# Micro Anchor Thoughts



## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

I am about to pull the trigger on a Power Pole Micro Anchor for my little Rasso P140. I have waited to see what will work before I spent the money. I have a stainless spike type anchor but I am not getting the boat to stop fast enough because I am throwing it out after setting my push pole down, just isn't in the right spot when I am ready to grab my rod. I don't see a trolling motor working very well in the shallow water I have been crossing and places where it would work my 20hp motor with jack plate all the way up will go in about the same depth. It is just about as quiet also (in gear in idle). I am poling off the bow pretty good now and I just need a way to stop. What your thoughts on the Micro Anchor plus and negative? The spike I was going to get is the 8.5' solid heavy duty and not the hollow light, should I get the light spike. How are you using yours and what is working best? Are there any comparable brands or anchoring techniques?


----------



## MAK (Dec 15, 2017)

I actually didn’t know that they made a hollow or solid option for the poles. Mine is a solid. I got mine used as part of a used kayak purchase I made last year. I absolutely love it. Seems like overkill on a kayak until you use it and then you are spoiled. Works great in conjunction with a manual anchor stick if you need to hold a certain orientation against the tide or wind. I purchased an extra mount so that I can swap it back and forth from the yak to my Key West 1520. It holds the boat just as well even in a very fast moving tide. I don’t think I would want a lighter/hollow one though for fear of breakage. I would want the most robust one they make for the boat. Assuming that is the solid one.
I have had problems with it though. Their customer service is second to none though. First problem was when the battery just seemed to stop charging. I called to talk to tech support with the intention of having them help me determine if the charger or the battery was bad so I would know what to purchase. To my surprise they just took my information and sent me a brand new battery and charger that I had in about two days. This was after I had explained I purchased it used. Shortly thereafter the unit itself stopped working. I called back again and explained the problem, thinking I would probably have to buy a new expensive component. Once again they shipped me a brand new replacement the follow week. 
Certainly not the kind of customer service we usually end up dealing with this days. It’s rare to find a company anymore that stands behind its product like this.


----------



## McFly (Jan 17, 2007)

I fish solo frequently from the bow of my Ankona Copperhead - the Micro is a game changer. I had a bracket welded to the right leg of the poling platform as I pole a majority of the time on my left when on the poling platform, and I use a cut-down (7 foot) Stick-It. I honestly can’t imagine fishing solo without one. In a downwind drift across a flat I will even use the pivot from a momentary deploy of the anchor to course-correct the drift. I have spooked some fish, but lost many more opportunities blowing past fish before I could effectively stop and/or make the cast. Worth it for me.


----------



## CPurvis (Apr 6, 2016)

The micro anchor was a game changer for me. I use the light hollow anchor pin on my 16ft Skimmer Skiff and it works fine.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

My micro has been great. The first one came with the boat and he had it over a year and I ran it two and a half years before I did a full throttle hole shot with it deployed and ripped the bolts out of the mount. PowerPole sent me a new unit no questions asked and this one has been great so far. CorrosionX the contacts on the plug after every trip. I cut my pole to 5’ so it woudn’t stick up so far while poling. I carry an 8’ pole in the gunnel rod tube for deeper water trips. While wading I let the boat follow me by picking up and dropping the pole via remote around my neck. It’s very quiet and runs all day no issues.


----------



## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

I’m on the other side. I have one and don’t like it. Rarely will I use it. 

1) It is too noisy and slow (in my experience) to anchor in shallow water without potentially spooking fish

2) It gets in the way while poling (Granted I do not have a cut down pole)

3) It doesn’t hold well enough during windy days (15+) to hold my skiff while I wade. It seems like it struggles to fully seat the pin in anything but soft/semi-soft bottoms. 

I use my push pole to stop my skiff when I need to. It’s simple, quick, quiet and already in my hand. When I want to wade I use the stake out ring on my platform. That way I know my boat isn’t going anywhere. 


FWIW I haven’t had any issues with it yet.


----------



## Sethsawyer (Apr 5, 2019)

it is awesome when you need it and the conditions are right. 

Pros: If I am trout fishing or just fishing in mid depth 3-6ft water it is great. Windy days even in the shallowest of creeks and flats works like a charm. Stops the boat with just a double click on the remote. 

It is unusable if you are fishing calm shallow water conditions, it is just too loud. Staking out yourself is so much quieter. if you have someone in the back of the boat it is always in the way. It is in the way if you are poling. It will catch your flyline when you are casting. It is really tall and annoying. 

But when mine finally dies I will buy another one.  I would buy the hollow 6ft spike if I was buying new. less in the way, lighter, though usually in the spots it is really useful you end up anchoring over deeper water. So longer may be better depending on where you fish.

