Talons vs Power Poles

Probably one of the most common debates in the fishing industry, the old "Talons vs Power Poles"...Short video describing the biggest differences between the 2, and yes, I've owned both, which is why I was comfortable making this video...I had a gentleman ask me to review my Talons so it got me thinking, why not do a video sharing my experiences with both products and talking about the biggest differences I've personally noticed...I fully understand we all have our preferences, which is perfectly normal and ok, this is just my take on the 2 after owning and using both for quite some time...hopefully this video helps people out who are trying to decide which one to get, as you'll see I DO NOT bash either product, I simply point out the biggest differences as I mentioned...thanks for watching!!!
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[@rottinpeach]

I have a single talon mounted with a quick release bracket. Great feature, I can slide it off the mount in about one minute if I am going to do some trolling for Spanish or Kings and if I want to store with the trolling motor when I am not fishing. The bad part about the quick release is it does make it simpler for someone to steal.

[@scotwcates]

Does it work well with one instead of 2

[@MinnKotaMotors]

Hey NitroZ18 Fishing - We're glad to hear that you're enjoying your Talons! Tight lines this year on the water.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

absolutely loving them!...thank you!!!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

thank you!!

[@garydunham9530]

Minn Kota Moto

[@chriscasterbassmaster]

Just got my 10 footers. Last week. Love em. ❤️

[@isokorny-3708]

Also a pro for Talon is straight down deployment and the fold down brackets.

[@MrBooge1969]

I have a single 12ft talon on my 19' bay boat. it will get stuck in our soft marsh mud and have a issue retracting even when set to soft bottom. it is loud which makes it almost impossible to sneak up on a redfish while sight fishing. I have to say that mine has spent more time in the shop for repairs than i have actually used it on the water, and i go fishing usually once a week. i will say this for minn kota. Their customer service is incredible as i have not spent anything on repairs and my unit has been out of warranty for a while now. i have now switched to a power pole blade and have been using it for a few weeks now. So far everything is good but the main thing is no sound.The power pole is about half the weight of the talon. Also, i feel like if something goes wrong with the power pole I can fix it as opposed to having to leave the talon. My two cents for whatever it's worth.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Thanks for the feedback!...love hearing others experiences since I’ve owned both myself!...tight lines!

[@stevefisher2553]

I live on Fork and have finally noticed more people going to Talons... PS.. Minn Kota, I need some Talons....... hehe

[@tonylou1234]

Thanks for an informative and unbiased review. Great job!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

No prob, thanks for checking it out!!

[@sawyer2813]

I love my talons. my only complaint is how loud they are when they retract

[@KyleChristianTexaspenmaker]

Thanks for sharing. I see boats all the time with both poles or talons which I have neither, but my thoughts have been I would rather spend the ~$3k on an Ultrex with ipilot and spotlock to upgrade from Foretrex.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

absolutely, depending on your style of fishing, you may be better off with spot lock vs shallow water anchors...they both def have their place for me, sometimes im shallow, but when I'm deep, spot lock is huge!

[@BillJacksonDesign]

I have ultrex and thought the same thing, but when you're fishing for 8+ hours, I found i was draining batteries to stay on brush or rock in the wind when I could have just dropped a Talon for ten minutes.

[@mickeybaker7877]

@@BillJacksonDesign i have a ulterra and the talons,auto up and down with the ulterra and spot lock,also easy to launch at the ramp,drop the trolling motor once away from the ramp, troll over to a ramp or drop your talons ,park your vehicle and trailer and up the talons, troll over to the pier,hop in the boat, troll out to open water,start engine, up your ulterra and go.love both no issues, had for 3 years now.

[@ship4427]

If you have both you'll use the poles more than spot lock.

[@UnLikeU]

Talon has the advantage of going straight down & I love that in timber. Downside is you can't add solid Drift Paddles. Power Poles you have to be careful of what is behind you but the versatility of the Power Pole helps you control Drifting. You can add the Drift Paddles. Sure they have the pump but they are more versatile. Sorry. I have 2 boats with 8ft Power Poles on 1 and 12 Ft Talons on the other one. I can get more out my Power Poles and fish more efficient with the Spider Legs vs the Talons. I thought I loved the straight up and down from the Talon but when trying to get better at Crappie Fishing I found tons of these guys are drifting with the wind dropping drift paddles to stay on the fish more because they are going with the fish slowing their drift vs into the wind on windy days with spot lock or their trolling motor to reduce prop wash. THAT 1 FISH MATTERS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PRODUCE. I like them both but Power Poles are more useable than Talons depending on what you are trying to do. Bay boat or fishing boat where you only want to shallow anchor then TALONS! More boat control and wanting to maximize catching crappie & other species DRIFTING? Power Poles hands down. Your fishing style is the only correct way to choose. IMO.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Definitely agree with just about everything ya said!...depends on style of fishing for sure, and just personal preference at the end of the day!

