# Day 1 Review of FMT and Simrad Evo 3 12 in.



## Redtail

I'm on the fence about buying FMT. When you run the St Mark's area, if you run east of the lighthouse let us know how well the rocks are marked or it keeps you from finding rocks!


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## rickc

I have the lowrance elite fs 9 with FMT. St Marks is home base. FMT imaging is great. The east river all the bars at the mouth and west it works awesome.

East of the lighthouse once you get close to stoney bayou slow down, I idle, and follow those tracks slowly until you have confirmed they are good. No way all those rocks are marked. I bumped one on a red track in front of palmetto Island. It is a great help but the rock gardens will not become a safe playground even with this tool.


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## Redtail

rickc said:


> I have the lowrance elite fs 9 with FMT. St Marks is home base. FMT imaging is great. The east river all the bars at the mouth and west it works awesome.
> 
> East of the lighthouse once you get close to stoney bayou slow down, I idle, and follow those tracks slowly until you have confirmed they are good. No way all those rocks are marked. I bumped one on a red track in front of palmetto Island. It is a great help but the rock gardens will not become a safe playground even with this tool.


Are you running the latest updated FMT, think it came out this summer? I hear you, idle speed is your friend I'm just wondering if FMT will shorten the learning curve for new areas.


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## rickc

Redtail said:


> Are you running the latest updated FMT, think it came out this summer? I hear you, idle speed is your friend I'm just wondering if FMT will shorten the learning curve for new areas.


Yes it really helps. Just be cautious until you verify what tracks you can run. The imaging really helps.


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## Zika

The rocks east of the lighthouse are restless. They like to get up and move around in the middle of the night.


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## PTLuv2Fish

Redtail said:


> I'm on the fence about buying FMT. When you run the St Mark's area, if you run east of the lighthouse let us know how well the rocks are marked or it keeps you from finding rocks!


I'm going day after Christmas and am gonna head straight for that rock garden with my sacrificial Gheenoe wide open throttle! Seriously I am gonna weather permitting check out that area because I think it could hold a lot of fish.


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## PTLuv2Fish

rickc said:


> I have the lowrance elite fs 9 with FMT. St Marks is home base. FMT imaging is great. The east river all the bars at the mouth and west it works awesome.
> 
> East of the lighthouse once you get close to stoney bayou slow down, I idle, and follow those tracks slowly until you have confirmed they are good. No way all those rocks are marked. I bumped one on a red track in front of palmetto Island. It is a great help but the rock gardens will not become a safe playground even with this tool.


Thanks for the help I plan to idle through there with my engine up a good bit and a look out. I'm in a Gheenoe so If I bump something slowly all is not lost and I'll try to mark the rocks on my map? Anyway yea I'm headed straight for the Rock Garden!!!


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## PTLuv2Fish

Redtail said:


> Are you running the latest updated FMT, think it came out this summer? I hear you, idle speed is your friend I'm just wondering if FMT will shorten the learning curve for new areas.


Yes I just got my chips two weeks ago so they should be the latest and greatest version. The reason I got this was to help me explore new areas now on my sacrificial Gheenoe and later on my real skiff!!


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## PTLuv2Fish

Zika said:


> The rocks east of the lighthouse are restless. They like to get up and move around in the middle of the night.


Maybe I'll put a flag on them for everyone then


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## Zika

PTLuv2Fish said:


> Maybe I'll put a flag on them for everyone then


There's not enough fabric for that many flags. Some spots were marked in the past with PVC poles but you couldn't depend on them being there the next time or if they were on one end of the rocks or what. There's just no substitute for local knowledge and building up your own waypoint list.


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## Redtail

Just wondering how accurate our civilian GPS is and how accurate our machines read tracks? I've got tracks that I idled clean but am still reluctant to run them. Not sure if I hold directly on my previous track if I will be 5', 10' or more off from my recorded track?


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## rickc

There are flags on them. Rock grass. It's a kind of kelp like grass that grows on the rocks and floats to the surface. Hooked Redfish love to burrow down in it.

As you are running and look around and see rock grass floating on the surface you know what is underneath you.


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## PTLuv2Fish

Redtail said:


> Just wondering how accurate our civilian GPS is and how accurate our machines read tracks? I've got tracks that I idled clean but am still reluctant to run them. Not sure if I hold directly on my previous track if I will be 5', 10' or more off from my recorded track?


I pulled up to a buoy and looked on the chart and it was right where it should be I'd say within about a foot but the current could have caused the buoy to move that much. I know I still have to be aware of my situation at all times but it is way better than the Navionics chart I had.