If I had to pick one though, trolling motor is a better buy.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

I've found the fiberglass rods from Grainger, or whatever electrical supply house is near you, hold up better and cost about half as much as the ones from power pole. Also I prefer the dash switch on my belt via carabiner over the one that dangles around your neck.

The $100 foot switch is the tits but $100 is robbery for what you get. If you are crafty with electronics you can make your own foot switches for about $20.

Don't blast it with water, be gentle. I leave mine plugged in and only clean the connections once a year unless I have to take it off for some other reason.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

MatthewAbbott said:


> I’m on the other side. I have one and don’t like it. Rarely will I use it.
> 
> 1) It is too noisy and slow (in my experience) to anchor in shallow water without potentially spooking fish
> 
> ...


Never trust any power pole to hold a boat in that kind of wind/rough water. I carry a manual stake out pole and stick it a few feet into the bottom and loop my bow eye on it so the skiff is facing into the waves then use the micro to hold the stern. I’ve have my boat float off while wading and it’s not cool when it’s 30 degrees and your boat floats out to 5-6’ of water and you can’t get to it...


----------



## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Never trust any power pole to hold a boat in that kind of wind/rough water. I carry a manual stake out pole and stick it a few feet into the bottom and loop my bow eye on it so the skiff is facing into the waves then use the micro to hold the stern. I’ve have my boat float off while wading and it’s not cool when it’s 30 degrees and your boat floats out to 5-6’ of water and you can’t get to it...


For sure. I agree but, I’ve never had any issues with any other PP seating itself in the bottom. The micro pp is just weak and sucks. Only time I use it is when I’m drifting and want to stop and go. And it’s usually a coin flip if it’s going to pin me or not without putting pressure on it’s cheap plastic mount.


----------



## new2theflats (Jul 31, 2019)

This is not meant as a recommendation because I'm so new at this that I don't even know what I don't know yet.

My first and current skiff is a Glide and I bought just the 8' solid micro pole to stake out the boat. I've never had an actual Micro or Power Pole unit. What I have learned is quite frequently it takes a number of times and a significant amount of force to get the pole in sufficiently to hold the Glide in a good current or wind- at least where I'm currently fishing which is the big bend of FL.

I have no idea how powerful the motors are on either the Micro or Power Pole but I wouldn't think them real strong. I'm getting a Vantage built and am torn between using a Micro or Power Pole. The focus will be on building this Vantage as light as possible while maintaining the max-functionality I want. Because of its weight the Micro is very interesting. But again, I don't know what I don't know.

As far as the Glide is concerned, I'll stick with just using the Micro pole by itself to stake out, works great and is easy to store on the floor under the rods.


----------



## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

I have a SS steak out pole and an anchor and really don't trust either in wind or current. Have panicked in the past with my old boat when I saw it wasn't in the same place I left it. Luckily it had beached itself on a grassy shoreline and oyster reef. I have always kept a good eye on my anchored boats or kayaks when wading after that. Don't want to swim in waders when its cold. I really just want it to stop in shallow water without the hassle of deploying the steak out pole.


----------



## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

The way you discribed what you do is lay your pole down and throw out your anchor. I think those sticks would work as long as it's mounted on your platform high enough to access. Or you could stick your PP in the bottom till you decide what to do


----------



## Rob Ward (Aug 9, 2018)

Absolutely love mine wont go out without it. but has its problems. It will defiantly spook fish within 50 yards, I gave up on using it for quick stops when i spot a fish. But really shines after you hook a big fish, drop the pole and focus on the fight instead of getting drug onto ouster bars or over the school. I have both light and heavy pole light is way better in my opinion. I think the bracket will break long before the pole.

Here is the problem, I'm on my on my third one...in two years with moderate use. Issue is the circuit card is not hermetically sealed, and the seal that protects it isn't designed well. First one went rouge, pole shot down on its own while loading the boat. I kept driving down and would not stop till i yanked the plug. Tried its darnedest to flip my little boat. Opened it up, the circuit card was wet and shorted out. Has never been underwater or exposed to heavy water or rain. Outstanding customer support...fedex overnight a new unit and had it on the water next day. New one made it 7 trips before going rouge again, this time while standing on a cooler sight fishing. If the sudden stop didn't almost toss me out the boat, the unit was now ramming down trying to flip me over. Thankfully the bracket let loose and folded down. Got home opened it up, card was dry but heavily corroded. With my warranty expiring in 2 months, again no questions asked fedex overnight had another one the next day (Rep said they are very liberal with there warranty on these units and if i have continued problems beyond the two years they would take care of me.)