[@alanmunger6032]

I don’t have either yet and am in the process of researching both systems for my new Nitro. The talon anchors drop straight down which makes better sense to me as they aren’t in the way too much when fishing. The power poles, however, extend out a pretty good distance from the back of the boat. Doesn’t that anchor extension with the power poles cause problems.....or is it not an issue? Seems they could be in the way for whoever’s fishing off the back. Thanks

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

that's a very good point Alan!...my co anglers do seem to prefer Talons for that exact reason, I can't say it's a major issue by any means, but the Power Poles do extend out a decent way, if a fish is hooked off back of boat there are times where you either have to raise them out of the way or fight the fish around them, especially if it's a big fish (striper/walleye/etc)...hope that helps!

[@alanmunger6032]

Thanks!

[@timg185]

I always thought I preferred talons. But the Team marine you tube channel made a video about this. They said they service more talon failures than they do poles. Because the Talons retract up inside the unit. They pull mud up inside it. 2nd Talons are heavier. There’s a reason why Minnkota came out with raptors. You have used Talons for a year and a half. I don’t think that’s enough time for the problems to occur . I’m sure they are nice and if they do fail. They can probably be fixed. But I’m sticking with power poles .

[@glenndaugherity6187]

That’s because guys that fish rivers like the Mississippi don’t maintain and clean their Talons you gotta take care of them.

[@Snookchaser007]

If the talon needs repair it’s 4 nuts to loosen and one cable to fish out and you can drive it to repair shop in car takes about 10 min to remove from boat

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Very true!

[@bobbyford1485]

I hear the talons have a issue about mud getting stuck on the pole and getting into the housing. Have you had this issue yet?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

funny you ask, just had something similar happen for the first time 2 days ago...had the Talons on "rough water" mode while fishing the St Lawrence River...windy day and rocking pretty good...when I hit the retract button my port side Talon was stuck...thankfully all I did was rock the boat a little more, and hit the retract button a couple more times and it came loose...no further issues...hope this helps!

[@hvacoutdoorsman]

Hey Bobby. I have seen this with the talons. What seemed to fix the issue was running out to deeper water, deploying them, and the retracting them. That cleaned them out and got them working again. I’ve had the talons and now have the poles. If I had to do it all over, I’d run with the talons. Easier to remove if you have to take in for service.

[@sawyer2813]

Here in the marsh of Mississippi and Louisiana I spray a silicone type WD-40 on the fiberglass rod every few months while also deploying them and washing them off at the end of every trip. If I do not the marsh mud will cake up on them bad. With that said since I started spraying them I havent had an issue.

[@mickeybaker7877]

@@sawyer2813 I use teflon spray on mine here on lake griffin florida,never gets stuck, and mine are 15 ft talon,s,i also deploy mine all the way out in 20 ft,[which is hard to find on griffin] and idle around for a minute or so,before heading to the ramp,where i deploy the tanlon from the kick stand after tilting them and spray the teflon on a rag and un-deploy them back into there housing. 3 years not one problem.

[@billcumpton5853]

What about putting talons on pontoon boat. I'm in a wheelchair so I need something. Thanks

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Hey Bill!...I’m honestly not sure about pontoons, I know on my Nitro I had to add mounting brackets, I’m not exactly sure how they would attach to pontoon... hopefully someone can chime in and help out!

[@chrism2042]

Your video is helpful, would like to see someone do a vid with same experience in salt water use exclusively. I had a 10 Blade on my previous boat and it done fine, but it took me a couple months to make that decision and sold the boat a few months after installing the Blade so I didn't use it a lot. Just purchased a new 24' bay boat and faced with same decision for 2 anchors. I wanted a Talon on previous boat and want Talons now but leery with the salt and sand being a issue even though the boat and components get soaked with salt-away and power washed after every use. My pro's for wanting the Talons are depth, no pumps and vertical height on stern. I inshore fish but also troll and shark fish offshore, trolling and fishing off the stern of the boat really causes issues with a 10 Blade being approx. 10"-12" taller than a 12' Talon. A Talon con (at the Coast), my boat dealer said he works on and re-builds a lot of Talons, very few Power Poles. And when on the water around here, most guys have Power Poles. Hard $5500 decision to make!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

hey Chris!...thankfully I haven't had any issues with my Talons to date, but I've only had them for a season and a half, so hopefully it stays that way!...I have heard people say that as long as you wash them well after saltwater use like you mentioned, you should be fine, but unfortunately I can't speak from experience on that, I only fresh water fish...good luck with whatever you choose, they both really are great products!

