Minnkota Talon Is it worth it?

[ZacAttack0201]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I'm considering purchasing a Talon (or 2), but before taking on such an expense, I'm wondering if they're worth it? 

 

I'm mostly fishing for panfish with my family in IA and walleyes with my friends in MN (lakes of all depths).  It would be rigged to an 1875 Lund Impact.

 

I'm assuming having 2 Talons would firmly plant in place, but how do they do in high winds?  Do they hold up on rocky bottoms?  Are they reliable? What other impressions or experiences have owners/users had? 

 

Any info would be great. Thank you.

Edited February 1, 2017 by ZacAttack0201
typo

[delcecchi]

I assume the depth of interest is shallow enough... under 10-12 ft.  

 

Looks to me like the big plus is less messing around with anchor and rope, and tighter location with less movement.  

[MN Hooksetter]

I have a 12' Talon on an Alumacraft Competitor 185, very similar to your boat.  I use it all the time and I think it is one of the best additions I've made to my boat.  I've only had it for one season, but used it a lot and so far it seems reliable.  It does pretty well in the wind.  Once and awhile if its deployed into a hard bottom and it's really windy, it'll drag you along until it gets a good hold.  I fish Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota a couple times a year and sometimes it has a tough time pinning on rocky points in the wind, but if it's that windy I'll use the spot lock.  Fishing any structure under 10' deep is a lot easier now, especially docks and laydowns.  Having two would be nice and I can see it's advantages, but one suits my needs very well as they aren't cheap.  You'll be happy with one, probably happier with two!

[ZacAttack0201]

Thanks for the info MN Hooksetter - it is really helpful.  I'd also be looking at the 12 ft. model, and I'm curious if you find it getting in your way with how high it sits on the boat?

[MN Hooksetter]

I don't find it to be in the way but I'm usually in the bow quite a bit.  When I am in the back, sometimes I have to change the angle of my cast and I usually just work around it which is no big deal, but overall the benefits outweigh the negatives by a long shot.  I have the flip down plate that it's mounted to so I can put it down when I'm putting my boat in the garage or when I come across a low hanging bridge while on the water. 

[leech~~]

Is there any funny videos on the tube yet of guys driving off with them down or bending them and can get then to retracted yet?

 

[Alice]

Hi guys. I am a new member to this forum. This forum is so cool. I am glad being a member. 

[delcecchi]

On 2/10/2017 at 3:40 PM, leech~~ said:

Is there any funny videos on the tube yet of guys driving off with them down or bending them and can get then to retracted yet?

 

Don't know about that,  but they say that the spike is composite and  will bend, plus there is an alarm that sounds.

[Bass Thumb]

I'm really tempted to try one this year. I've always wanted one of these anchor systems. I've just heard that having just one will make your boat spin with the wind, and that it's better to have two or none at all. 

 

Is that true?

[ZacAttack0201]

5 minutes ago, BassThumb. said:

I'm really tempted to try one this year. I've always wanted one of these anchor systems. I've just heard that having just one will make your boat spin with the wind, and that it's better to have two or none at all. 

 

Is that true?

 

That was my thought too, but I guess if the wind is really bad one could use their normal anchor or trolling motor to keep them pointed in the right direction.  It kind of defeats the purpose, but for some would make sense monetarily.

[MN Hooksetter]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 3:27 PM, BassThumb. said:

I'm really tempted to try one this year. I've always wanted one of these anchor systems. I've just heard that having just one will make your boat spin with the wind, and that it's better to have two or none at all. 

 

Is that true?

 

The boat will pivot with only one Talon and the front of the boat will point in the direction the wind is blowing.  Good boat positioning can account for this which really isn't that much extra effort.  I actually use the ability to pivot to my advantage quite a bit as I use my trolling motor to swing the front of my boat to the left or right to attack a particular piece of structure from multiple angles without having to move the boat from the spot I'm on if that makes sense.  Regardless, one is way better than none.

