poles for me... I fish river systems here in eastern nc and have a lot of low bridges to idle under, sometimes have to kick her into neutral and pull myself through under the bridges with inches to spare above the windshield and motor cowl. Its way easier to push the PP button to lower them before and raise them after the bridge then to go to the back of the boat and lay down, raise talons. That was the deciding factor for me.
2014 Nitro Z-7
175 Optimax Pro Xs
8" Z-Loc Jackplate
Dual Lowrance HDS 9 touch at console (Dek-it)
Lowrance HDS 12 at bow (Dek-it)
Point 1
NMEA 2K & Ethernet
Two 8' PP Blades
Optima Batteries
I decided on neither for my build,, just going with the spot lock trolling motor.
No weight, less expense, no bridge clearance issues. ( I do that too) Will work in any depth. With the trolling spot lock out and hopefully getting more reliable, I bet you are gonna see these large poles become less and less popular. Go the way of the 3 pack of marker buoys we used to have on the front of out boats.
As discussed and beat to death here on the board, spotlock is a great tool just like poles however one is not a direct replacement for the other. It all depends on how you fish and what you are trying to accomplish. I agree with spotlock working as well as it does on the Ultrex we see less of a need for deeper poles ( more then 10 foot), however many will argue this is not true. Its all a matter of opinion. Both can do things the other cant, it is why one will never replace the other.
Poles because the Talons weigh a ton and cause some boats to porpoise. The other thing is Power Pole has their own song.lol
If you do decide on Talons I would make sure I researched information on the exact boat and motor combo I was putting them on to see if they caused any problem. Talons work great but not all anchors work out good for all applications. Do your homework before deciding and don’t rely on opinion but actual results and known outcomes.
I put the 8ft pp on my boat. I have a Ultrex that holds me in deeper water. The pp so far have done what I need them too only had them a while so we will see.
LIFE IS GOOD
STILL CAN'T CATCH A FISH.
I would like to get an ultrex in the future for deeper fishing but I definitely do not want to rely on it for bed fishing in canals and other very shallow water. TM blast up the silt and muddies up the water shutting the bite down. poles/ talons don't.
2014 Nitro Z-7
175 Optimax Pro Xs
8" Z-Loc Jackplate
Dual Lowrance HDS 9 touch at console (Dek-it)
Lowrance HDS 12 at bow (Dek-it)
Point 1
NMEA 2K & Ethernet
Two 8' PP Blades
Optima Batteries
one does not replace the other, but they make a great team!
2014 Nitro Z-7
175 Optimax Pro Xs
8" Z-Loc Jackplate
Dual Lowrance HDS 9 touch at console (Dek-it)
Lowrance HDS 12 at bow (Dek-it)
Point 1
NMEA 2K & Ethernet
Two 8' PP Blades
Optima Batteries
I have a War Eagle 2170 Blackhawk with twin PP 8ft. Blades. Weight is a consideration due to the 22 degree deadrise (drafts more water). If weight wasn't so critical, I think I would go with Talons. Nice thing about the PPs is I can lower them down to get under low bridges or other overhead structures. They hold well and I'm happy with them so far. In strong current and wind they can "sway" a bit and can be concerning. Ultimately, I think you'll be happy with either.
"It's not how fast you fish, its how well you fish fast!"
2015 WE 2170 Blackhawk
Yamaha F150
Minnkota Riptide 80 lb. i-Pilot
Bob's Action Series JP 8" set back
Dual 8' PP Blades
Lowrance HDS Carbon 16
54 mph top speed (GPS verified)
I am in the process of switching to Power Poles. The talons just have way to many parts that can fail and they will. Mine failed after 6 times on the water. I had it fixed and another 6 times on the water and another failure. Minnkota did send me a replacment(refurbished unit)after some heated discussions on the phone. It was ok for a couple years but the spike just broke so I am making the switch to Power Poles. I purchased some 10 blades from K&KUSTOMZ for a stellar deal. I hope the blades perform better than the talon.
I've had my power poles for two plus years and just installed a Ultrex. I use both every trip would not know what to do if I did not have both. Gotta decide if money is a factor and what style of fishing do you do more of, most spend there time on the bank so poles are more useful. I never considered a talon as I did not want all that extra weight on the rear. I've fished with a couple of people that have talons and they are more noisy.
John the Garage Doorman
I currently have pp blades, never had talons before.. I’m not picky tho and would sport either or, both have their pros and cons and I would be happy either way.. I have a ultrex so this time of year really don’t use the pp that much but we all know certain times of year they are one of the best tools on a boat..I’m sure you will be happy either way, this is more of a Dodge vs Ford debate on just preference.. both are great. Good luck
I think the thing that stops me is the weight of the brackets on the Talons. Also I have had power poles get stuck down in the mud and I'm sure Talons would too. Question is how easy is it to get talons to come back up in that situation. With power poles I just put the boat in gear.
Like that I can lower PPs when needed and especially when fishing in trees. Sometimes those branches can catch a pole.
Last edited by BMCD; 07-26-2018 at 01:29 PM.
Bryan McDonough
2023 Nitro Z21 XL
Nitro Team