VX is their latest & greatest. Older stuff is called Legacy, I believe. You can check list of available HD surveyed lakes in advance on HBird’s website. Navionics (owned by Garmin) offers coverage all over the US for about the same price as a single regional Lakemaster card. You can go to Navionics website to view their Chartviewer to get an idea of what their mapping looks like onscreen. Make sure you select Viewers -> Chartviewer. Once map comes up, tap the 3 arcs in lower left & make sure SonarChart is selected which turns ON HD surveys (1 foot depth increments, where available). I believe this also turns on user edits for users who choose to send in soundings & waypoints off their cards. Click/tap any icons on lakes & the the question mark for additional info about each icon. Navionics+ Large gets you all US, some of CA & coastal waters.

Don’t be. You’re only missing out when snow first falls & is pristine - that can be a "pretty" sight under the right circumstances and/or location. Once you’ve seen it, meh. Turns into a mess, idiots passing through have no clue how to drive in it & ice fishing used to be using a manual auger, pulling your equipment on the ice on foot & sitting on upside down buckets waiting for a bite. Once you’ve worn yourself out getting dressed, pulling on boots & all the work getting to the fish & drilling 30 holes, slipping on the ice, both feet going above your head & landing flat in your back, knocking the wind out of yourself & in the process of that display of dexterity, squeezing each bluegill you’re holding to the point they’ve soiled both of your half frozen hands & you’ve left 4 clear holes in the fillets makes it all completely not worth it. Ask me how I know….🤣🤣🤣

Took me a bit too until I decoded "rather be" 🤣

@TOXIC makes a very good point. 3-4’ rollers on a 20’ bass boat on LSC or any lake for that matter can be no fun at all. Just spitballing here - deeper hull aluminum (I know some lakes up there are very rocky)? No clue on prices. Just hate to see anyone get into a fiberglass boat & ruin it going over a shallow reef, etc. As stated, just food for thought.

I am pretty much east of you & would be surprised if we’re froze out that soon but we have more hills than what I’ve seen driving through KS on I-70. I could be wrong though - wouldn’t be the first time. Biggest factor for me right now is wind due to small waters & lightweight boat.

@Bluebasser86 Just the one on crankbait starting to show lipstick. 👍

I may take you up on that at some point. Appreciate the offer. No smaller than 3/8 for me. 1/2 is my typical daytime & 3/4+ for night. Basic colors for the most part. Currently recovering from a severe bait monkey attack last week so might be after recovery. 😉

@galyonj I had to Google SWMBO to be sure, now LMAO @ she who must be obeyed. I’ve been lucky so far. No COVID but we went down to Guntersville early in October & my dad & another guy both tested positive a week after returning home. I never had symptoms so never went to get tested. 3 days after we got home, dad & mom drove out to CO & that’s when dad found out he was positive & then mom tested positive. Dad still has cough but both seem to be over it. His immune system is compromised due to medication he takes for Crohn’s so COVID was a concern. I’m guessing the vaccination & cocktail of meds he received got him over it quickly.

@galyonj How’s the COVID getting along? Getting better?

@galyonj with his accidental wrong turns. @ol'crickety with her 50+ stumbling casts…. You all sure are accident prone. Well look at that….I backed into the driveway, hit my boat & it landed right in the bed of my truck!

@NorthernBasser I’m starting to see just who are the enablers around here 🤣

@thediscochef You need a stocking cap that says, "I’d rather be fishing in warmer weather" 🤣 All kidding aside, that’s dedication my man. Nicely done.👍

@snowplow From what I gather, the flat and/or mushroom head shape on a ned rig is shaped as such so it can stand upright easier without toppling over & its ability to be snapped off of sparse weeds (think coontail & cabbage). I’ve read other anglers using longer senkos as skirted jig trailers & expect this jig trailer you’re describing to be essentially the same thing rather than more like a ned rig unless they were using them on jig heads specifically (non-skirted). Ned is a lightweight presentation so it can lay on top of weeds rather than fall through them & potentially get snagged with the typical open hook. Also can be fished around rocks. 1/2oz weight doesn’t lend to sitting on top of sparse weed patches. Type & weight of head labeled as best would depend around which type of cover being fished, I’d tend to think.

That & it appears he might be able to fit his face in her mouth 🤣🤣

@NorthernBasser See latest catch pics thread.👍

@jimanchower Nicely done & congratulations on the PB. I can blame you for having to look this up: "A group of pigs is called a drift or drove. A group of young pigs is called a litter. A group of hogs is called a passel or team. A group of swine is called a sounder. A group of boars is called a singular." Nice drove you ran into. You toss that jig out & piggies be like: Keep spanking them until they don’t want it anymore.

Some of the newer, more moderately priced Revos are going this route. I see advantages for anglers who fish both fresh & saltwater. Abu certainly isn’t lowering prices on non-alloy framed reels. Me? I’d pass - just my personal preference to have an alloy frame.