Best shallow water anchor- Talon or power pole?

I’ve run a talon for a few years now on a Lund 1700 and now my Reata. Never had any issues and the quality seems really good. I didn’t seriously look at a power pole because I don’t like how they deploy.

You can now get a talon in 15’ which I believe is longest on the market. Mine is 12’ and that extra length would be worth it.

I have a single 12 foot talon on my Ranger RT178. Part of the reason I went with a talon was because I don’t have room for the pump in my rear battery compartment that operates a power pole. I have had the talon since I bought my boat in 2015. I have not had any issues with it. One talon does not hold me in precise specific spot and 2 would be better, but the cost is very high, plus they weigh 40+ pounds each. Bear in mind that some hull warranties may be voided if you mount it directly to the transom. In this case, a specialized bracket is required. You’ll have to check with your boat mfr for details on that.

Matt did you mount Talon right to your Reata’s transom or did you use a sandwich plate?

I just went with a talon for my Reata.

Thanks

I would go with a power pole, so far two guys in our club with Talons always has some of weird issues. The power poles, you can retract them if you have an issue, where you can’t, unless you have wrench. Also power poles I love the fact you can use drift paddles.

Tritoon wrote:

Matt did you mount Talon right to your Reata’s transom or did you use a sandwich plate?

I just went with a talon for my Reata.

Thanks

Yep, used a sandwich plate.

Never used either but the way the Power Poles deploy is much better than the Talons, especially if they are mounted at an angle. If you have two they extend out from the boat. So if they are 4 feet apart on the boat they will be 8+ feet apart on the bottom and further from the bow. Rather than Talons that if they are 4 feet apart on the boat will be 4 feet apart on the bottom and right beneath the boat. Giving you a much better base for the heavy winds and current. Also prefer the hydraulics rather than all electronics, so much easier to fix.

Thanks for the reply’s. For those of you that have the power pole and the drift paddle does it do a good enough job to replace drift bags? That was the one feature that would really separate it from the talon for me.

Mike Johnson wrote:

Thanks for the reply’s. For those of you that have the power pole and the drift paddle does it do a good enough job to replace drift bags? That was the one feature that would really separate it from the talon for me.

An advantage a talon has now is the length of reach. Previously their max reach was 12 feet whereas a power pole was 10 (I think?). Minnkota now makes a talon that reaches 15 feet.