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## Mike tries to fish

Glad to hear you like it. Spent a pretty penny on the 12 inch for my new build. I used to run a Shadowcast 16, which was pretty forgiving bc of it's shallow draft. I also like to travel and fish so the plan was for FMT to make my adventures a little safer.


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## DBStoots

rickc said:


> I have the lowrance elite fs 9 with FMT. St Marks is home base. FMT imaging is great. The east river all the bars at the mouth and west it works awesome.
> 
> East of the lighthouse once you get close to stoney bayou slow down, I idle, and follow those tracks slowly until you have confirmed they are good. No way all those rocks are marked. I bumped one on a red track in front of palmetto Island. It is a great help but the rock gardens will not become a safe playground even with this tool.


It would be very helpful to other FMT users if you would make note of the place where you find unmarked obstructions like these rocks. Take a screen shot or mark down the coordinates and let Glen at Isla Marine know so they can incorporate these into future updates.


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## ISLA Mapping

The rock garden area is marked very well with Red Boundaries on the updates that were released last summer. Inside that area there are so many rocks all of them are not individually marked. Idling or going very slow with visibility is advised inside that boundary. Outside of the boundary we believe most of the rocks are accurately marked. If you find one that is not, please let us know. Idle to the rock, zoom all the way in and make a waypoint for it. Then snap a photo of the screen so the gps coordinates can be seen and text it to us.


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## rickc

ISLA Mapping said:


> The rock garden area is marked very well with Red Boundaries on the updates that were released last summer. Inside that area there are so many rocks all of them are not individually marked. Idling or going very slow with visibility is advised inside that boundary. Outside of the boundary we believe most of the rocks are accurately marked. If you find one that is not, please let us know. Idle to the rock, zoom all the way in and make a waypoint for it. Then snap a photo of the screen so the gps coordinates can be seen and text it to us.


I am not the most tech savvy guy. I am old. I use a lowrance elite9fs. I have tracks and waypoints turned off because I do not want to mess up that FMT chip. Sure would be nice to use them but I am not sure how.

Be glad to send you information on that area. Probably won't be fishing there for a few months since most of the fish are in the river in their cold weather holes


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## ISLA Mapping

rickc said:


> I am not the most tech savvy guy. I am old. I use a lowrance elite9fs. I have tracks and waypoints turned off because I do not want to mess up that FMT chip. Sure would be nice to use them but I am not sure how.
> 
> Be glad to send you information on that area. Probably won't be fishing there for a few months since most of the fish are in the river in their cold weather holes


Just turn on the Waypoints. It has zero to do with any chart you can run.


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## stubbsdallas

rickc said:


> I have the lowrance elite fs 9 with FMT. St Marks is home base. FMT imaging is great. The east river all the bars at the mouth and west it works awesome.
> 
> East of the lighthouse once you get close to stoney bayou slow down, I idle, and follow those tracks slowly until you have confirmed they are good. No way all those rocks are marked. I bumped one on a red track in front of palmetto Island. It is a great help but the rock gardens will not become a safe playground even with this tool.



How do you like the graphics and the overall functionality of the Elite FS 9 with the FMT? This seems to be the most reasonable (cost effective) option and a route I am really considering going for my skiff. Would like to hear more insight and share anything that you do not like or that you would do differently. Thank you.


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## rickc

Well I have only used the FMT on this unit so I have nothing to compare it with.

Works great. Graphics are really clear, accurate and helpful. I have Fished this area for well over 15 years. The tracks have opened up areas that I have never been in. Like exploring new areas. Guess I was stuck in a rut going the same way to the same old places.


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## PTLuv2Fish

rickc said:


> Well I have only used the FMT on this unit so I have nothing to compare it with.
> 
> Works great. Graphics are really clear, accurate and helpful. I have Fished this area for well over 15 years. The tracks have opened up areas that I have never been in. Like exploring new areas. Guess I was stuck in a rut going the same way to the same old places.


Once you get down around that rock garden SE of the Light House is there much traffic from other boats? Just wondering what the fishing pressure is normally like there? Thanks


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## rickc

Some. Nothing like around st marks. Don't follow them. They may not know what they are doing


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## FlatsMafia

There are no fish between the rock gardens and Aucilla! Save yourself a prop and don’t go! 😂


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## rickc

I have had some epic days in those creeks at the mouth of the Aucilla. Put in at the Aucilla ramp and bounce off the rocks all the way to the mouth. Local knowledge is a necessity.


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