This question is for someone that has had both talons and raptors please. I currently have 12' talons but my son (who fishes off the back of the boat) really hates having to work around the talons. I feel like I need the 12' because the lake we fish has a soft sandy bottom it seems like they don't really hold true to depth (and yes have made sure that the talons sit just at the waterline when they are retracted). I'm not so concerned about the noise (I now the talons are slightly noisier but I'm fairly diligent about cleaning and lubing them).

So my question is as follows: for those that have had both, do you find that the raptor holds true to depth on a soft bottom or just generally hold better than a talon?

I'm a 'bird guy and use the one boat network deal with my ultrex/helix setups so want to stay in the family....no disrespect to those that are power pole guys but I'm not considering them for the aforementioned reason. Thanks in advance.

I have Raptors, the 8' set. I find if I am in water deeper than 6', they tend to not hold all that well. Less the 5' they are anchors.

How far under the water line is your transducer. I'm betting the water is deeper.

My transducers are mounted on the bottom of my hull.
Most of the time, I am setting my raptors down when I am at the trolling motor and the transducer is on the bottom of the trolling motor.

I think this is normal for Raptors and Power Poles. I have one 8' Power Pole and it will not grab in 8 feet of water. More like 6'.

Truth.

Add 18-24" to what your graph says. Then consider the bottom makeup. If it is silted-in muck the blades may have to go into the bottom two feet to hold you in wind.