I’m going to put a couple power poles on my boat (Z19). I’m leaning toward the pro sport II 8’ because the 8’ will be 13” shorter and 12lbs lighter. I’m sure I will occasionally want to anchor in 8-9 feet of water and wish I had the 10’ poles. But I don’t think that wanting to anchor in 9ft of water will happen too often and I don’t think the extra weight and height obstacle on the back of the boat would be worth it. If I’m in deeper water, I see myself continuing to use “spot lock” anyway. I purchased my first bass boat 12 years ago and have never had power poles or fished in a boat with power poles or talons. Most lakes I fish are deeper and I don’t spend as much time fishing shallow water but I know they will come in useful for many things besides sight fishing.
Does anyone with 8’ poles wish they would have bought 10’ poles?

Anyone with 10’ poles think they would have been just as happy or wish they bought the 8’ poles?

8 foot Blades here. Rarely have I wished to have 10s. If I need anything outside of the range of poles I just use spot lock. I also think 10 footers look ugly, but that’s just me.

I went with 15' Talons. Eliminated all doubt about needing more.

I have a 10'. When I power down in mud that extra length helps. Don't care how it looks, I'm not much to look at so figure a pretty boat won't help.

I went through the same thought as you last year 10 vs 8. I went with the pro II 8 and they have worked out great. Have not found myself in spot to where I wished I had or needed the 10's.

Thank you for the replies so far, keep them coming. I agree that I don’t care how they look. As long as they work well and don’t cause unnecessary obstruction. One could be zebra pink and the other rainbow and I wouldn’t care.

I had 10's and wish I had gone with 8's. They are so tall, they wobble and wear out the bushings much faster than friends of mine who had the 8's.

If you have spot lock then the 8's should be just fine. I use mine mostly when at the boat ramp/sight fishing/retying anyways so any depth beyond that if I had spot lock would just use it. Saving the weight matters and if you have any height issues.

I highly recommend saving some money and getting the best ones available which in my opinion are without a doubt the basic 8' Sportsmen II Models rather than the 10' Blades or Pro Series. The difference is how much quieter the pumps are when deploying or retracting the Sportsman II Models compared with the more expensive Blades or Pro Series is significantly noticeable, and even more so underwater. I put my Sportsman II Models through hell for over 4 years without a single issue, they are built to last! I have always been blown away in regards to how much louder the more expensive models of Power Poles are. Yes the Pro Series and Blades do look a bit sharper to most anglers compared to the Sportsman II Models but the amount of increased noise which these more expensive models create compared with the nearly silent operation of the Sportsman Models II is an easy choice for me. In regards to the length, the fact that you have spot lock technology on your trolling motor is even more reason to lean towards purchasing the 8' poles. I hope this helps, and if you do decide to choose the Sportsman IIs, meet up with another angler at the boat ramp and ask for him to deploy his Blades or Pro Series then deploy your Sportsman IIs. The difference in the amount of noise reduction with the Sportsman II Models compared Power Poles higher end models are nearly night and day my friend. I hope this helps, good luck fishing!

I’d buy the cheapest 8’ PowerPoles. The Blade is $800 more for the same thing. IMO. I have Blades. Not worth the extra money.

My Blades are extremely quiet. And fast. But....like you said....not worth the extra money at all.

8'

Third option to consider: I just added poles this year and went a different route then most. I installed 6” poles. I went this route for the following reasons. I rarely fish deeper than 5 feet. When I do start fishing deeper than 5 feet I will get a spot lock trolling motor. They deploy the fastest of all models. They sit at the same height as my outboard when on the water and are never in my girlfriends way. They fit into my garage with no issue. They cost less. And lastly I think they look much cooler than the longer models.

I really like the idea of them not being taller than the motor. You are really giving me something to think about that I didn't consider. I'm sure there would be situations where I wanted to anchor in deeper water. Most of the time I don't have my boat positioned in 5' of water or less.

Her is some research I put together. It may help you decide if you add in the 10’ blades.

here's the thing...get the best thing that matches your style of fishing. Having a 10ft blade isn't going to impact the fishing ability for 99% of people fishing out of the back of the boat. Know how I know? I've bass fished for 8 years out of a 20ft bay boat with a center console with a 6ft antenna on it. You get used to watching where you cast really easily. If you forget, you only do it once.

I know the post is about Power Poles but I have 8s now and had 12 Talons on my last 3 boats and man do I miss the Talons. 8s will only hold in about 5 foot of water and if big waves not that much. My Talons would hold in 12 foot even in big waves and way easier to use around the brush and grass. Next boat will have Talons!

Thank you everyone for your input. Keep the comments coming.

Insuranceman,

I've was debating the Talons vs Power Poles but from what I've been able to research, the power poles are more reliable. I would probably be very happy with Talons as well.

photofishin,

I agree, for most situations the 10 foot blades won't be a problem. They could be a problem for backing into the garage, going under low bridges and be a minor obstruction for someone fishing out of the back of the boat. I just need to figure out which size will work best for me. Going with 2 Blade 10' vs 2 Sportmans 8' is a $1400 difference as well. I have spot lock on my trolling motor for deeper water and I've been very happy with it. The downsides to the blades is 13" taller obstruction, about 10lbs extra each and extra $1400. I'm still trying to decide if the costs of the 10' Blades are worth the ability to anchor 2 feet deeper? I'll probably decide this next week.

I have a 2011 8' Talon on my Tracker and 2 x 2016 Power Pole 10' Blades on my Triton. If I were to buy a new boat (which isn't going to happen), I would buy 2 of the 8' Talons. Talon and Power Pole are both great products but I prefer the Talon for the following reasons. No need for 2 hydraulic pumps in the battery compartment, it is very easy to disconnect and remove the Talon if you need to have it serviced, and it seems to hold me in place slightly better than the power poles. I've had a couple of minor issue with my Talon in the last 9 years but it was extremely easy to remove and fix. I took it to a warranty service center in Houston and they had it fixed both times in 1 day. If I were to get power poles again I definitely would go for the 8' over the 10' and probably would just get the Sportsman II instead of the blade. With spot lock you really don't need the extra length and you really have to pay attention not to hit them when you pull into unfamiliar places. Unless you have an extra large garage door or storage you will have to remember to lower them partially each time to put them in and out of the garage. I have to admit I have not played with the newer Talons but I have to imagine they are really great compared to the original model I have.

Just my opinion, this is coming from someone with a bay/bass boat.

I have an 8' Pro Series II on my boat. I'll say, if I had a bass boat, then I'd go with the 15' Talons. In the bay, the Power Pole is fine because it doesn't get over 8ft anyway 99% of the time.. On a lake though, the more the better IMO