Updated 12/16/2023
Tired of anchoring your kayak or small boat by hand? Me too. That’s why I tried a Micro Power Pole on my 14’ aluminum boat.
Read on for my detailed review and thoughts on whether the Power-Pole Micro Anchor is a good option as a small boat or kayak anchor.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Shallow Water Anchors
Shallow water anchors are automatic anchors that can be deployed and retrieved with the click of a button. Models for full sized boats allow anchoring in up to 8 to 15 ft water depth depending on the brand/model.
When I saw my first shallow water anchor in action, it was love at first sight. They are perfect for setting up at your favorite fishing honey hole and throwing out a slip bobber or Carolina rig.
Shallow water anchors really do speak for themselves:
- Click a button to deploy/retrieve
- Save your back – no pulling a wet, muddy anchor
- No swinging 10+ yards back and forth in the wind
- No more accidentally hooking the anchor line.
- Quiet deployment (spook fewer fish!)
You’ll see one or two on most dedicated fishing boats and I knew I wanted something comparable for my small boat. One big problem – a 5 ft tall, 60 lb full-sized option is too big for a small boat or kayak.
The only automatic option I could find for small craft was the Micro Power-Pole, but I had some reservations.
- Is the Micro Power-Pole holding strength enough for my small boat?
- How do I securely mount the Micro Power-Pole?
- Are the tradeoffs (if any) in size/strength worth it?
- Is the Power-Pole Micro worth the price?
Keep reading to see my experience with installation and use over the past few months.
What is the Micro Power Pole?
The Micro Power Pole is a compact, lightweight shallow water anchor variant advertised for boats and kayaks up to 1,500 lbs fully loaded. The base box includes a 12v powered drive unit, a 15 ft power cable, 2x remote controls, and 4x heavy duty mounting nuts, bolts, and washers. Power-Pole separately sells an 8.5 ft spike for use as the anchor, but advertises that any 3/4″ fiberglass rod will work (more on that later). The spike is pushed vertically into the bottom far enough to anchor your vessel in place.
I appreciate that Power-Pole allows you to use your own spike instead of only selling a proprietary anchor that you have to purchase from Power-Pole.
The drive unit lowers/lifts a 3/4″ fiberglass rod up and down for a deployment of up to 8.5 ft measured from bottom of driver unit to top of spike.
Installation of the Power-Pole Micro Anchor
Power-Pole offers a variety of mounting options depending on your setup. All advertised methods seem viable – just make sure it is a sturdy install. Wind and current pushing your boat or kayak around can exert significant forces on the anchor.
I elected for a robust vertical install by running the bolts through the transom of my 14’ boat.
Installation with the Provided Hardware
Installation with the included components was simple and resulted in a sturdy, out-of-the way mount. Following the directions of the included manual, I marked the 4x bolt holes with a permanent marker, drilled 5/16” holes, and installed the bracket.
The manual is informative and visually appealing.
I was disappointed that the included mounting hardware was not all stainless. The nuts are brass.
The mounting bracket is adjustable and allows for installation on any available vertical or horizontal surface.
From there it was as simple as setting the drive unit level and tightening the included adjustment nut.
Alternative Installation Methods
Power-Pole also offers alternative mounting hardware. My experience is exclusively with the base installation kit that came in the box.
They offer a clamp-on style transom mount that makes the Power-Pole Micro anchor easily removable. I personally did not purchase the clamp because I needed to install the anchor in a spot where the clamp would not fit properly on my transom. The clamp probably works fine, but I would be double sure to clamp it tight!
Power Pole also offers combo trolling motor/anchor bow mounts, and assorted adapter plates. In short, they have an option to install your anchor in nearly any way you want!
After mounting the Power-Pole Micro, the next step was to power it.
Powering your Power-Pole Micro Anchor
The basic box includes a 15’ power cable plus the fuse and connectors to tie your anchor into your 12V battery system. I stuck with direct wiring to a 12V battery because I already had a battery setup on my boat to power my accessories.
