Hi, I am looking for map software for use on a tablet for GPS use whilst at sea, I was wondering if any of you guys have any recommendation, ideally free software but willing to pay a small annual fee if need be.
I have used several Johnny. What tablet and what are you going to use it for?
Eg; just navigation close to the coast or crossing oceans :shock:
Do you want to see depth contours? Some have tidal flows.
Have a look at Memory-Map with its maritime charts. One off cost of £25 for all the latest UK charts and it works really well on an ipad. There are "better" programs but I doubt you would want the bells and whistles and they cost more. There are also free apps but they usually have drawbacks of some kind and not always the latest charts. Another advantage of Memory-map is you can easily transfer routes and tracks between ipad and PC.
http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html#12.43/57.9176/-6.6154/19.2
This is handy for me (coupled with Bing maps) when looking for new places to fish. Coupled with Google maps on your phone, it is hard to go wrong when pottering about inshore.
I do not about any of these systems but the free mapping archive held on line at the National Library of Scotland is now all digitised and holds Admiralty charts and similar as well as all land mapping.
Thanks guys, a few to look into there, it's for generally puttering about round the coaed of lewis
Gordon, do you use this with Internet connection or did you buy the app?
Is it gps enabled or do you always need Internet connection?
Quote from: johnny boy on July 04, 2020, 01:42:41 AM
Gordon, do you use this with Internet connection or did you buy the app?
Is it gps enabled or do you always need Internet connection?
My mate used to have gps on his phone, and i had the chart on mine. The main thing is being ensuring when you go out it is to an area with 4 g coverage. Even Google maps can get you home if it gets foggy. For the likes of the mouth of Loch Erisort with its interesting reefs, and from Dalmore to the Old Hill off Bernera, there are loads of shore marks to take bearings off. (eg, line up Gallan head with assorted islands). Using the chart it possible to find and memorise shore marks for the good bits. (I had all the area off Carloway worked out until, one day, they took away the mast on Gallan Head. :shock:
We have not managed gallan head yet, had a couple of trips to the old hill but not beyond. Just faffing about really as we are both new to sea fishing (other than the old fashioned mackerel and laith tactics), good fun though trying to figure it out. The 4g thing is fine so long as your phone does not run out of charge, I was looking for a second option that could be used on a getac tablet. Hope to mount it and use it as a plotter on the boat with GPS. The phone and 4g are the backup. Can't be to careful out in these waters
Gallan area and Old Hill were never much good. At this time of year, either the mouth of Cliff Bay (15-20 metres deep) for rays, gurnard, flatties, etc. There is a patch of gravel at the mouth of the bay where you can get haddock, but it is kind of hard to describe where it is without being afloat.
From now until October out off the headland at Tiumpam (just past Garenin, NE end) is very good for a variety of species. There is a mix of sand, gravel, and peaks in quite a small area. Best fished when wind is with tide on a medium sized tide.
Go to pub if you encounter spurdogs.
Hi Gordon, we were out off garenin up to shawbost a week ago, we were about a quarter mile out as that's where we were told to try, spurdogs everywhere. Nothing else had a chance, as soon as you hit bottom they were on.
We were down by pabaidh today, didn't quite go as far as cliff, if only you had posted that yesterday.
Out off the headland just up from Garenin it is very important to be on the right line when drifting. A lot of the cod and ling are concentrated in the gravely bits between the peaks and patches of sand. You need to be drifting along the edges. The sandy bits are unreliable. Once you climb up onto the proper peaks you are into pollack and cod territory. I had the benefit of being out for a number of years with the old skippers who fished the area without the benefit of gps and fishfinders, and learned to fish off Carloway using shore marks.
Good to know for next time we are up in that area, what sort of distance roughly would you suggest to be from shore as a good starting point (pm me if you don't want to post on forum, tell me to piss off if you don't want to tell me at all 😁)
http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html#11.36/58.3059/-6.7932/19.2
Off the headland there is a peak of 13.9 fathoms. Take a line from the northern end of the headland through that peak. Just on the inside or outside of the peak are the most productive bits.
Between there and where it says 10.8 and 11.8 to the north can be very good also. Not if you have wind against tide as moving along at a good speed helps. If spurs are bad, just use pirks with either muppets or redgills as fliers above. Baited pirks or muppets are good when the effing spur bastards are not there.
(For anyone thinking spurdogs are "fun", they get tiresome when you get three double figure ones at a time, every time.)
In Cliff Bay you want three hooks trailing along the bottom below the lead for rays (thornies, spotted and cuckoo are common).
Sadly, I was told earlier that a local boat has been trawling right inshore for rays and flatfish this summer. Tolsta, Ness, Eoropie.....all cleaned out. He was eyeing up Cliff Bay too. Fair chance the good citizens of Ness may have put a hole in his boat before he gets there though!
Well that can't be too far from where we were but we could have missed the 13.9 mark as we were drifting blind. Good to know about it and I will try getting us onto it next time.
Your right about the spurs, the first few were a bit of fun, got tiresome quickly and just downright annoying soon after.
Hopefully get out in the next week or so with the good weather.