I opened the unit soon as i got it. This had a heavy layer of petroleum jelly around the seal and a desiccant pack inside, and the card was now blue instead of green. Pretty sure I'm not the only having issues. Hope they come out with a new seal design.


----------



## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I have never used mine to stop the boat while poling and I spot a fish, that seems silly when you have a 20+ foot nearly silent stake out pole in your hands. I will drop it when I need to jump off the platform and assist the person on the bow land a fish but never when sight casting to spooky fish. It’s bad enough keeping fish from spooking from big arm movements much less using a motorized device to stop the boat.


----------



## FLCoastalCreature (Jan 11, 2020)

I’m torn on if I will go with micros or blades. Reason for wanting the power poles is lake bass fishing. I haven’t done a lot of polling, but see more in my future with the new boat. I do like that the micros can have the pole removed when not in use.


----------



## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

Well I got it, was kinda of hard to find because no one had it in stock. West Marine in Kemah had one but not the pole so I wound up getting the pole from Bass Pro in Katy with a $100 rebate. I don't have much real estate on the back of boat because of the Poling Platform and the trim tabs. I am going to mount it right over the trim tab using a piece of Starboard to hang it out past the trim tab. I will post a pic when I get it mounted.


----------



## jay.bush1434 (Dec 27, 2014)

new2theflats said:


> This is not meant as a recommendation because I'm so new at this that I don't even know what I don't know yet.
> 
> My first and current skiff is a Glide and I bought just the 8' solid micro pole to stake out the boat. I've never had an actual Micro or Power Pole unit. What I have learned is quite frequently it takes a number of times and a significant amount of force to get the pole in sufficiently to hold the Glide in a good current or wind- at least where I'm currently fishing which is the big bend of FL.
> 
> ...


For your Vantage get a proper Power Pole. The boat is heavy enough that it needs the extra sticking power.


----------



## efi2712micro (Sep 17, 2015)

jay.bush1434 said:


> For your Vantage get a proper Power Pole. The boat is heavy enough that it needs the extra sticking power.


i would say so. The micro is rated for max 1500 lbs. I am just at that with just 2 anglers.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> I have never used mine to stop the boat while poling and I spot a fish, that seems silly when you have a 20+ foot nearly silent stake out pole in your hands.


This has been my experience as well. Whoever is on the poling platform should be able to put the breaks on decently enough.

When poling solo I am on the bow. And I push around with an 8' long park n pole. I keep a tether looped through the bow eye and tucked under my foot while poling. So when I see a fish solo, its easy to slip that 8' pole through the tether and stake myself out quietly. Works great creeping around in skinny water.

If I get out of the boat I stake it on the front, let it swing in the current/wind, and then drop an anchor from the rear so that there are two points of contact.


----------



## MarkPort (Oct 4, 2018)

JL marine has amazing customer service, but instead of sending the unit back for water intrusion issues I made two mods: silicone the gasket to the top cover to ensure proper alignment - you should pop the top often to make sure no water sits inside the unit (do not spray water inside the unit), also replaced the crappy lower motor bearing with a stainless/ceramic. If the seal is good then you shouldn't need the bearing - but it was easy to do and not worth the time shipping the unit back. Micro is great on my gheenoe, but think I will put a pro series on my 17 flats. Good luck!


----------



## Rob Ward (Aug 9, 2018)

Just got my forth unit in. I'm glad to know its not just me having a problem. After the last one, i decided to open the cover after every use...form now on! Was also thinking about using some 3M 5200 on the top seal but figured it would void the warranty.


----------



## chiphill (Aug 26, 2013)

My experience is that power poles are problematic from a reliability standpoint. They have mechanical and electrical issues, similar to trolling motors. Yes, Minn Kota and others have good customer service - because they have to! No one would tolerate those kinds of quality issues from an outboard or electronics manufacturer. If you have a regular pole on your Skiff already, use it. No use to complicate things.


----------



## Ron Mexico (Jul 19, 2018)

I use one on the back of my Riverhawk. Love it for both shallow inshore and the rocky rivers we have at home.


----------



## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

MatthewAbbott said:


> For sure. I agree but, I’ve never had any issues with any other PP seating itself in the bottom. The *micro pp is just weak and sucks*. Only time I use it is when I’m drifting and want to stop and go. And it’s usually a coin flip if it’s going to pin me or not without putting pressure on it’s cheap plastic mount.


----------



## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)

SomaliPirate said:


>


Damn... got me.


----------



## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

MatthewAbbott said:


> Damn... got me.


I can't help it man, I'm still 12 inside.


----------



## MatthewAbbott (Feb 25, 2017)




----------

