Shallow water anchors

[Sum1]

Curious if anyone has a Power Pole or a Talon on thier boat. I was thinking about getting one and was wondering how well they work on the Mighty Missouri. I have had spot-lock on the troller motor which is nice but with a 12 volt really drains the batteries. I guess i'm wondering if they hold good in the rivers current. Seems they would be pretty slick for some jig pitching. What say you?

 

[DirtyMike]

Guy has one. Be a lot cooler if he had two.

 

[guywhofishes]

I have one (12' Talon) and love it. But how well they'd work in the river is a mystery to me. Work great in 15-20 mph winds though. Hard bottoms (sand/gravel) can cause hold issues in high winds.

I was very happy to be able to abandon spot-locking with the e motor... Too much drift and wander. Now I only use spotlock in 11 ft or deeper. I hear the Motorguide spotlock wanders much less. True?

 

[johnr]

What's the price tag?

 

[guywhofishes]

$1500

handy as heck at the ramps!

also - you can peg your boat's hind end in a spot, then use electric to orient you at angles other than letting the wind decide where you point. Angling the nose 45degrees from downwind makes waves glance off at angles and this makes a very significant dent in splashing/push of waves. Also allows everyone to pitch or slip-bobber off one side. River current would probably not allow this though since so much hull force.

 

[Putz ND]

I sacrificed my kicker last year and added a second power pole. By far the best choice I've ever made - no more hard starting kicker (mercury) and when I need to troll, I just drop the drift paddles down. At the dock is where it really shines though - push the button, poles go down, and (with two) the bow doesn't even bang against the dock. When I have my family out and we're casting, when someone gets a fish/snag and needs some help - I drop the sticks and don't worry about drifting into shore. Works wonders when fishing solo too.My guess is we'll begin to see more and more of these because it allows you to do everything a kicker does, but adds the anchoring ability for approximately the same cost. The only thing the poles won't do is help you limp in at 4mph if you happen to have one of those ugly mishaps. I went with power-poles over minnkota because of their simplicity - just a hydraulic pump system. Either way, I really enjoy what they add to the rig.

 

[Sum1]

Curious guy how big your boat is?

I wonder how good a drift paddle would work with one pole as far trying to keep her going in a strait line?

 

[Kickemup]

This is what I have in my boat.

 

[MathewsZman]

This is what I have in my boat.

Hmmm , wonder how it would work with a rope on it :;:huh

 

[Kickemup]

Yes a rope is needed but if for some reason I threw it over without one I wouldn't care unlike the last good anchor I bought that got stuck in the trees in the red that I never got back.

 

[Putz ND]

its a ranger 620. I'm not sure how one would work out, I've never tried it????

 

[Sum1]

Hey Putz, or anyone se that can answer, do you store your boat in an unheated garage during the winter? The reason I ask is I'm wondering if the hydraulic pump would be affected by sub-zero temps like we have here in good ole ND. I do not have a heated garage.

 

[guywhofishes]

Curious guy how big your boat is?

I wonder how good a drift paddle would work with one pole as far trying to keep her going in a strait line?

Alumacraft TP 175 with 90 Johnson 4str

Sorry - I'm clueless about paddles.

 

[Putz ND]

Sum1 - unheated garage all winter. One unit is two years old and the other is going on its first winter. No issues yet.

 

[Johnnie Candle]

I have used my Talon in the river a bit for fishing and for filming videos. It holds in the current very well. Nothing better behind a sand bar for pitching to those shallow eyes.

Not so sure I agree with Power Poles being simpler. The Talon only requires 12 volts of power. No external pumps or hoses. I can take mine off of my boat in less than 3 minutes with hand tools.

Either way, no matter what brand you choose, if you are not using a shallow water anchor you are missing out on the best boat control out there.

 

[eyexer]

If I told my wife I wanted a $1500 anchor she'd bitch slap me from here to next tuesday

 

[raider]

If I told my wife I wanted a $1500 anchor she'd bitch slap me from here to next tuesday

no, you're doing it wrong... you say "been looking at this new 621 with a 350 pro yada yada yada for 90k - or a new anchor for 1500... wuduya think honey???"

 

[Still_Learnin']

I have 2 power poles (8ft models) on my boat. It's a 21 ft bass boat so it may be a little different on a big walleye rig. But like others have said, having dual poles really locks the boat down and makes casting to an area and really dissecting it very simple. I also store mine in an unheated garage and haven't had a problem.

I haven't had it in the river yet so I couldn't tell you how it would do in current. I would imagine that it wouldn't hold you still. The boat is still going to sway back and forth a ways and the current would probably end up turning the nose of the boat down stream. At which point, the entire boat would start to move. That's all just a theory though.