Micro poles, are they worth it???

[Justbass11]

I was just wondering what you guys thought about the micro power pole for a tracker bass boat? Thanks for the input 

[MN Fisher]

Say's it'll hold a boat up to 1500lbs including people. So I'd say that as long as your total weight is under that, it'll work...but to be on the safe side, I'd give it a couple hundred pounds of lee-way.

 

Maybe next year I'll get one for the F-9 - as my total weight is under 1000lbs.

[tander]

I have one on my 17ft Lowe. I am probably a little over the 1500# maybe, but it does work well.

[volzfan59]

I've got one on my aluminum boat, love it.

[airshot]

Wouldn't spot lock on my trolling motor do the same ?

I have used that in two ft chop with 20 mph winds and it stays put....so far !

[MN Fisher]

23 minutes ago, airshot said:

Wouldn't spot lock on my trolling motor do the same ?

I have used that in two ft chop with 20 mph winds and it stays put....so far !

It will, but for some of us Spot Lock is way outside our budgets. A micro-pole I could probably swing next year if I don't buy much else.

[WIGuide]

21 minutes ago, airshot said:

Wouldn't spot lock on my trolling motor do the same ?

I have used that in two ft chop with 20 mph winds and it stays put....so far !

Spot lock is great in deeper water, but if you're up shallow there can be problems. A perfect example is a body of water I fish a lot that has fairly stained tannic water and a lot of grass. It also has a lot of stumps in and around the grass, a lot of which you can't see because of the first 2 things I mentioned. Using spot lock there can be interesting as it can turn and grind you into a stump if you don't know it's there. Also, if there's a mucky bottom in those same shallow areas you can end up really stirring things up, so if you're trying to bed fish or even just casting to an area you can end up blowing it out unintentionally. Lastly, spot lock will always end up with the bow facing into the wind. That's fine and in a lot of situations that's not a big deal and can be adjusted for, but depending on what and where you're fishing, it might not work so well, especially with a second person in the boat. Having shallow water anchors can take away all those challenges allowing you to sit in the same spot and position regardless of wind, current, or obstructions.

 

I feel like if you can only invest in one, overall spot lock gets used more often and would be my first choice, but having both is better yet. For me, I can pole down regardless of bottom composition and have a good hold in up to about 6 1/2' of water, anything deeper I use spot lock. 

[padon]

spot lock can work but then the trolling motor is off on off on. alot of people think that can spook fish in shallow water. for me they arent worth it because of the way our lakes are. i could easily be sitting in 10 to 12 feet of water and fishing in 3 or 4

[gim]

If one micro power pole is rated up to 1500 pounds, would two of them in tandem work for up to 3000 pounds?

[Bird]

31 minutes ago, gimruis said:

If one micro power pole is rated up to 1500 pounds, would two of them in tandem work for up to 3000 pounds?

I've been eye ball'n them and believe your math to be correct.

 

[gim]

10 hours ago, Bird said:

I've been eye ball'n them and believe your math to be correct.

 

I would probably talk to power pole on that one to confirm.  Simple math says that's the case, but I'd check that out with a more reputable source.

[Standard]

I can't speak to boat use, but I have a micro power pole on my kayak and it was worth every penny.  

[volzfan59]

17 hours ago, airshot said:

Wouldn't spot lock on my trolling motor do the same ?

I have used that in two ft chop with 20 mph winds and it stays put....so far !

My micro was a lot cheaper than an Ultrex or anything else with spotlock. I'm retired, thankfully under a huge budget constraint (yet) but I do watch what I spend. Plus, I pay cash for everything, zero debt, therefore only dropping $700.00 (micro + pole) was better for me. I rarely fish in water any deeper than 10', most of the time it's less than 8' so my micro works great for me. 

 

But, yes other than the noise above and below the water, a t/m with spotlock would probably do the same thing. Can't say 100% as I've never tried it.

[airshot]

I understand, didn' t think about skinny water...I dont fish skinny water, so that makes a big difference I guess..however....700 for a pole ??  I picked up my spot lock used for under 500...