Install was straightforward and easy. If inexperienced with 12V electronics, don’t worry, the manual thoroughly explains the installation process.
The power cable has a quick connect style plug to plug into the drive unit while in use. The cable can be easily unplugged (and protected with the included dust cover) when not in use.
For boats or kayaks without a 12V power source, Power-Pole offers a rechargeable battery pack and charger that plugs directly into the drive unit. A dedicated 12V battery is heavy and takes up valuable real estate in a small craft.
I like that Power-Pole offers a small, independent battery option for the Micro anchor. I expect some kayak owners may go with the independent battery even if they have a 12V source just to reduce cabling on the kayak.
Using the Power-Pole Micro Anchor
Functionality is where I expected to make or break my view of the Power-Pole Micro. For the most part, it operated as expected with a few (workable) surprises along the way.
Controls
I found the anchor controls intuitive and (mostly) user friendly. I calibrated the drive unit to my spike in the driveway before heading out fishing per the user manual. While on the water, double clicking the control up or down runs it all the way up or down. Clicking and holding will run the unit until you let go of the button.
On the water, I ran into a (self-induced problem). My spike has/had a top handle that is/was installed using a marine adhesive. On my first outing, I double clicked the autodeploy anchor in ~7’ of water. When I looked back to see how the anchor was doing, I could see the drive unit had bottomed out on my spike and was in the process of forcing my handle off of my spike. I quickly stopped the unit, but was a split second from torpedoing my spike to a watery grave.
Pro Tip: Either purchase Power-Pole’s spike or make sure the handle on your own is SECURELY connected. Power-Pole’s spike has a screw on handle and could save you the headache of deploying your anchor to Poseidon’s depths.
Fortunately, I could still use my handle-less spike as long as I manually deployed the anchor (press and hold on remote) instead of utilizing auto-deploy. Note – manual deploy would be extremely difficult on a kayak install where it is tough to turn around and visualize how far your anchor has deployed.
I don’t think this would have been an issue if I used Power-Pole’s spike. Generally, the auto deploy and auto retrieve work well and truly let you ‘fire and forget’ the anchor. What’s the point of an automatic anchor if it isn’t automatic!
Holding Strength & Anchorable Water Depth
My boat is on the heavier end of the Power-Pole Micro Anchor’s specifications and I had concerns about holding strength and functional water depth. For reference, my boat in the discussed scenarios is a 14’ aluminum v-hull with two adult passengers, battery, trolling motor, outboard, live bait bucket full of water, loaded cooler, and fishing gear.
Holding Strength
On one of my first outings, I was able to anchor my boat in 2.5’ of water with roughly a foot of anchor deployed in the mud in an absolutely ripping current (5mph+) with no issues.
I was pleasantly surprised with the holding power in this scenario. It was clear that the current pushing my boat was inducing a significant force on both the spike (noticeable bending) and the mounted drive unit but it held with no issues and was even able to retract first try with that much side-force on it.
While I was happy with that performance, I would be concerned about trying to anchor in 6’ water depth with high wind or current. These fiberglass spikes are nearly indestructible but I expect those conditions would severely bend the spike and prove difficult to hold location in.
Holding strength in low current and low wind situations seemed excellent. I really had no issues holding my fully loaded-boat in 95% of the anchoring situations.
Tip: Try to slow down your boat while the anchor deploys. If your boat is moving at even slow speeds while the anchor deploys, you will induce significant forces on your anchor as it tries to stop your momentum. Why tempt fate and maybe break your setup?
While holding strength was a pleasant surprise, functional anchoring water depth proved to have limitations.
Anchorable Water Depth
The Power-Pole Micro specs indicate a deployment of up to 8.5 ft measured from bottom of driver unit to top of spike. I quickly found out that this does NOT mean you can anchor in 8.5 ft of water.
My drive unit is mounted roughly 1 foot off the water line. Additionally, the spike anchor needs to deploy partially into the bottom to really bite, maybe another 1 foot. On my setup, I can really only anchor in about 6 foot water depths. While this is still useful, I had to use my traditional anchor to stop the boat in more spots than I would have liked.
