Long Coppers and Boards

[Flyboy]

I need some help guys. I've been trying to run multiple boards off of a side for a while now, but I can't get the boards far enough away from the boat to do so. I've tried letting out upwards of 400 yards of backing out ahead of the board even and cannot get the boards far enough away from the boat to run multiple boards. I've been running only a 350' and a 450' due to this problem but would like to run add a 300' and a 400' as well as the fish have been much deeper lately. Are such lengths of copper to much for my walleye boards and my offshore boards? I have plenty of these and they work great for shorter length, but before I make a trip out and buy a few TX-44 church boards, I'd like your opinion.

[aprils fool]

We only have a couple 300' copper setups right now so have not run multiple coppers on one side of the boat yet but have run a 300' copper and multiple lead cores together without any issues. We have run the 300' copper with a large paddle and meat rig on it on the church walleye boards and it tracks without any issues. Did you shift the weight forward on the bottom of the chuch boards? Might not be biting in enough on the front to track outward. Good luck and post back if you get it figured out.

Good Fishing,

Troy

[Eyefull]

A 350' or 400' will not track very far (outside) from the boat no matter what board you pull them behind. They will always be your inside lines in your board spread. You put a 250' and say a 150' outside of them in descending order. The shortest setups will always be the farthest from your boat. Your shorter coppers will track much easier and farther outside vs. a 350' or 400'. With your shorter shallower coppers to the outside, it will also tend to keep a fish over the top of the deeper lines when hooked up most of the time. Also, always keep in mind that a low diver let out to 350' can also get into your long coppers in current or with a hook up.

[Nailer]

The 300, pretty much puts the church walleye boards to the max.

[cliftp]

I ended up buying a couple of Church TX-44's. They will definitely pull a 300 copper and a 10 color lead with no problems. My Offshore board just didn't like them.

Paul C.

[spoonfed]

we run all our copper on the regular church boards. we ran the 44's for our 450 and 600 coppers last year and lost alot of copper.boards pull good, but get a good fish and it dives its all gone!

[Casey II]

The TX-44 will pull pretty much anything you can think to attach behind it. We use them to pull 300 and longer coppers. Just don't let it dive...major pain in the butt.

[spoonfed]

Mark, I agree they pull good and anything you put on it. we just had them break off many times. I put them downstairs and went back to the smaller ones

[Twill23]

Ill take em off your hands Eric!!!! Lol. For us they're a must have. They pull so good. Keep your rod tip low when fighting fish and lift at the right time. It just takes some practice. Make sure your backing is 50# minimum tho. They do pull realllllly hard. Frequently check your spliced in mono that you connect your board to (between your copper and backer) for wear.

I absolutely love them for 225 or more.

[killerbe20]

Yellow bird big birds will pull a 400 and allows you to adjust the arm to have to board where ever you want it in your spread

[Ace HI]

Yellow Birds or Z Boards are the answer you can tune them to run as you like. Off Shores can be tuned a bit and Church's are pretty much run em how they come. If I ever get my TX 44's to run the way I want I will let you guys know how I did it.

[southtrollsouth]

We exclusively run and recommend only the Church TX-22 and TX-44's for pulling our copper (Blood Run). We recommend anything up to a 250' either 32lb or 45lb that the 22's do just fine. Anything beyond that, we feel the TX-44 are the answer. Alot has to do with their ability to track well together, which is one of the keys on reading current properly. Our new 30lb backer material is suited well for both boards...either the standard or new lock jaw releases. We have tested the lock jaws with impressive performance on thinner dia backers such as smaller mono like 25lb and below along with most braids. But we still prefer a larger dia backer material to withstand release abuse and the ability of standard releases to grip the backer line better.

[fishy1]

I run z boards as they are tunablefor where you want the board to run and you can also have them release to change a lure or when you have a fish on and they dont dive like the church boards do which are a pain in the a** to reel in.

[southtrollsouth]

I run z boards as they are tunablefor where you want the board to run and you can also have them release to change a lure or when you have a fish on and they dont dive like the church boards do which are a pain in the a** to reel in.

That can definitely be an issue if you point your rod tip in the air. We always fight all of our fish with the rod tip pointed directly at the board or directly at the water closer to an even plane with the board. That is standard for any planer, which keeps boards from diving.

[Duraflame]

If you are able, I recommend using a planner board mast. I made two boards and the mast, which mounts into a seat holder in the front of my 18' OMC (Lowe) all for less than $75 not counting the dacron line, which i got for free, but it only runs about $25. I can run two 10 color lead lines plus 2 flat lines on each side. I often have inline weights on the flatlines, and those 24" cedar boards still stay far out. It is difficult on a windy day, when i'm running across the wind as it pushes me into one side, but other than that it works great. This still leaves me enough room to run a dipsy inside, then I have two down riggers straight off the back. I know this doesn't work with all boats, just my two cents. Let me know if you need more info.