Power-Pole Question

Need some advise/opinions TFF.

I have a small nitro. 17'4, 90Hp merc. Looking at adding a single power-pole.

A little background. Still learning a lot. 99% of the time, I fish alone and have never fished a tournament. I try to fish most weekends Saturday and Sunday for 4 or 5 hours in the AM.

The sportsman is the low end power-pole and but I am sure it will hold my boat just fine. It has more plastic parts, but I am not planning on keeping this current boat forever. The sportsman is also the lightest of the models and weight is a factor since I only have a 90hp pushing me. The pro has more metal parts but also weighs more and cost another $3-400. The blades are also great and more compact but they are much heavier and cost another $700.

Is the sportsman the way to go or am I just being cheap?

These days they overlap in length availability to some extent. If you are looking for a 6 or 8 for that boat, the Sportsman Would be my choice!

Plastic/fiber parts on the Sportsman are fine, and they are mostly modular, so if something breaks it is easy to replace.

You won't regret it, once you get poles you will wonder how you fished without them.

I had a Sportsman on a 19' Ranger. No problems at all.

You can even hold that small of a boat with a power poles micro. Do a search on YouTube for Power pole micro and Tracker. The guy shows you examples of his micro holding his tracker that's the size of your boat. There are others as well.

If you need any directions PM me. I have had one boat with one and two boats with two. One is better than none and two is the best to prevent spinning. I can give you countless stories where the Power Pole has been the factor in us winning tournaments on windy days or bedfishing.

The Sportsman 2's are very good. Accualy it doesn't have anymore plastic parts than the high priced blade series. I have
repaired more of the blades than the Sportsman's

its a good unit

only one lets the boat pinwheel with the wind

just pay attention to your boat setup relative to the wind and its no big deal

good luck !

Hi fellas, I'm buying a boat that has a pair of 8' poles on it. I don't think they will benefit me since most of my lakes are deeper. I'm thinking about selling one or both of them, but first I have a question. Does anybody ever use 1 pole down and then use their trolling motor to keep them from pinwheeling/spinning?

Ended up getting the sportsman Friday. Installed it Saturday and took it out Sunday morning. It did pinwheel a little, but no big deal especially on a shallow flat. Was able to stay in place without fighting with the trolling motor constantly. The top water bite on this morning and I know I doubled my cast count because it was locked in place. I could not be happier witht this addition.

Thanks for responses everyone.

Poles are awesome!

As a FORMER Power Pole owner, my suggestion is for you to buy a TALON instead.
Price is competitive and they are completely self contained - you don't have the pump and hoses to contend with and take up space in the boat.

The sportsman 6 or 8 is all you need they are quiet and the best customer service out there. You will love it.

Everyone I have ever talked to says one pole is virtually useless. I have two on a 17' Express and in 6 feet of water or less they hold me stationary.

I had 1 on my last boat and 2 on the current one. It is absolutely not worthless to have 1 vs 2. 1 will hold the boat it can just spin a little easier. I have found myself wishing sometimes I still just had 1 on occasion because if i got hung close by I could just spin over and get it. 2 is better though for sure.

Poles rule!