G P S
advanced
part two
Story & Photos
BY MARC MARCANTONIO
Know Exactly Where to Cast!
M
arc Marcantonio continues his discus-
sion on Advanced GPS. Here you can
learn the features that can enhance
your fishing day and the size of your tournament bag.
WPTS FROM AFAR
Accurately save waypoints from a distance without having to go near them! The Point-1 and HDS units open new possibilities you may not have considered. Now you can accurately save a waypoint from a distance (without having to put your boat overtop of the spot). This could be a dangerous rock pile or reef you see during low water conditions. Or maybe a school of bass busting bait on the surface across the lake, or even another boat’s location.
If you use a laser rangefinder like my Leupold RX- 1000i TBR, you can turn your boat to point to your target (reef or boat), then aim the rangefinder at the target, and quickly determine an accurate distance to your target. Then it is simply a matter of adding a waypoint with my cursor at the proper distance in line with my heading extension line. Your waypoint distance from your position can be easily adjusted to match the distance determined by the laser rangefinder by using the “measure distance” feature. Many outdoorsmen already own a laser rangefinder for hunting or golfing, and now you know how to use it to improve your fishing as well.
If your laser rangefinder also calculates the degree angle to your target (or you can use a lensatic compass), instead of pointing your boat to the target (for instance if you are anchored), you can
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still accurately place your waypoint. Use the overlay feature to superimpose a compass on your chart page, and then use the cursor to place the waypoint at the proper azimuth per your overlay compass, and at the proper distance from your boat position.
Imagine the possibilities with this capability!
INDIVIDUAL MAPPING
Insight Genesis (https://insightstore.navico. com/insightgenesis) . Detailed maps have greatly improved our ability to determine where to fish, and where to safely maneuver the boat. Contour lines make it easy to find key structure. In the recent past, you had to pay extra for a GPS/Sonar unit that came with detailed mapping, or you purchased expensive map cards. If you fish small or remote bodies of water, there is a good chance your chart did not have the detail found in more popular waters.
Now there is another option, one that lets you create your own custom detailed maps of any body
®