Best For Money Shallow Water Anchor?

[gim]

On ‎2‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 8:51 PM, WRB said:

Every new bass boat comes equipped with them, standard option.

The only time I have witnessed the anchors down is when the anglers are targeting bed fish, otherwise they are up. Time will tell if they are a fad or not.

If you need them , get 2 so the boat doesn't spin in wind or current damaging the unit.

Don't fish in rivers, do fish in 25+ Mph sustained wind often in 2' waves where these anchors are worthless.

Tom

Every new bass boat DOES NOT come equipped with them as a standard option because I just bought a new bass boat last month and it DID NOT come with one.  I had to add it as an add-on feature and paid extra for it.

[RFSims]

I recently bought a 2009 Legend with a 10' Talon on it. Mostly fish highland lakes and there is no way I would pay $2000 for one much less double that for two. It is handy for securing the boat when launching, although I have tied a boat off for 50 years. The best use for the Tallon is when one gets old they tend to loose wizz pressure along with balance and it's GREAT to hold on to so I don't stain my carpet yellow

[WRB]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Every new bass boat DOES NOT come equipped with them as a standard option because I just bought a new bass boat last month and it DID NOT come with one.  I had to add it as an add-on feature and paid extra for it.

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Every new bass boat DOES NOT come equipped with them as a standard option because I just bought a new bass boat last month and it DID NOT come with one.  I had to add it as an add-on feature and paid extra for it.

Option means optional,  ordered it as a option form a dealer in lieu of installing the item yourself. Hope you get lots of use from it.

Tom

[Catt]

On February 19, 2016 at 7:55 PM, Bass newb said:

This is an anti-progress response. I'm sure you have a great deal of information and experience  to share with  this community but saying things like this will guarantee that your opinions are marginalized to newer members like me and many others.

Occasionally someone will tease me for having power windows in my car as well, as they have hand cranks that work fine.

It just paints an unnecessarily stubborn picture.

 

Personally I think they're a waste of money!

At roughly $2,000+ ea & ya need two, for that price I could stay on any lake around for a couple months!

I fished a 21' Xpress yesterday that has two 12' Talons, they were useless in anything over 10' deep!

[FrogFreak]

Hmm, I've been looking at different shallow water anchoring options and I tend to agree with Catt and Tom on this one. If I had "extra" money, I'm not sure I'd buy either of the high end options. I may buy a stick it pole and bracket and see how much I use it ($150 total). I do fish shallow weedy areas up north but it's not like the wind has blown me around so bad I'm that frustrated. However, the OP did ask which is the best for the money. I'd say a manual system to start and see if you use it often enough to warrant the investment.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, FrogFreak said:

Hmm, I've been looking at different shallow water anchoring options and I tend to agree with Catt and Tom on this one. If I had "extra" money, I'm not sure I'd buy either of the high end options. I may buy a stick it pole and bracket and see how much I use it ($150 total). I do fish shallow weedy areas up north but it's not like the wind has blown me around so bad I'm that frustrated. However, the OP did ask which is the best for the money. I'd say a manual system to start and see if you use it often enough to warrant the investment.

 

I can build one for $30 rope included

[WRB]

Since this thread opened over a year ago I have watched bass boats with power poles on the lakes I fish and on TV bass fishing programs, don't see them being used very often. I see anglers drop them on TV to retie or rig up another outfit, to anchor in a cove for lunch and to bed fish during the spawn. Every new tournament bass boat I have seen on the water have dual power poles and  13"+ dual sonar screens, guess they can't be competitive without them.

Tom

[Catt]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

guess they can't be competitive without them.

Tom

 

Keeping up with the Jones!

[A-Jay]

 

After reading through this thread I find the responses very interesting & somewhat surprising.  The level of passion conveyed regarding this subject seems a little disproportionate to me.

 As a twin Talon owner, after most of one season use, I can say that for me & my fishing, they are a welcome tool.  And just like any tool, a shallow water anchoring system may not be right for everyone or every situation. 