[@Rip_lipz]

Thanks for the video review! Great point on the linking aspect. I have an ultrex and run humminbird but have powerpoles. Might be a good reason to switch with my new boat.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

no prob!!...glad the video is helping, tight lines!!!

[@grhodes3536]

Do I every have to worry about breaking my Talons like if they hit a hard bottom?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard or seen that happen, but anything is possible...I don’t think you would break them just by hitting them off a hard bottom on the lake floor, you would really have to abuse these things to break them that way...they are solid!

[@250zxSkeeter]

Thanks for your honesty on a sticky subject!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

no problem!!...the least I can do!!

[@russelldevane5434]

The thing is it's not a sticky subject, People make it sticky. 🤣

[@tomramey513]

But can you tilt power poles forward onto your back deck?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

you actually can...haha...not as common with poles but you can get tilt brackets for them as well

[@jimhays576]

What was the boat you had the power poles on

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

It was a tracker 175 tf

[@dericksonkeller8124]

Nice video I only have 1 power pole on my bay boat is it really worth the extra money for 2

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

thanks for the feedback!...and honestly I would say it's def worth it...the boat just holds so much more steady with 2 poles vs 1...if it's calm or no current, you can get by with just 1, but if that wind starts to blow or you're fishing a river system, 2 will keep you locked down so much better...hope that helps, thanks again!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

thank you!...and honestly, it is def worth it for dual poles!

[@edwardhayman2282]

Put the Talon on my 2018 Triton 18tx, no room in battery compartment for hydraulic pumps.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Absolutely, that’s a big plus with the Talons!

[@letsfish1046]

What are two things I'll never have and can't afford Alex?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

hahaha...they are pricey, but worth it IMO!

[@joshbecker1323]

If you have 1 shallow water anchor couldnt you use the trolling motor on low to help prevent it from swinging around?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

I’m sure it may work to an extent, just never done it myself...only issue I see is the trolling motor trying to “fight” the shallow water anchor...even when you have your trolling motor spot locked it still varies slightly, so it would want to move the Talon/PP with it

[@nx2269]

That’s what I do. One PowerPole and in cases where I don’t want the bow down wind/current, I just run the Riptide on low speed left or right to hold position. No fighting between the PP and the Riptide.

[@mickeybaker7877]

@@nx2269 kills batteries quicker in my opinion,would not recommend doing that in a tournament .but hey go with what you can afford, anythings better than nothing at all,and a drift sock,and rope anchor.

[@JRock-yr5rw]

Tie breaker might be: Who has the better warranty?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

very true!...something to consider!

[@joseandrade_official]

Have you had any issues with spike getting stuck due to crap getting inside of unit when retracting?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

it's funny you ask, I just had this happen for the first time 2 days ago...I had the Talons on "rough water" mode while fishing the St Lawrence River...was windy and rocking pretty good...when I hit the retract button my port side Talon was stuck...thankfully all I did was rock the boat a little more, and hit the retract button a couple more times and it came loose...no further issues yet...hope that helps!

[@BigBearFishing]

New sub and fellow Enigma member! Just subbed and rang that bell brother! I did not even know Minn Kota had their own power poles. Very interesting man! Thank you for sharing.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

No prob!...thanks for the support man!...subbed back at ya, tight lines brother!

[@tonymauro9865]

Where did you get those NITRO carpet stickers my new Z21 will be Blue and it will be here mid April Thanks

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

I got mine from Zdecals, but unfortunately they can no longer make them for some reason...which sucks, because they have the best quality carpet graphics on the market...haha...good luck with the new boat!!

[@terryogletree2128]

Solution . . . Put a Talon on one side and a Power Pole on the other side

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Hahaha...absolutely!...and maybe a new “Raptor” in the middle! 🤣

[@terryogletree2128]

@@NitroZ18Fishing with a spud pole on the front . . . . GETCHASUMATHT 🤓

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

hahaha...love it!