[smalliehunter]

+1 on that.  I have one and use it all the time. For more than just fishing.  Makes loading and unloading the boat by yourself easier as well.  And I can retie line or unhook a fish with out blowing into what I want to fish next...

[BoxMN]

I can see their usefullness, but have a couple questions or observations...

 

Do they require an extra battery, or do you hook them up to your deep cycles? I would not think they would be hooked up to starting battery. Are they 12v or 24v? If you hook them up you normal deep cycles, I would imagine then that it cuts into your runtime of your troll motor, though it might also save some juice since once it is down you don't need troll motor anymore until you are down fishing that spot. I would also imagine that they do use a decent amount of juice to cycle down and back up.

 

How much do they weigh? Especially with two it would seem like a lot of weight added to the back, but probably still less than a kicker which many people have. I rarely even use an anchor, so it is just 20# sitting in bottom of boat, but I always still kinda think about motor/boat performance, but I guess for folks with four strokes that is lower priority anyway, so additional weight might not matter much. At least it is on the transom so that in general helps to keep weight in rear.

 

I will say that using a talon is better than using an anchor for most lakes with soft bottoms or weeds, as those anchors sure pull up a lot of dump, where a talon would not!!! I actually made a hillbilly talon for my pontoon... put a 3/4" seat base at the front, and got an 8' piece of 3/4" fiberglass rod, so when we pull up to sandbar I just slide it down through the hole and works just like a talon, and no ropes to trip over when walking in front of pontoon. Works slick!

 

Lastly just a comment, but it would seem that a trolling motor with spot lock would do about the same as having one talon, where the difference is that in wind the bow will be into it, rather than the stern with a talon.

 

[delcecchi]

From the Minnkota FAQ page, they recommend using the starting battery.   It draws a fair amount of current but only takes like 10 seconds or so to deploy so it doesn't drain the battery much.

 

The 12 footer weights 47 pounds.  

 

An alarm sounds if you turn on the ignition key with the talon down, to help keep people from doing something bad.  

 

It will anchor you much more precisely than spot lock.   Even the new upgraded spot lock will have some amount of wander to it.  A stick in the bottom of the lake isn't going anywhere.  

 

I don't have a talon, but it sure looks like it would be useful, even on Vermilion.   

I do have an ipilot and the boat will drift around a fair amount.  Depends on amount and consistency of wind in my experience.    GPS has a certain amount of wobble to begin with. 

 

I looked up the stuff because I am also interested in a talon, but they are sort of spendy.  

Edited March 7, 2017 by delcecchi

[Bass Thumb]

They are pretty speedy, that's for sure. 

 

I'm debating on whether to do the 8' or the 12' Talon.

 

What do you guys use?

[delcecchi]

4 hours ago, BassThumb. said:

They are pretty speedy, that's for sure. 

 

I'm debating on whether to do the 8' or the 12' Talon.

 

What do you guys use?

 

I don't have one (cheep cheep) but thinking about the times I would use it, I think 8 foot would be too short.   12 feet much more likely.   And there is not much downside to buying the long one other than cost.

 

I notice bass pro only lists the 12 foot model.  Basically no one carries the 8 footer (but there are a couple used ones on Amazon for a pretty good price)

Lookiing on hsolist, the talons, new ones not used, are being discounted from msrp by several hundred bucks.   So might be worth a look if yo decide to pull the trigger.  Only a few used ones.   Cabelas and Bass Pro have very low stock.  Either a new model coming out or they haven't stocked up for spring yet. 

[JohnMickish]

I have one and it is absolutely the best addition I have ever put on a boat. I use it every time I go out. When I fish by myself I launch the boat, drop the talon and the boat stays at the dock. Play the wind right and zero dock rash.

 

It hooks to the starting battery and doesn't draw power unless its being deployed or retracted. If it's windy it will float to keep you in place put it draws way less power than a graph.

 

I have mine on a tilt bracket so I can drop it to get under bridges and low garage doors. There is a manual way to retract if something goes wrong.

 

Other than being a little spendy, they are an awesome tool.