Planer Boards (NOT INLINE)

[jimcr]

What kind of advantage do the big boards have over inline boards. Isn't there a lot of slack to take up when a fish hits? are a lot of fish missed taking up the slack? Does it matter how far from the boat this is run. How many lines can you run off the big board. Would you run a dipsey of the big board? I was thinking I could make my own.

[Priority1]

I think the biggest advantage is when a fish hits and releases you only have to fight the fish and not the board. I did switch to in-lines a few years back, and I don't think I'll be going back to the big boards.

The big boards could also be a good tool for early in close fishing.

[Turfwrench]

I run big boards that I made myself, they are double boards. I like the big boards for the simple fact that I have used them for years and am comfortable with them. To me they are easy to deploy, easy to set lines off of. I use shower curtain hooks and attach the line to them via rubber bands. I have ran as many as 5 lines off a side but boat control is critical when running that many lines. Seldom have I lost a fish due to slack. The big advantage that I like is that when I do have a fish on it is only the fish I fight, not fighting the board too.

I have used the inlines and while I feel they have a usefulness, which to me would be a day when I only wanted to run a couple high lines, I prefer not to run them. I am not a fan of pinch pads as I feel they do weaken the line. I also do not like to drag a board while pulling in a fish. I think there are enough fish lost when one attempts to remove the board from the line to net the fish.

If slack is a concern, both styles you will get slack when a fish strikes due to the angle of the line to the board and the angle to the fish.

The best thing to do is try them both and experience the differences between the two.

[Paulywood]

One of the biggest advantages to inlines IMO is the ability to reset different lines that run different depths wherever you want them in your spread. I have run up to 3-4 inlines per side. If my 5 color core is running as the 3rd rod out I can reset it to the same spot. With big boards you can only reset it as the closest line next to the boat. Now you would have a full core running outside of a half core and that is just asking for trouble.

[SUPERTRAMP]

Nick said it all. If you are running all your baits at the same depth, the big boards work well but if you run full cores, 300' of 45#copper and shorter or longer versions of the same set ups you are running different depths and the inlines allow you to set your deeper sets closer to the boat and work out to your shallowest depth and re set without having to move any of your other setups. The Big boards really shine for walleyes when you are trolling diving plugs and trying to get them all into the same depth.