Talon Vs. Power pole

[jon woodbury]

i have been going back and forth constantly on which to get, talon or power pole. 1 or 2 units.please if anyone has input share.i dont want to spend an arm and a leg but want a good product.it will be going on a 2012 nitro z7

 

[Tim Greifer]

I've got dual power poles on my 901. Can't go wrong with the Talons either, the only thin I like better about the power poles is if you forget and leave them down then take off, there is give and bounce to them. The talon looks like if it's dug in good, you could rip them right off the brackets. Talons are also electric, so the install is much more straightforward. Either way you'll LOVE the shallow anchors. I love mine and won't go without them again. Let us know what ya choose and post some pictures when you've got em on.

 

[TritonGlenn]

I don't own either, but I played with both this past weekend at Bass Pro Shops. I've always been a Minn Kota fan, and my observations of both units (actuation, noise level, space, looks, value) verified my original thoughts - Minn Kota Talon all the way.



It is VERY quiet, and they had one mounted on the back of a center console boat. With the boat on the trailer, when deployed, it would move the back of that boat / motor / trailer combo at least an inch or so up. POWERFUL stuff. It also has an alarm to let you know that it's still down if you try to drive off. Didn't see that working - just was told about it.



I'll own one soon. On the question of one or two units - that's going to depend on what you use it for. For my own purposes, I think one unit will do, but I only want it to keep me from moving away from the grass line I'm fishing when I'm fighting a fish. The wind tends to push me very far away from the grass line as I'm fighting a fish and retying afterwards. I want to get the fish out of the grass, but I don't want to end up 50 yards from the bank when I'm done.



If you want to be held perfectly still in one spot without swinging around at all - you're probably going to want two. For the very small increase in size - I'd only recommend the larger ones. They should be well worth the money.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[jon woodbury]

still not sure which way to go.both seem like great systems.my only concern with each is the talon:i would want the tilt feature,quick release plug(which just adds up the price all together). the power pole: the hydraulic system i dont want to sacrafice part of my rear storage to accomidate the pump/pumps.also does anyone who has either know which bracket would work best for mounting on the z7?

 

[Donald Prater]

Here are some pictures of the talon on my Z7. I wish I had two but will have to live with one for now. You will need a bracket to put it on your Z7. This does not come with the talon. I had Bass Pro mount the bracket for me. I did not have a way to hold the motor up. It has to be taken off to install the bracket. One talon will hold the boat still but it will turn with the curent in the water and then stop. I have the 8ft model.

I installed the talon myself. Easy to do.





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[jon woodbury]

thank you don, that looks amazing.i am leaning towards the talon and that just mad it easier.i got to see what my boat would look like i have the same color nitro you have. you would not happen to know the bracket you got would you?i have been hearing they take 2-3 weeks to come in

 

[Donald Prater]

I wish I did but I could not find invoice for it. I had Bass Pro look up the bracket for me and then I went on line and bought it. Search several sites and see who has the best price. I don't remember who I got it from. The talon comes with two remote controls and they work great. If I can help on something else let me know. It only took about three days when I got mine. I have a 2009 z7 with a 150 optimax love it. If you have a jackplate you will need to let them know. It take a different bracket. I did not buy the quick release plug from talon. I bought one from NAPA Auto store for $12.00 and it was water proof. Worked great. I did not buy the tilt bolts for it.

 

[Jim Kocsis]

I am probaoing to choose a Power Pole - most of the guides I fish with have those, and several had talked about the Talon being noisier and not working as well in rougher water.



I like the 2 power pole set-up - but to save some serious money - on the boat I just bought I may choose 1 Power Pole - plus one of the manual poles shown here (see link below) on a mount attached to trolling motor shaft. If you had the remote control power pole at the rear of the boat, and could position your boat at the front and then set it with one of these poles - it would still be very convenient - and maybe even let you get even more precise positioning by pivoting after the power pole is down.



http://www.skinnyanglersgear.com/anchor_pin_mounts

 

[Donald Prater]

The power pole is not noise. It deployes within 3to 5 seconds. It does have some vibration on it when you are towing the boat but not on the water. I have not used a power pole so I am not sure how it sounds. It has a button on it to use in rough water mode. This makes it sink deeper in the bottom.

 

[jon woodbury]

i appreciate all the input already and will definatley take more.as for now i am no closer to picking one.don:i sometimes cast from the back deck ,how difficult is it with the talon there?

 

[Donald Prater]

never had any problems with casting over the talon. It is no different than casting over the motor.

 

[TritonGlenn]

Jim in Texas,

Have you used that Skinny Anglers Gear system yet? I considered that one, but was a little nervous about the composite material holding my heavy bass boat in place.



jon,

Sorry to hijack - just knew he had responded here.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Donald Prater]

Looked it up. This might work to keep the boat where from swinging around This way you would not need two talons on the back with this on the front. I am going to look more into it. Thanks for the information.

 

[judgerr]

Here is another choice you might like!
http://www.stickitanchorpins.com/brake.html

 

[judgerr]

And yet another choice!
http://venomlures.com/venom_down_right.htm

 

[Mini]

Look at the videos on YouTube (Powerpole vs Talon). There is one that has a guy with one of each on his boat. He does quite a few tests....



With that said I have two PowerPole Pro XL's on my Ranger. Dont know how I went this long without them.



Would I like to have the quick disconnect feature like Talon? YES!!!! But I would not want some of the problems that you will see in the videos or what I have heard from other users.



For my money (and my recommendation) Power Pole is the way to go.

 

[Jeff B2]

I couldn't find the comparison on YouTube. Can you post the link?

 

[Mini]

I cant get to it now from work.

 

[jon woodbury]

made my decision today and i went with a dual 8ft talon setup.

 

[Donald Prater]

Hope you like them like I do.

 

[Jeff B2]

mini, could you post the YouTube link?

 

[Mini]

cant find it. BBC had it before they switched...

 

[jon woodbury]

don,

went to have the talon put on monday,wrong bracket sent for it go figure.but i had to remove the the black piece that says "nitro"under the motor on the inside due to clearance issues with the hydrolic steering and i would not have let me fully lift the motor.was wondering if you had the same issue.