While fishing is a fun activity, ice fishing can have your adrenaline reach its peak boiling point, and the fun part is when you try to race the fish to the surface. For those who have never tried ice fishing, it might seem like a complex mind-numbing process until you see the handful of tools required for the activity.
A Navionics app is among the tools that you will need for ice fishing, only that it is in the form of software. The application will provide you with nautical charts that you can use during fishing, diving, sailing, or cruising.
The Boating Application
The Boating App is one of the best Navionics apps for ice fishing because it has incorporated detailed marine and lake charts complete with advanced features. And since you will barely get good internet signals while in the lake, the boating app gives you the option of chart layers that you can download and use while in offline mode.
For example, you could download the sonar chart on your mobile, where you will be presented with extraordinary bottom contour detail covering the marines and the lakes, the above will help the fishermen to locate the areas with fish at any depth level.
The sonar application is reliable because it is constantly updated by the boaters who submit sonar logs that have been recently recorded to reflect the current situation of the ever-changing water patterns of the lakes, sea, and the river bottoms.
The Boating App, therefore, offers comprehensive information and this is inclusive of the other chart layers, such as the community edits, that contain local information that has been shared by the locals who also use the application. The nautical charts are equipped with the necessary cartographic references, with details for fishing, sailing, and cruising.
iSailGPS
iSailGPS can be downloaded from the app store, so it is best utilized by apple devices. iSailGPS has been configured to give you a heads up of where you are going. So some of the features that you are going to interact with are such as the charts that automatically switch as you sail, and mind you as you interact with this feature, you will be provided with the highest resolution chart available in your current location.
The application also allows users to print charts that have been overlaid with waypoints, tracks, and routes. And while in the lake and you wish to know the distance and direction between points, iSailGPS gives you the option of quickly knowing the measurements between any two points. You could also search place names via the provided USGS Geographic names databases.
iSailGPS also allows users to share information with other ice fishing enthusiasts on their computers or Smartphones. So if your ice fishing expedition is going great and you would like to share the location data, then you could use the iCloud drive, messages, copy to, twitter, mail, or the notes. And to make the application even more useful to users the integrated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine charts have been provided at no extra cost.
Navimatics takes navigation to a whole new level by offering users some of the most distinct and advanced features. You will, therefore, be able to get access to the Aero charts, there is also the marine chart plotter that is compatible with either your iPad or iPhone, and even better you will be provided with the celestial navigation feature.
So while other applications are only compatible with Apple devices, Navimatics can be used on either an iPad or an iPhone; android and mac users have also been accommodated. Navimatics has its user’s interest at heart and thus provides information on tides via its new charts and tides feature for the ios7. Other features are such as GPS navigation, whereby users can use it at home to prepare for their trip.
And for the users with Garmin, Navimatics can provide you with marine charts that contain a great deal of detailed information on the US coastline and these include the great lakes region. However, the above charts come at a cost and the information contained therein is legit as it comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
iNAVX
iNAVX can be downloaded either from the App Store or the Google play store, and the best thing about it is that the application has been configured to be accommodated by the android phones. Some of the important fishing features that you will be able to interact with while using the iNAVX are the advanced chart plotter, which will give you the option of planning, zooming, and rotating the charts.
And if your device has a built-in GPS then you will be able to plot your position in real-time, and you can even print the detailed charts to be used in combination with the application. Also provided with the application are the real-time instruments that will provide you with information on the distance to waypoint, there is also a compass card that indicates the course, among other features.
An anchor alarm has been incorporated in the application, where users will be notified with both the audio and visual alerts if the anchor drags more than selected. Users will also be able to see and track the nearby traffic through the integration of the AIS receiver or transponder. The provided marine chart information has been designed to provide fishing enthusiasts with details of the chart and allow them to email, update, delete, or print the charts.
The HUMMINBIRD FISHSMART APP
The Fishsmart app comes with a different twist in water navigation, for one it gives users the option of easily purchasing maps. The above can be done from either your Apple or Android device, and the images provided in the maps capture the shallow water highlight, the water level offset, and the highlight depth. And better yet users are allowed to overlay their maps with the satellite images.
The Humminbird also has software updates, but remember that you will have to download and push them straight to your hummingbird control head. Technical support under the Fishsmart app is offered to users even when they are on the water or at home. Lastly, under the Data and GPS Navigation, users are allowed to save their on water tracks, so that they can share with their friends or review them when engaging on future trips.