[@shrpshootrjr]

What are your thoughts about the combo of one talon used with an Ultrex?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Hey Justin!...I always say one is better than none, but I would definitely recommend dual Talons or Poles if at all possible...not sure how well one would work if used with spot lock feature on any trolling motor only because when anchored with spot lock, there still is a slight variation in positioning of boat, so the spot lock would almost want to fight the single Talon/Pole, if that makes sense...with dual Talons/Poles, it helps keep boat anchored much easier with minimal variation...hope that helps!

[@shrpshootrjr]

NitroZ18 Fishing that makes sense, thanks for the feedback!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

no prob!

[@stevek8833]

Do you happen to know EXACTLY how long your storage length is on your z18 with the motor straight?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

I do not, unfortunately...I can only share what they have listed online for storage length...I could try to get a measurement for you, although I'm sure it won't be precise...haha

[@stevek8833]

NitroZ18 Fishing I was just curious if the info posted on nitros website is with the motor tilted or not. Not biggie. I hav ea 22 foot garage and every inch counts lol

[@BassNbbq]

I’m going to be ordering a z19 this summer. Did they let you order it with the blue talons? Or did you put them on yourself?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

I custom built mine, so I actually ordered my Talons through my dealer and not directly from Nitro (saved me a few bucks)...I would check with your dealer on that, I'm honestly not sure if you can get colored options directly from Nitro, but you may be able to!

[@KillenNReelinoutdoors]

What are you towing that with? Looks like a Colorado?

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

right now I'm towing with a 2017 Toyota Tundra...my 2nd Tundra, love em!...almost time to trade in for a new one again!

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

it was a 2017 Toyota Tundra, but just upgraded to a 2020 Tundra Platinum!

[@stevefisher2553]

WHO WOULD WANT THOSE HUGE ARMS STICKING OUT WHEN FIGHTING A FISH! NO COMPARISON.

[@russelldevane5434]

Easy...... push a button. 🤣

[@stevefisher2553]

NO COMPARISON!!!! WHO WOULD PUT THOSE PUMPS IN THIER BOAT!

[@kevinmcgibney1072]

Watching this, while a great video the mentioning of the weight is not correct " not a huge difference". we would like to post weight comparisions. there is a 45 to 55 on transom weight difference. Our heaviest model (10ft Blade) is only 35.7 lbs completely installed but only 27.7 lbs on the transom. The 8ft Blade is only 30.9 lbs completely installed and only 22.9 lbs on the transom. If you are looking to really save weight, the Pro2 or Sportsman2 may be better at about 27 lbs installed and only 19 lbs on the transom for the 8ft models Our side mount adapter brackets are about 5 lbs a piece or 10 lbs for a dual kit. There is an additional brace that is required for use with the 10 ft Blade only that will add an additional 2.5 lbs. So lets take our heavy and most popular blade models for comparison to the equal length talon model. We will deal with on transom weight as that is what is important and will most effect a boats performance speed holeshot etc.... Duel 8 foot blades with a set of unbraced sidemount jackplate adapter plates.... on transom weight.. 55.8 lbs Duel 8 foot Talons with set of sidemount jackplate adpater brackets... on transom weight 116 lbs (more then double the on transom weight).. So a duel 8 foot blade Power Pole setup weighs a little under a single 8 foot talon setup. Duel 10 foot blades with a set of braced sidemount jackplate adapter brackets.. on transom weight 80.4 lbs Duel 10 foot Talons with a set of sidemount jackplate adapter brackets.. on transom weight 126 lbs.. ( a 45.6 pound on transom weight difference.) Obviously we cant compare the 12 or 15 however they are HEAVY. All Powerpole weights are verified, talon weights were taken directly from minn kota and are not personally verified.. Im doubting minn kota will post they are heavier then they actually are. If anything they are a little heavier. Now keep in mind we went with the heaviest of our 8 foot models.

[@NitroZ18Fishing]

Hey Kevin!...thanks for posting this, I did my own research and must have been mistaken, I can’t remember exactly what sites I used since I posted this video awhile back, but I read the numbers were much closer than that...thank you for commenting, and I stand corrected!...just hope my wife doesn’t see this, it’ll support her theory that I’m always wrong...lol!

[@Carbon_kitchen]

Are you including the weight of the hydraulic pumps, all fluid, all hoses and everything else required to run your system, or just the poles and their mounting hardware?