UTERHow to load fishing spots on a Garmin fish finder
Fish Scouter works with Garmin units via ActiveCaptain. Your saved spots go out as one standard GPX waypoint file, with short plain names, the kind of spot and its depth.
From your phone
- In Fish Scouter open You → Spots → My spots and tap Send to my fish finder. Choose Garmin.
- The share sheet opens. Pick ActiveCaptain and tap Import. The spots land under User Data.
- Connect ActiveCaptain to your chartplotter over Wi-Fi. It syncs user data to the unit.
With a memory card
- On the web, Send to my fish finder downloads the .gpx file. Copy it to a microSD card.
- On the chartplotter go to Nav Info → User Data → Data Transfer → File Type and pick GPX.
- Import from the card.
What we've confirmed
- The card menu path, Nav Info → User Data → Data Transfer → File Type → GPX, is from Garmin's ECHOMAP Plus manual.
Check your unit's manual
- Importing from the phone's share sheet into ActiveCaptain is reported by boating guides, not by Garmin's own manual.
- Older chartplotters (for example the GPS 5212) take only Garmin's ADM files, so the GPX has to be converted in Garmin's PC software first.
- ActiveCaptain reportedly refuses a route of more than 250 waypoints. The limit for loose waypoints isn't published.
Questions anglers ask
Can I put Fish Scouter spots on my Garmin?
Yes. Fish Scouter writes a standard GPX 1.1 waypoint file, which works with Garmin units via ActiveCaptain.
Will my spot names fit?
Fish Scouter cuts names to 15 characters in plain letters and numbers, and numbers any that match ("Bull Bay Reef 2"). That's a safe length, not a limit Garmin publishes, so your unit may take longer names.
Does the depth come across?
Each spot's depth is written in its description, and also as a negative elevation, which some units read as depth. That part is untested, so check what your unit shows.
Which plans include it?
Sending spots to your fish finder comes with the Captain and Guide plans. Your spots stay private either way.
Find the spots worth sending
Fish Scouter scores every fish for this hour on your water, with live tide and water temperature, charted spots and your own marks.
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