Mighty Pole Shallow Water Anchor System.
I consider my self some what lucky. After all I live in paradise where fishing reigns supreme. I am a shallow water fisherman who finds no better solace from my time on the water. I am also a regular guy. I don’t dress in the latest fishing fashion, and like to enjoy a beer while out. I do however take my time on the water serious. Whether I am fishing hard in a tournament, just enjoying some time with my son, or just watching the waters from atop my poling platform my time on the water is my time.
Every once and a while I get a chance to review something that changes the game while pursuing my passion of fishing. When offered a Mighty Pole Shallow Water Anchor from my friends at Custom Gheenoe I quickly jumped at the opportunity. After all, a power pole does not suit my budget due to having a wife and 2 kids who demand all of my money. The design was simple and at first glance the perfect addition to my Custom Gheenoe Low Tide 25, and as well keep with the tradition of being “cost efishnt”.
The installation was quite simple, 4 through bolts, a little 5200 and the bracket was mounted. Now for the test. With its 6’ solid fiberglass pole this should do very well in my waters when trying to stake out. Keep in mind for this review I do have the first designed bracket.
My testing period was about 6 months. First tests showed ease of use. The pole with its sharpened end was easily stuck deep into the various bottom types in my area. With light winds on the first test day I decided to see if just the weight of the pole would be enough to stop my drift, and it was. However during days with considerable more winds >6-8mph the weight was not enough as the between the wind and chop the pole would tend to slide across the bottom. This was easily remedied by a slight push into the bottom and the boat would hold steady. Within the first week I had lost the bottom bushing off the bracket, and the top bushing was loose. Because of this the pole was being badly scraped. This was a major turn off as I like things to remain as nice and new for as long as possible.
Back in February of this year I along with some other shallow water fisherman made a trip to the Everglades for a long weekend of fishing. On one particular night my boat was being held away from the dock with the Mighty Pole. When an unexpected desire to run the glades at night overcame I jumped into my Gheenoe, started her up, untied my bow line and took off. While running I would hear a strange noise and noticed my speed wasn’t where isn’t should be. I ran for about another mile and the noise and lack of speed had me worried. I let off the throttle only to come to a rather quick stop. I turned with my head lamp to investigate only to see about 4” of the Mighty Pole sticking up from the bracket. I instantly felt a knot in my stomach as I knew the pole could in no way handle that type of abuse. I immediately went to pull the pole from the bracket thinking it would be a nice addition to my wall of shame back home. (Wall of shame has many broken pieces from over the years) To my surprise the pole would not come out of the bracket. After putting the boat into reverse and pulling out the pole I was greeted with a 6’ long pole still 100% in tact. Now keep in mind I have probably ran @ 2 miles from the base camp, at WOT across hard bottom, mud bottom, and rocky areas. Despite a little wear on the point the pole was still straight, and in good shape despite some extra scratches. Can your pole do that?
Well after all my abuse the bracket is still attached to the boat, the pole is still in one piece and I am quite pleased with the performance. As always I have a pros/ cons list for my reviews. Please note there are some added comments to the side on some items.
Pros-
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Cons-
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Bracket needs a retainer to hold pole in up right position for one handed operation from atop poling platform. *New design has added a retainer screw to hold pole in bracket while running.
After numerous mishaps over the last few months my Mighty Pole is still in decent shape. Aside from some nasty marks, and a decal that was removed during the Everglades fiasco, it still does everything it is supposed to do. The team at Mighty Pole have designed new brackets to resolve any of the first generation issues. Some of the new brackets are well thought out, well built, and not hard on the eyes. For those of us with regular jobs we can actually afford this product. This to me says a lot. With so many shallow water anchor systems on the market what makes Mighty Pole stick out the most? I honestly can not answer this with out bias. The only thing I can offer to help in your decision is the fact that every time I have met the guys from Mighty Pole, they have been very nice, and have always kept me up to date with their latest designs. Another point I must mention is price point. For 120.00 you have a complete simple and easy to use rig, and one that will last!!! With different bracket styles, you are sure to find the right one for your application.
Please check out their site www.mightypole.com and if you are in the market for a good shallow water anchor, these are the guys to see. Tell them I sent you. After all If I can’t break it, then it must be good! Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this product.
Review by: Curtis Cost Efish'nt³ Wright
Microskiff.com Pro Staff
email: costefishnt@4everwright.com
