bigcat85-
I have the 8' Talons(2) and about 4" stick into the water when trolling and per my back graph (just slightly lower than the Talon bottom) I need 6.5' to stick securely. Anything more than that I tend to slide/move depending on bottom type. I got this info off the Talon website as I was curious as to the "height" difference myself.
8' Talon; deploys in 2 stages; 57" tall
12' Talon; deploys in 3 stages; 57" tall
I have seen the 12' Talon in person and they are quite interesting to see all the sections come out! I wish I had the tilt brackets but at $230 apiece I'll pass! I have to lower mine each time I back into the garage about 8" so slightly annoying but used to it so just part of the "load/unload" procedures now.

thank you bassmanrudy. i thought the 8 and 12 were the same length.

I have 2 12' Talons and it will hold in hard bottom at 12' but if it soft you need to be in 11'.

I love the 12' Talons. Mine have been absolutely rock solid. I've used them from Florida to Amistad to Table Rock and down in Port Lavaca and never once have they let me down. I do take care of my stuff though and make sure all the mounts are tight and clean off the spikes routinely. Make sure you get the tilt brackets for going into low clearance areas and you'll be fine. I would highly suggest the 12' models. You'll be glad you did.

If your worried about your partner hitting the Talons with his casts then you'll probably want to invest in a motor cover too.

I have 10 ft Talons and I can anchor securely in 9 feet. I don't consider them a problem for the guy in the back of the boat.

To clarify, it's not worry about them hitting them, I am bothered by them obstructing the rear casting deck, which they absolutely do. Go back boat with talons then back boat with none, then with powerpoles, and you'll see that the poles are pretty much the same as having nothing there, meanwhile with twin talons... you may as well be casting around a brick wall at the back of the rig. There is no arguing around their obstruction, given every single talon owner also says to get the folding mounts so you can go under bridges and park in your garage still... you can't have it both ways and tell everyone how massively obstructing they are but then say they aren't obtrusive at all lol

I am curious on the reports of holding power, as if they honestly held advertised length in depth they are quite attractive, but if a 10ft talon is roughly equal to an 8ft blade... I can't see the advantage for the OP or most people, who seem to think the 8ft blades look better as well.

Keep in mind the Talons are heaver than the poles by about 2X. Have 12 footers, they killed my ability to get on pad quickly, may have to re-prop. Also throws of the center of balance when you are up.

Knowing what I do now, I would have went with the power poles... plus once you get the add-ons, you have more $$ in them...


just my 2

I've backed mine all over the country with no problems. The tilt bracket allows them to fold down to access low clearance areas. Once on the other side, put them right back up. They're no more obtrusive than my Mercury.

Mine hold a Z9 in 11' of water with no problems.

I've installed a whole bunch of 12 foot talons and have had zero negative feedback for what that's worth.

I have two-12' talons on my Z9. They will consistently hold in 10.5' or so....any depth more than that isn't a guarantee (depending on wind and hardness of bottom).....I had only one talon and recently added my second...I have had no problems with them, and just sometimes wish they were a little more quiet than what they are. As far as getting on the plane or balance I haven't noticed with my boat that it has made any difference. If I have both livewells full and a full 68 gallons of gas in the tank it takes longer to get on plane than livewells empty and half tank of gas. The two talons don't noticably affect the ability to get on pad that I can tell (specifically dealing with my setup). I love them and now cant imagine fishing without them for what its worth.

You may have them mounted too low.
I like the fact that they only require electricity,no on board hydraulic pump.
I've found that they work at about one foot less than their designated length(due to proper mounting?)
Just my opinions, as everyone has there favorite everything !

There is a new kid on the block now with the anchors. I heard about this but don't have very much other info but should be a combination of the "best" of both other brands. (No I am not on their prostaff or in anyway affiliated with them.)
Evo Fishing Technologies
https://www.facebook.com/evofishingtec?fref=ts

Same size as a 10ft talon or 8ft blade, at $1400, with 13ft depth capacity sounds amazing. Unfortunately, their website is awful and shows no real info about the product, or video or anything for a consumer to make a decision off of, other than to see the company is in severe need of a web designer's assistance. I will certainly watch for updates on their products though, sounds like a good deal potentially.

It looks like they have a 20 ft anchor coming out.

Yeah 20ft holding sounds insane lol I am really curious to see the deploy mechanism for a 20ft fixed anchor.... gonna have to stop calling them "shallow water anchors" hahaha