Power Poles or Talons?

[vernon]

Personally, I'm hoping that the new Ultrex is the best of both worlds.  At worst, it has to be the better option on Table Rock and that's my only real concern anyway.  Now I realize that most of the Talon owners disagree and some say that Talons are way more important (and I'd say that too if I had 4 grand invested in a pair) but I can't count the number of boats that I've seen that got em' but I've literally never seen a boat with em' deployed that wasn't at the launch ramp.

Regardless, I had an Ultrex installed in December but haven't had a chance to use it yet.  Early reviews seem favorable though and I'm pretty excited about the Spotlock when fishing humps and points if nothing else. Will also be nice to not have to worry about blowing up on the rocks when retying or unhooking a fish.

I'm just one of the guys that has never got or bought the Talon deal and took a $2000 rebate when I purchased my Z521 as opposed to the Talons that were originally included in the deal.  If I had em' I know I'd never use em' so why bother with the extra weight and the rear deck obstruction issue.  Plus I just think they look dumb and really detract from the pretty cool appearance of an otherwise beautiful boat.

 

[Alex Heitman]

Vernon please let us know how that ultrex handles. I have seen it in action on TV and advertisements but I want real persons opinion on it. I really want to know how the anchor handles in the wind and how well it follows contours. Let us know thanks. 

[97procraft]

I have fished in the back of a boat with both Talon and PP.  Neither time were they deployed, but it seemed like the pp's were not in the way as much as the Talons were.  I may be biased since I broke 3 crankbait lips on the talons while casting. 

[Bill Babler]

Couple of deals here.  First you really have to need them to put them on.  They add weight to the very rear of the boat, usually enough to make coming on plane somewhat of a problem.  Second the Talon's seem to be in the way quite a bit of the time and they do not have a release mechanism other than the horn, so if you drive away with it deployed in the bottom it is a major problem.. ie Rick Lisek.  The Talon also does not seem to hold as well in not rough, but water with big waves caused by other boats. UP and Down.  I think because they are affixed to your transom, rather than extended on the grasshopper legs. The plus is that the Talon is a self serving unit with nothing but electric power coming from your boat.  NO fluid or syrup inside the boat.  They also have a 12' deploy while the PP maxes out at 10'.  The PP Blade is the Cadillac of deployable anchors.  They will allow you to drive away with out bending or damaging the unit.  They deploy away from the boat at a low profile out of the way.  They are really heavy including the Fluid and pump, which is in your boat.  They will increase your boat resale, but not to the extent that you paid for them.  The Talon seems like its for you and you really don't get much out of it when you sell the boat.  Kind of like nice aftermarket wheels on your truck.  Might get someone to buy it, but that's about it.

The Ultrex is a great innovation.  It however is not without its flaws.  It is very much like the Motorguide X5i when you hit the anchor button  it quickly especially with a point 1 antenna stops you and stops you quick.  If you are fishing the Ultrex in shallow water, it will completely wash out the area trying to put you on your GPS spot.  For deep fishing or holding in straight line wind, they are wonderful.  If the wind is swirling your boat will circle on the GPS anchor point.  It does not hold the back and the front, it just holds that trolling motor in a place.  Your boat will rotate around that point.  If you are fishing shallow, the deploying anchors would be better.  If you are fishing deep then far and away the Ultrex would be your guy.

Good Luck

[GNSfishing]

With my style of fishing on our area lakes I'd put my $$$ in one of the latest trolling motors.

[Sore Thumbs]

I've always heard that the wireless trolling motors have a slower response time than traditional trolling motors and that's why pro fishermen don't use them. There are situations where they will be fighting a fish out of shallow water and turn their trolling motors toward deeper water to keep fish from getting tangled in trees,brush,docks or brush. Are the new ones quicker to respond? 

[Bill Babler]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the Ultrex is wireless.  I think it has a button to activate a GPS anchor.  Other than that you are on wired.  The ipilot that MinnKota invented was extremely slow, to respond.  Ultrex I believe is on a hard wire but has the anchor locking mech.  MotorGuide's X5i is wireless but has nano-second response time.  They just improved what MinnKota started.  Both the Ipilot and the X5i have both a remote foot peddle and a hand held activation key fob.  On reaction time theX5i blows the ipilot away in activation speed, but you must remember and this is very important that hard downward pressure is not what turns the motor like it would on a hardwired unit.  You are starting the turn by depressing a switch in the foot feet or the fob and it takes very little pressure to turn the units.  Both the ipilot and the X5i take time to get used to if you are running a hardwire.  It is a very lite touch, just like depressing an electric switch.

