flyboy

I was fishing a tournament about 30 years ago and ran full out to the first place I wanted to fish. I caught great fish on this spot for a month prior to this tournament and had all the confidence in the world in this spot. When I got there, three boats that were not in the tournament were camped out on "My Spot." I was so mad that I basically crossed my arms on the wheel to turn while running full out and launched my partner about five feet into the air and fifteen feet or so from the boat. That was bad enough but the worst part was he was one of my best customers in the business I was in at the time.

WIN222 Thanks for the info on the manual retraction. Sounds like that is info you can't get from online sources. I have 8'3" doors on my garage which I purposely built to accomodate my boat with the Power Pole. The Talon is going to provide more clearance than the Power Pole. Hey GarTracker Looks like WIN answered both of our questions.

GarTracker I went to the Talon web site and I was unable to figure out if there is a provision in the event of power failure. I noticed it said that the unit has a quick adjustment that allows for total removal of the unit if necessary--it would be difficult on the water I think. I also sent a message to Minn Kota and asked the question. I'll let you know if I hear from them.

I need to check on the loss of power issue. I know the Talon only uses a motor so that is a must know. I Garage my boat also and on a FX 21 on the Skeeter trailer the clearance is 83". I have 86" clearance and I have to lower my Power Pole a little to clear or it will touch.

I have a Power Pole on my current boat which I just traded on a new boat. I opted for the Talon based on space and the lack of a hydraulic reservoir. I was at my dealer, Sonnys Marine, the other day and they were installing dual Talons on a FX 21 like the new boat I am getting. If you don not have a hydraulic jack plate the Talons bolt directly to the sides of the manual jack plate--the motor won't have to come off for installation; it will with the Power Pole. Overall the installation of the Talons is much cleaner--the only dislike I have for the Talon is the fixed position of the unit. When I had someone fishing the rear of my old boat I would partially deploy the Power Pole and it would be out of the way for casting; can't do that with the Talon. Most things are trade offs. This decision is like that. A few weeks ago I asked the same questions on the forum and some guys sent links to videos on the power pole. I can't remember the name of the thread, but it can't be more than three or four pages deep on this forum. The videos made me decide to go with a Power Pole again and then the other day when I was pulling the trigger on my trade I saw the Talon being installed. Good luck with your choice. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

By far the best and coolest photo editing I have seen in a while. On a serious note; what is the best way to pass a kayak? If you stay up on plane and go as fast as is safe and practical you leave hardly any wake. If you come off plane, you send a wake during the process and a little wake during the idle portion. When I am sitting still I prefer that bass boats don't even trim in any and just get it over with. I really want to know how kayakers feel.

Hey Scrutch Your situation is one where I think I would have the trolling motor you have. Fishing in current for long periods where the trolling motor has to be on for long a duration has to be tough on the operator and especially tough on the batteries. I fish a lot of heavy grass that is also tough on the trolling motor but in recent years I have been poling in those situations for stealth. I am amazed how much closer I can get to a bed with the pole versus the trolling motor. Poling is a lot of work but it pays off. I used to do a lot of flats fishing in the Keys so the poling sorta comes naturally. The stealth required while stalking a Permit or Bonefish pays off with bass also.

A few years ago I was based at DCA and we used to frequent a fish market in D.C. that was on the Potomac, just south of the 14th St. Bridge on the D.C. side. This was around 1990 so don't scold me if the market is gone. When we were there the market offered Largemouth for sale--this always puzzled me because I thought it was illegal to sell gamefish commercially. I was wondering if that market is still there and if they are still selling Largemouth? If so, how do they get away with it. Maybe since D.C. is not a state they are immune to federal laws regulating sale of gamefish.

One last point nobody has raised. I have fished for three days and was unable to charge the batteries. On the third day I noticed that the batteries were a little weak but still did the job. For those of you who have the 36v systems, do the three batteries last noticeably longer without a charge?

The reason I started this thread is I have been fishing my 20i with a Fortrex 80 for two years in a lot of different conditions except strong current and have not had any problems at all. I fish my buddie's Z21 that has a Minn Kota 101 and I feel my trolling motor does as well as his and mine is quieter. I can run my motor on 25-30 lbs. of thrust and do great until the wind starts howling. It even handles grass and most weeds on the low setting--I even went across about a half mile of solid hydrilla on Okeechobee once but that did require all it had. I like to cut weight as much as possible since I carry way too much tackle so it sounds like there is no legitimate reason to go to the 101. I am going from the 20i to the FX 21.

I have ordered a new boat and decided to go with a 24v 80lb thrust motor. I decided on a make so let's not discuss that, instead I would like feedback on the 80 vs. the 101 thrust. In the past I have had 12v and 12/24v motors and I think everyone knows how those performed. My last boat had the 80lb 24v motor and I was always amazed how it ate weeds and would move my boat to the point if I cranked it up to 75 lb of thrust I had to make sure of my footing lest I get cold and wet. I decided to go with the 80 on the new boat because I think the performance is more than adequate and I wanted to reduce the weight and maintenance of another battery. I feel like I have thought this through but I can still change if I want so I thought I would seek input from the forum.

I have had a lot of issues with my Humminbird 1197C and 797c in the last year; the issues are solved now. Thanks Humminbird, your customer service is amazing.

I am going to start running a SHO on a new boat in a few weeks and want to get feedback from the forum about it's charactoristics, care and feeding and the like. I don't have any four stroke experience, but it looks like all the common sense things we do with the two strokes will keep you out of trouble. I am really excited, especially about the quiet.

I just traded my Skeeter 20i for a new FX 21. If anybody is looking for a like new 20i I think you could get a great deal from the dealer. PM me and I will give you details.

Appreciate it!