 I find them a very helpful & effective assistant every time I launch & recover the boat, as I fish solo the vast majority of the time.

I don’t typically bed fish, so this is not a factor for me. 

However, during the seasons of spring & fall, when the bass can typically be ‘shallow’, being able to hold position without the trolling motor is a beneficial factor to me.  Of course bass can be & are ‘shallow’ off & on all year, so whenever & where ever the opportunity presents itself, the Talon Spikes are down.

I would not try to convince anyone that they need these, or that the expense is ‘worth it’.  These are simply my personal observations.

Finally, I still use a conventional anchor to fish deeper water presentations and am quite effective doing so.  The Talons are not a replacement for this tried & true method of holding position but a viable option.

YMMV

A-Jay

[3dees]

I agree with A-Jay. they are not for every situation. I just ordered a new boat with one 10' Talon. maybe in the future I'll add another. I also carry an anchor for deeper water. my old boat had a manual one with an 8' pole. it worked, but it got to be a pain to walk to the back to set it up. not too bad if your staying in one spot for a while, but otherwise it's just too much trouble. some people are happy with a 4" graph. tells you everything you need to know, but most of us will go for larger screens. yeah, they are

expensive, but 3500.00 for a 12" graph? it's only worth it if you use it. I really don't know why all the tourney pros have them since I never see them being used.

[RoLo]

If nothing else, this thread seems to underscore the fact

that there are 2 distinct type of anglers: Shotgunners & Riflemen. 

I place the greatest emphasis on Location, and therefore anchor-down at 'every' holding site,

because I don't want my boat to drift 10 feet off spot. Needless to say, this has absolutely nothing

to do with bed-fishing, but everything to do with bass fishing.

 

I use a 12-ft Minn Kota Talon, which I'd hesitate to call a shallow-water anchor,

because some of our natural lakes have a maximum depth of 7-feet.

In years gone by, I've done more than my share of hand-lining anchor rode attached to

navy anchors & danforth anchors in ocean depths to 17 fathoms (about 100-ft).

Why would I want to go backwards?

 

Roger

 

[Fishing Rhino]

53 minutes ago, RoLo said:

If nothing else, this thread seems to underscore the fact

that there are 2 distinct type of anglers: Shotgunners & Riflemen. 

I place the greatest emphasis on Location, and anchor-down at 'every' holding site,

because I don't want my boat to drift 10 feet off spot.

Needless to say, this has absolutely nothing to do with bed-fishing.

 

I use a 12-ft Minn Kota Talon, which I'd hesitate to call a shallow-water anchor,

because some of our natural lakes have a maximum depth of 7-feet.

In years gone by, I've done more than my share of hand-lining anchor rode attached to

navy anchors & danforth anchors in ocean depths to 17 fathoms (about 100-ft).

Why would I want to go backwards?

 

Roger

 

This brings back memories.  I used to tong for quahogs and sea clams many years ago.  The "regulars", guys who made their living on the water, used two grapnel anchors.  One at the bow, the other for one corner of the stern.  They held the boat in a precise position in the current and/or wind.  The bow line could be taken in, or let out, and the same of the line at the stern which controlled the "sweep".   Without the anchor at the stern, the current and wind could swing the stern like a pendulum.  

 

It's no fun trying to scratch up shellfish with the boat moving around moving away from the spot you are working, or running over it.  Tongs work best when operated in a vertical position.  Any other angle is not efficient.

 

When you found a good patch of shellfish, you could work that area thoroughly without missing or wasting time on an area you had tonged clean.  You never really tonged an area clean, but you thinned them out enough so it was time to adjust the lines.

 

We had one advantage.  The critters were not free to come and go, though at times I've seen quahogs in clear water on the bottom moving slowly along.  They would leave a trail of their movement on the bottom.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gim]

Having now used a 12 foot talon for a season, I can say that it was probably not worth getting based on the amount of time I use it versus the cost of buying it and having it professionally installed with a tilt bracket.  The new Ultrex has a very precision style GPS head built into it that would get the job done in shallow or deep water and hold my boat on a spot.  Had that bow mount been available a year and a half ago it would be on my boat instead of a Maxxum and Talon.

