When you’re fishing vast, remote waters like those found throughout the Canadian Shield, knowing what’s under your boat can be the difference between an average day and an unforgettable one. That’s where Humminbird’s AutoChart Live becomes an essential tool, not just a luxury, but a game changer for navigating and fishing uncharted water.
What Is AutoChart Live?
AutoChart Live is a feature built into Humminbird fish finders that lets you create your own high-definition maps in real time. As you drive across the lake, your fish finder uses sonar data to draw contours, depth lines, and bottom hardness, and saves that data to a ZeroLines Card.
That means you’re building a detailed map of your lake as you fish, even if no official contour maps exist. 
Why AutoChart Live Matters in Remote Locations
Many lakes in Ontario and across Canada, like Wabigoon Lake, are either partially mapped or completely uncharted on most chips. You might not see hidden reefs, shallow crowns, or drop-offs until you’re right on top of them, and sometimes that’s too late.
AutoChart Live gives you the ability to:
- Map as you go, discovering structure, humps, and edges
- Avoid hazards like unmarked rocks or reefs
- Safely navigate new water by saving routes and tracks
- Revisit productive spots with confidence
- Build your map library over time — season after season
On the Water: Using AutoChart Live on Wabigoon
While fishing Wabigoon Lake, Jeremy Smith ran a fully networked setup with Humminbird units in both the bow and stern. By assigning the rear transducer to the bow unit, he was able to record custom maps even while cruising with the trolling motor pulled up, a trick that ensured consistent data collection all day long.
Along the way, he’d come across rises or structure on the screen, loop back around them, and in just a few passes, he’d built a clean, usable map of the area. Whether it turned out to be a musky spot or a walleye hump, he now had something to return to again and again, which is the true power of AutoChart Live.
What You Need to Use AutoChart Live
Getting started with AutoChart Live is simple. Here’s what you need:
- A Humminbird unit that supports AutoChart Live (XPLORE, HELIX, SOLIX, APEX)
- A ZeroLines Card inserted into each unit where you want to save maps
- Optional: Network your units to share sonar and mapping data
Pro tip: If you’re recording maps while running the big motor, set the mapping unit to pull sonar from the rear transducer to ensure accuracy while traveling.
Get Mapping
Fishing in unfamiliar or unmapped water doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With AutoChart Live, you can build your own detailed maps, mark safe routes, and unlock new fishing spots every time you hit the water. Especially when fishing remote destinations like the Canadian Shield, it’s one of the most valuable tools you can have on board.
Whether you’re chasing muskies, walleyes, or just exploring new water, AutoChart Live helps you fish smarter, stay safer, and catch more. Once you start using it, you’ll wonder how you ever fished without it.
