A Look at the Highly Effective Minn Kota Talon for Shallow Water Boat Control
Before bass fisherman had the Minn Kota Ultrex with Spot Lock, their sole means of controlling their boat and staying in one spot was with a shallow water anchor, like the Talon.
While Spot Lock is an incredible tool for anglers and will no doubt shine and be used by anglers, especially in off shore situations where the Talon can’t reach the bottom, the Talon is still a key piece to a bass fisherman’s boat control solution.
Some key scenarios in which deploying your Talon(s) is a prominent solution for a bass fisherman, include:
Bed Fishing – one of the original uses for shallow water anchors was for anglers to be able to stay in one spot while targeting bass that are on a bed and here still is where the Talon shines. You can keep your boat in the ideal position for you to make the right pitches to provoke that bedded bass into biting, all while maintaining a low sound profile in the water.
Docking Your Boat – another scenario in which using the Minn Kota Talon shines is when an angler is docking their boat at the boat ramp, whether they are pulling it up to a dock or putting it on a nice sand beach, deploying the Talon will keep your boat secure and in place.
Fishing in Cover – similar to the point about fishing in shallow water, if you are fishing in close proximity to or in heavy cover, such as vegetation or laydowns, you won’t want to have your trolling motor prop coming into contact with the fish holding cover, instead you’ll want to stay put by having your Talon(s) come in contact with the bottom.
Shallow Water – bass fisherman are traditionally shallow water anglers, so it’s no surprise that many bass anglers spend the bulk of their time chasing bass in water that is 3’ or less. When you are this shallow you will want to pin your boat to the bottom with the shallow water anchor because you will be decreasing the amount of disturbance to the lake/river bottom which would occur if you had engaged Spot Lock.
The Minn Kota Talon is available in multiple colors and in 8’, 10’ and 12’ models, so you can select the right size unit for your boat, depending on how you plan to use it.
With the three Anchoring Modes that an angler can select, the Talon can be programmed to excel in many situations you’ll face on the water.
AUTO-DRIVE MODE:Powers the spike into the bottom with three increasingly aggressive hits.
SOFT BOTTOM MODE:For less aggressive anchoring – and easier anchor retraction – in water with a muddy or silted bottom.
ROUGH WATER MODE:For heavy wind and chop, this mode performs three consecutive Auto-Drive sequences at 10-second intervals for a triple-strength hold.
For anglers that just fished the St. Jude Bass Classic event on the Mississippi River, many reported that they switch their Talon(s) into SOFT BOTTOM MODE as the backwaters of the Mississippi River are comprised of a very soft bottom.
As you look towards this fishing season, it isn’t too late to add a Minn Kota Talon to your boat and since they are easy to install, you can do it yourself and save the money on a costly installation.
For more information or to order a Minn Kota Talon, please visit: http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Shallow-Water-Anchors/Talon/