Anchorable water depth is probably the biggest concession required for going ‘micro’ with a shallow water anchor. Because the anchor doesn’t telescope down or out like the full-sized models, the maximum reasonable deployment depth for a 3/4″ spike to maintain holding power seems to be in around 6-7’ water depth.
Maximum water depth capability is a negative for me, but I understand why this small unit has these limitations. I fish a few spots in 8-10’ that would have been great for a shallow water anchor, but the Micro just can’t get there.
A kayak should get slightly more anchorable depth because the unit would be closer to the water line.
Transport & Storage
It’s worth reiterating that the Power-Pole Micro uses an 8.5’ spike as the anchor which means you need to transport an 8.5’ spike, and you will have an 8.5’ spike sticking out of the drive unit when the anchor is not deployed.
Transport in my boat is easy – I just strap the spike into my makeshift rod rack. I expect transporting the spike for a small skiff or kayak could be challenging, especially while driving to location.
Just as a comment – there’s really no issue leaving the spike vertically in the drive unit while on the water. It’s plenty sturdy. Just be careful going under bridges!
Also, if not deployed, or deployed in shallow water, the spike can be in the way for casting. I found this to be manageable. If casting was a problem, I just slid the spike out of the drive unit and set it inside the boat.
For kayak fishing, I think the spike would generally be far enough back that it wouldn’t be in the way. Unfortunately, if it was in the way or acting up in some way, you can’t easily reach back there and grab it like you can on a larger boat install like I did.
Weathervaning
Ever wondered why fishing boats have two shallow water anchors? It’s for weathervaning. With only one anchor deployed, your boat or kayak can (and will) spin in response to wind or current. If the wind is swirling, your boat will wave and spin around your anchor. Two anchors will maintain your boat or kayak heading.
I expect most boaters and kayakers only have room or budget to install 1x Power-Pole Micro on their vessel. I honestly don’t mind the boat swinging a bit in the wind. Just something to be aware of with 1x anchor. I am personally sticking to 1x Power-Pole Micro.
Summary
Overall I am happy with my Power-Pole Micro anchor purchase and would recommend it to kayakers and small boaters if they have the space and budget for it.
Positives
- An automatic shallow water anchor system that fits kayaks and small boats!
- Click a button to deploy/retrieve
- Save your back – no pulling a wet, muddy anchor
- No swinging 10+ yards back and forth in the wind
- No more accidentally hooking the anchor line.
- Quiet deployment (spook fewer fish!)
- Surprisingly powerful holding strength (worked great for fully loaded 14’ aluminum boat)
- Informative installation & owners guide
- Easy install & use
- Can use your own spike if you already have one
- Mounting options for nearly every situation (may be sold separately)
- Rechargeable battery accessory available for vessels without 12v power installed
Negatives
- Anchorable water depth realistically only 6-7 ft
- Included mounting hardware not all stainless steel
- $$$ (still much less expensive than a full sized shallow water anchor!)
- Transporting 8.5’ spike may be challenging for certain vehicles and smaller craft
- Undeployed spike can interfere with casting fishing rods
My closing thoughts are:
The Power-Pole Micro Anchor is a functional implementation of the automated shallow water anchor technology for smaller vessels. It works great – when you can use it. The tradeoff for going micro limits the water depth range compared to full sized models, but is an excellent addition to a small boat or kayak if you ever need to anchor in 6’ water depth or shallower.
Check out our article on the best transom mounted trolling motors for another great choice of equipment to add to a boat once you’ve installed a battery.
Written By: Andrew Juran
Andrew is a seasoned angler with over 25 years of experience fishing across the United States. He has caught hundreds of fish using various techniques and mentored many in the art of fishing. An advocate for sustainable fishing, Andrew is an active member of the Coastal Conservation Association, an organization committed to marine conservation.
For frequent fishing tips, behind-the-scenes looks, and real-time catches, connect with Andrew on Instagram