[@reelChris]

If you don't want to spend actual power pole dollars, there's the manual version available for much less:

 

https://stickitanchorpins.com

 

https://www.stayputanchor.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIncT1mp___QIVY2xvBB1JmgQUEAAYAiAAEgJ12fD_BwE

 

DIY version:

https://www.catfishedge.com/shallow-water-anchor/

 

[volzfan59]

5 hours ago, airshot said:

I guess..however....700 for a pole ??  I picked up my spot lock used for under 500...

I bought mine new. The unit was $599.00, the pole was $99.00. I've debated about purchasing another one and pairing them but so far just the one unit is doing the trick.

[tander]

17 hours ago, volzfan59 said:

I bought mine new. The unit was $599.00, the pole was $99.00. I've debated about purchasing another one and pairing them but so far just the one unit is doing the trick.

 

Same here but I waited until Black Friday sales and got $140 off unit and pole from Bass Pro Shop.

[Bankc]

On 3/28/2023 at 1:25 PM, @reelChris said:

If you don't want to spend actual power pole dollars, there's the manual version available for much less:

 

https://stickitanchorpins.com

 

https://www.stayputanchor.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIncT1mp___QIVY2xvBB1JmgQUEAAYAiAAEgJ12fD_BwE

 

DIY version:

https://www.catfishedge.com/shallow-water-anchor/

 

I wanted a micro pole for my kayak, but the cost made me second guess it.  So I made a DIY, manual one out of an 8ft. fiberglass tree stake and a PVC T-connector.  All stuff I had on hand, so it didn't cost me a dime.  What I discovered is that in the lakes I fish, I almost never fish in that shallow of water.  Our banks dive too steeply.  So I rarely bring it with me anymore, and have no desire for the power pole.  That, and most of the shallowish flats I do fish will have at the bottom solid rock (almost like shale) with about 2-3" of soft silt on top, which isn't enough to get a good bite and hold my kayak, or loose sand, which needs about 2 feet of penetration to hold a kayak in a stiff breeze.  

 

My point being, before you get too far invested in this, it might be a good idea to try out a manual or DIY one, and see how useful it is to you.  An 8ft. fiberglass tree stake, PVC T-connector and some PVC glue, won't cost you more than $20 and might save you $500.  Even a ready made one won't be more than $100.  Or at least the next few times you go fishing, take note of the areas you'd want to use it and how deep the water is in those areas, as well as the bottom composition to see how often you'd actually use one.  Depending on the lakes, it could range from "all the time" to "never". 

[Darth-Baiter]

On 3/27/2023 at 6:47 PM, gimruis said:

If one micro power pole is rated up to 1500 pounds, would two of them in tandem work for up to 3000 pounds?

i have run the calcs and this number would appear accurate. 

 

i want one for my kayak, but i balked at the price.  

[Standard]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i have run the calcs and this number would appear accurate. 

 

i want one for my kayak, but i balked at the price.  

 

They're a chunk of change, no doubt.  

 

I do a lot of river fishing with my pedal drive Jackson.  The ability to just double click the remote and anchor down is so nice, especially if I'm just floating down casting to the shore and hook into a fish.  A few backpedals to slow, click-click and I'm not 500 feet downstream after fighting, landing, and releasing the fish.  I've used mushroom and claw anchors before and they're just too much of a pain (and a bit dangerous) when they get hung up on rocks or logs.

 

Still have my anchor trolley if I'm going to be fishing deeper water, but that's pretty rare for me.

[Darth-Baiter]

11 minutes ago, Standard said:

 

They're a chunk of change, no doubt.  

 

I do a lot of river fishing with my pedal drive Jackson.  The ability to just double click the remote and anchor down is so nice, especially if I'm just floating down casting to the shore and hook into a fish.  A few backpedals to slow, click-click and I'm not 500 feet downstream after fighting, landing, and releasing the fish.  I've used mushroom and claw anchors before and they're just too much of a pain (and a bit dangerous) when they get hung up on rocks or logs.

 

Still have my anchor trolley if I'm going to be fishing deeper water, but that's pretty rare for me.

Yup. It would be perfect for the CA delta.  The tides sometimes flush me away.  Just tying a knot, I look up and I don’t even recognize the area.