Where both of these units really shine is fishing walleye, getting on a contour and following and establishing GPS trails and points.  I have the X5i on my Alweld Bay Boat and it is just fantastic for fishing Bull Shoals.  You can fish as many rods as are allowed in any trolling situation and fish them from any location in the boat at any speed without ever going near the trolling motor.  If you hang up or hook up you are in immediate control of the boat to either stop, or move the boat in any direction, no matter where you are in the boat.

Motorguide will have the same anchor feature on the X5 which is the hard wired unit out this Summer.  From what I understand there are also some other functions coming soon.

It seems both these companies are spending lots of money on research and trying to one up the other.  Trolling motors have came as far as electronics in the past few years, and it will continue.  Only takes Money!

Good Luck

 

[Champ188]

^^ That's some great information right there, folks. Thanks, BB.

[vernon]

1 hour ago, Bill Babler said:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the Ultrex is wireless.  I think it has a button to activate a GPS anchor.  Other than that you are on wired.  The ipilot that MinnKota invented was extremely slow, to respond.  Ultrex I believe is on a hard wire but has the anchor locking mech.  MotorGuide's X5i is wireless but has nano-second response time.  They just improved what MinnKota started.  Both the Ipilot and the X5i have both a remote foot peddle and a hand held activation key fob.  On reaction time theX5i blows the ipilot away in activation speed, but you must remember and this is very important that hard downward pressure is not what turns the motor like it would on a hardwired unit.  You are starting the turn by depressing a switch in the foot feet or the fob and it takes very little pressure to turn the units.  Both the ipilot and the X5i take time to get used to if you are running a hardwire.  It is a very lite touch, just like depressing an electric switch.

Where both of these units really shine is fishing walleye, getting on a contour and following and establishing GPS trails and points.  I have the X5i on my Alweld Bay Boat and it is just fantastic for fishing Bull Shoals.  You can fish as many rods as are allowed in any trolling situation and fish them from any location in the boat at any speed without ever going near the trolling motor.  If you hang up or hook up you are in immediate control of the boat to either stop, or move the boat in any direction, no matter where you are in the boat.

Motorguide will have the same anchor feature on the X5 which is the hard wired unit out this Summer.  From what I understand there are also some other functions coming soon.

It seems both these companies are spending lots of money on research and trying to one up the other.  Trolling motors have came as far as electronics in the past few years, and it will continue.  Only takes Money!

Good Luck

 

Yes, unlike the Terrova, the Ultrex is cable steer with electric motor assist.  The entire head rotates as opposed to just the motor itself.  From what I've researched, it allegedly offers the same "feel" in the foot pedal as cable steer models but the electric motor is quicker to respond than the cables alone.  And, yes, it can be operated exactly like the Fortrex if one chooses to not activate the GPS system.  From what I understand, it also employs a "soft start" type feature that will (hopefully) prevent one from being tossed over the side by sudden and extreme starts and stops.  While the head/direction of the unit is faster to respond the journey to full power of the motor is gradual - kind of like engaging the resume button on your vehicle's cruise control.

I don't anticipate using the Spotlock much when fishing shallow but I do think it would be OK when working the backs of pockets and creeks where you tend to stay a full cast from the target and the boat is in, say, 15 - 20 feet of water.  Only real world use will tell I guess though.

As Bill alluded to I expect that the real advantage will be in deeper water fishing humps, points, drops, etc. as well as when unhooking fish or retying to avoid blowing or drifting into the bank.  I haven't heard anything about the boat pivoting/spinning around the TM being an issue but, again, only practical application will tell for sure.  The below video would seem to at least somewhat dispel that notion but it's only one isolated example so we'll see.

At any rate, my money's already spent so I'm gonna say it's the greatest thing since sliced bread no matter what!  

Just kidding - I'll be sure and report back as honestly as I can once I get a chance to get it out there.

 

[AAD]

I have a single power pole mounted on my deep V Tracker. Use it quite often up here in Lake St Louis and in Texas. Made a huge difference for me, since the deep V is so high sided. I think it was well worth what I spent on it several years ago. Last year decided to get the drift paddle that attaches to it. I had some Bass Pro reward dollars, so it felt like I was not spending my money on it. Used it at TRL and up in Wisconsin fishing in Green Bay. I have to admit it made a difference on my drift rate in the wind. Could measure the slow down on my GPS. Allowed me to stay near the structure/drop off we were fishing.

I am happy with mine. At times wish I had a second to keep me from spinning, but have grown use to correcting with the trolling motor. If you fish a lot of shallow flats (like in Tx) where you need to fish a lot of cover, it really pays off.