 

The talon has its uses.  I use it when loading and unloading the boat by myself, but then again, rarely do I fish by myself.

 

For those with smaller, lighter boats, there is also the power pole micro anchor that costs significantly less and claims to hold up to 1500 pounds.

[Catt]

When I fish shallow it's in the marshes of southwest Louisiana which are very seldom over 2-2 1/2' deep.

 

Weight added by installing a Talon & it's accessories ain't worth it.

 

Throw down poles are quick, effective, & inexpensive.

 

On deeper water I use a single anchor & short length of rope. You will be told you need a rope length that is 3 times the depth of water citing Naval manuals. While this is correct for anchoring the USS Enterprise in the Pacific Ocean it ain't for a bass boat.

 

I anchor an 18' bass boat in 15'+ of water with 25' of rope!

[dam0007]

2 things I noticed as I'm in the market too..

 

talons can be taken off quickly if needed not the power poles. Which both run into a issue for clearance within my garage door.

 

a friend who has the PPs lowers them and stops right before they touch the ground, backs boat into garage then raises them back up once he's in. 

 

If he had talons he could just take them off back it in. Next day put em back on. 

 

 

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, dam0007 said:

2 things I noticed as I'm in the market too..

 

talons can be taken off quickly if needed not the power poles. Which both run into a issue for clearance within my garage door.

 

a friend who has the PPs lowers them and stops right before they touch the ground, backs boat into garage then raises them back up once he's in. 

 

If he had talons he could just take them off back it in. Next day put em back on. 

 

 

 

Talon offers tilt brackets.  I have & use them to get in & out of my boat garage as well.

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/TALON-TILT-BRACKET/

A-Jay

[RyneB]

I find that my Talon is priceless for how i fish. The waters i fish a lot are the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Im usually fishing specific spots in current, a lot of times im tucked behind barges, and barge tie offs with current. Very hard to effectively fish if youre constantly on the trolling motor. I did it for years, and the first time out with the Talon i hated myself for not getting one sooner. I also fish several deep strip pits that my Talon is useless other than docking and what not. I bought my Talon used for $800. You can usually find good deals on used talons or power poles. Power poles seem to be a tad bit more expensive as far as used pricing goes. 

[dam0007]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

Talon offers tilt brackets.  I have & use them to get in & out of my boat garage as well.

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/TALON-TILT-BRACKET/

A-Jay

Awesome!

[N Florida Mike]

I use a disk weight ?

[Frisbie385]

Tacklewarehouse will price match any valid company in the US. Big Water Marine had the 12' Talon for $1599. I took advantage of their 10% off all gift cards (tacklewarehouse) over the holidays and ended up getting a new Talon for $1440 shipped. Right now Big Water Marine has the best prices on tons of boating accessories.

[Lonnie Clemens]

It is not uncommon to find anchors.  I usually keep what I find or take it back to the boat ramp. 

[K_Mac]

I don't have Talons or Power poles on my old tin boat. I do fish regularly on a boat with 2 Talons. While I have great respect for the old guys (being an old guy myself) who do just fine without them, I have absolutely no doubt that we catch more fish using them than we can without them. 

 

Whether fishing deep clear water reservoirs or shallow bayous the time savings alone is worth having them IMO. For most of the rest of is who fish a variety of conditions they are simply an effective tool. Are they worth the money? That is a personal choice. Do they increase the effectiveness of a good fisherman who knows how to use them? I think with rare exception, the answer is yes.

 

Any inovation will always meet resistance from old guys like me. Now get off my lawn! 

 

EDIT: For the record I do not sight fish  bedding fish.

[CrawfishKiller]

Since I'm cheap I'm thinking of doing something like this: 

 

[A-Jay]

Just now, CrawfishKiller said:

Since I'm cheap I'm thinking of doing something like this: 

 

 

Two words ~ Back Plate.

A-Jay

[slonezp]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

 

Two words ~ Back Plate.

A-Jay

Ya think?