With the fishing and boating industries moving toward the lightest and shallowest draft boats possible, there was a call for an automatic anchoring system to match. JL Marine Systems of Tampa, Fla., already manufactures the popular Power-Pole shallow water anchoring systems, but responded to the call. The result of intensive research and testing is the Power-Pole MICRO, which was introduced at ICAST 2013 in Las Vegas and snared the prestigious “Best of Show” award in the New Product Showcase on July 10.
While performing the same silent and secure shallow water anchoring on boats to 1,500 pounds as its siblings on larger craft, the Power-Pole MICRO is substantially different. Smaller is the first thing that is noticed and the MICRO is about the size of a basketball, with a fully-adjustable mounting bracket about the size of a hand. It is light too, with the base unit only weighing 7.5 pounds. Controls are wireless and the MICRO can operate on 12 Volt DC power or an optional lightweight rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack that snaps on and off. The battery pack is approximately the size of a fist and stores enough power for 100 up and down cycles of the Power-Pole Spike.
Power-Pole’s anchor spike is 8.5 feet long and will fully deploy in less than 7 seconds. The MICRO will use any anchoring spike that is 3/4-inch in diameter. It is made to anchor in sand, rock or mud and the drive into the bottom is adjustable. The MICRO comes with a wireless dash switch that mounts by adhesive or screws and a wireless remote control for the same C-Monster operating system used on the larger Power-Pole units.
There is also a free app that allows its speed and down force to be adjusted and run from an Android cell phone. The C-Monster operating system allows the MICRO to recognize any remote controls the owner already has. With additional mounting brackets, the Power-Pole MICRO can be easily and quickly moved from boat to boat to kayak or canoe. The MICRO is rugged too and is built to withstand years of use in Mississippi Muck and on the salt water flats.
For more information on the Power-Pole MICRO and to find the closest dealer, visit www.power-pole.com.
