Power pole or talon?

[bassfshin24]

There's a good chance I might be getting a power pole or talon for my 30th bday in June. I've heard great reviews on both but was wondering if anybody could talk me into one over the other. I'd like to stay on the cheaper side that is why I would lean more toward the talon.

I know I've heard from people that have just one is worthless but I hardly believe that.

[RumRiverRat]

Talons are noisy, there is a guy that has dual talons on a Ranger 520c that fishes Grey Cloud, you can hear them deploy when you are at the culvert and he is by the rock tower.

[delmuts]

Although I have no experience with either one, I seem to remember a post on here where a person was having problems deploying his Talon. Thought something may have gotten bent .We never heard back to find out what the problem was.

[Superduty]

Power poles are easier to get in and out of garage. Just partially deploy and back in with remote with you in truck and pop them up when door is cleared. Talons require a special manual release bracket. You have to physically release the mount to get in garage. PP are heavier than Talon. Both will slow your boat 2-3 mph. Two years ago on Rainy lake (I falls bass tourney), a boat was swamped in big waves and the PP deployed and got stuck down when electrical went out due to flooding. Could have been very serious. He was able to tie it up with rope and limp back about 15 miles.

[frogtosser]

I was gonna ask the same question. I know the brackets are not cheap at all either.

[PurpleCatMan]

Are you a MN BASS Nation member by chance? If not, it might be a good year to join up! Bass Nation members get a pretty good discount on Power Pole products. PM me for specifics.

My club, Viking Bassmasters, is taking new members. Otherwise get a hold of me, there are 30 other Bass Nation clubs across the state.

[bonebaby0]

bassfshin24 - Here are couple of thoughts from a satisfied Talon owner ....

Upside ... PRICE(especially if you're willing to buy used) paid $1800 for

2 8ft Talons - got one new (display) $1100 / $700 used

TILT BRACKETS - these work great to get in/out of garage

MUCH EASIER INSTALL - less stuff to deal with

So Far worked flawless with 1 full season under their belt

Downside ... LOUDER than the Power Poles by long shot

Talons are heavier than Power Poles

Brackets for Talon are expensive

My decision to buy the Talons was based on cash on hand and ease of use. I did just start with one when the brackets were installed but found out quickly that 2 are FAR superior than one. That's when I picked up the other one used. All in all I have about $2400 invested ... not bad considering retail is more than that just for the Talons. Good Luck making your decision ... both are great products!

[RossT]

I recently put a shallow water anchor on my boat. I ended up with a Power-Pole Pro Series II. I talked with owners of Talons and Power-Poles, searched through literally hundreds of pages of on-line forums, spoke with my dealer, and analyzed the specs/warranty with each unit.

I ended up with the Power-Pole because the reliability. They seemed to be relatively trouble free (considering they're maintained), and the only first-person account for an issue was on Rainy Lake as a previous poster described. Although it is unknown if that was an actual issue with the Power-Pole itself, or an on-board electric issue with the boat. I had settled on getting the Sportsman's II series Power-Pole but an ordering glitch from the dealer ended up with me getting the Pro-Series II

The Power-Poles are much much much quieter than the Talons.

The mounting brackets cost about the same for the Talon or Power-Pole, but I think with the Talon, you'll need the bracket AND tilt bracket. And those aren't cheap! When I back into the garage with my Power-Pole, I can either use the C-monster App on my phone to lower it or use one of the wireless remotes to lower it.

I'm sure the Talon is a good unit, but the first few production rounds weren't know for their reliability. The Talons also have a few cool features such as the three strike drive to bury the spike and a rough water mode. However, I'm personally not a fan of the enclosed spike and I think they're ugly. The only downside I can find with my Power-Pole is the hydraulic pump that takes up space in the rigging area of my boat.

The Talon is going to be easier to install if you do it on your own, you won't have to worry about installing the hydraulic pump, hoses, etc that you do with the Power-Pole. I rig my own boats, but was hesitant about installing my first Power-Pole and my dealer was very good about working with me on installation pricing.

MSRP on the Talon and Sportsman II are about the same, but prices vary as you search around the net and dealers. In no way am I affiliated with a "pro-staff deal" from my dealer, just a satisfied customer. They sell both manufacturers and I highly recommend them if you're interested.

One more thing - with either unit, make sure you install a battery cut-off switch.

[bassfshin24]

Thanks for all the info guys. I still haven't made up my mind yet but I'm leaning toward the Power Pole Sportsman II. I would love to put 2 on but I don't think my size boat can handle the weight and there probably isn't much room in the back for the pumps. I might even have a hard time finding room for 1 pump. If I don't get a power pole I might just end up getting a Minn Kota with Ipilot and spot-lock.

[Jeff13]

Spot lock is nice but can be annoying when you have wind or current pushing you and your boat is fighting to stay on spot, plus you have the noise of the trolling motor, with the talon or PP it's silent.

Although you could lock yourself in deep water with the ipilot. Personally not a fan of the IPilot or Terrova. The response IMO is slow turning with them, I have seen vids of the new motorguide coming out and in the videos they look to respond faster than the Terrova.

[PurpleCatMan]

ya, if you're used to a cable steer, not sure how much you would like the digital, unless you never fish in heavy cover.

[smalliehunter]

Another thing I've noticed with spot lock is, if its windy, the trolling motor holds you in place based on gps. So it won't correct you until its of so many degrees and then abruptly moves you back into position. If you are zoned out on your graph and have the trolling motor set on a high speed sometimes it can be quite jarring. Other than that its a great tool for fishing deep structure.

[bassfshin24]

Well with that info I'll probably just try and get a power pole. Thanks guys

[Jeff13]

One other thing, I have always had a powerdrive then a Terrova. Basically was a muskie fishing nut for years. Now that I have gotten into bass fishing I cannot wait to get a cable drive trolling motor like the Fortrex. It is very frustrating at times with the slow steering of the Terrova.

My new boat will have one for sure this summer. Smalliehunter is dead on with his comments on the spot lock when you have the motor running high it's really a jarring correction. I'd stick with your cable driven trolling motor.