Mid sized planer boards and a mast?

[AllenW]

I'm currently running the yellow off shore in line planer boards.

They work ok for spoons, hardbaits and such, but when I go to 5+ colors of leadcore they start to lose the battle.

The TX44 boards are bigger but I don't like fighting the fish and the bigger board.

The masted set up I have gets to be a bit much for the few lines I run, usually one or two boards per side, so I'm thinking of a board about half the size of the dual board Riveria's I have now.

Thinking single board, maybe easier to use considering 2 lines is about all I'd run on each board...maybe??

When I have ran the masted board it was nicer to just fight the fish, but smaller boards would be nice in the 20 boat I have for storage and use.

Anybody?

tia

Al

[1mainiac]

First off you should be able to run a 300 copper on the yellow Off Shore boards. That said there are tricks to make them work better. 1st move the rear release to the end of the board about 3/4 in up from the bottom. 2nd take the release off the arm and add a 1in split ring between arm and the release. 3rd move the weight further forward you need to take a dremel tool or something and remove the partition so you can slide the weight all the way forward. Use a OR16 on the rear and use whatever front release works best for you on the front. Moving the weight forward will make the board dive on short cores so only do a couple boards for long lines.

[TyeeMe]

Marine General sells single planer boards with an adjustable swing arm so you can store them easier ,,,Just paint them so they are easier to see or add a flag

Also check out a tread about modifying inline planer boards My offshores work fine with 5 colors after that mod (Bloodrun Tackle has a good read for moding planer boards)

[1mainiac]

The Blood Run mods are mine and Greg's combined work I showed him several of my modded boards and he blended the changes with some of his own. The difference in how they run is amazing. There are 3 angles involved in making a board run correctly.

1st the board angle is set by the angle from the front release to the rear release subtract this angle from 90 and it will give you a idea of how the board will track. Most stock boards have a angle of around 15 to 20 deg this means the board will run back at a 70 to 75 deg angle off the boat. Making the front release arm longer increases this angle and makes the board run wider.

2nd the board needs to run vertical in the water this is adjusted by raising or lowering the front release. If the release is too high the board will lean in and skip to low and it will lean out and dig and dive.

3rd angle is getting the board to sit level in the water this is adjusted by moving the weight too much front weight the board dives too much rear and the nose is up and it won't track correctly.

[TyeeMe]

Thanks for you input 1 Mainiac I have done this mod to all my boards and like how they run with my lead core lines "kicked my partners butt today 3 to zero running boards over dipseys" Thanks again

[AllenW]

Thanks all, first I don't have copper in my tackle box, mono or braid is what I normally use.

Maybe someday, but still learning how to fish with what I have.

I will try to find the mods to the boards, as now they sit so low in the water that windy days they get hard to tell if a fish is on or not, especially the small ones.

I still like the idea of using a mast and maybe rubber band releases, at least at times.

Hard to run and gun with then, but there's some longer trolling runs along the southern north shore of Superior.

Still playing with the springs on the flags, one spring just won't do walleyes and trout/salmon.

Found the mods, I think I see one of the problems, I'm using the off shore walleye sized boards and he's is I think using the next size up, like a tx44, maybe?

[SeaCatMich]

The Offshore "yellow" "walleye" boards are the ones that 1Maniac is referring to for the mods and being able to run up to 300' of copper. The TX44 is a bigger board (made by Church not Offshore) and will pull heavier weighted lines like the 300'+ of copper better. There should be no reason that you can't run a full leadcore (300') behind the Offshore "walleye" board.

Offshore "walleye" size board:

Note: there is a board made my Church (not Offshore) that is named the Walleye Board. Size wise it is about the same size as the Offshore board. Offshore has just recently brought out a bigger board to compete with the TX44.

Church Walleye board:

As for detecting strikes on the boards, it sounds like you are using the "tattle flag" setup on your Offshore Boards. Most that use them for salmon don't rely on the flag to detect strikes. If you have the boards configured to not release on a strike, a fish should pull the board back in the spread and generally any fish over 3# should pull drag on the reel (assuming your drag is set loose enough and the clicker is on). If you have the board set to release and slide down the line on a strike, you should again see it fall backwards out of the spread.

In addition to the Jim and Gregg's setup techniques in the BloodRun blog, I would recommend viewing this YouTube how-to that the guys over at Anglers Avenue made on setting up the Offshore boards to stay on the line but not slide. Might be a very good way to improve your setups.

[1mainiac]

Here is a shot of a couple of my TX 44 boards after the mods running about 3.5mph inside is pulling a 450 copper outside is a 300 copper.

[AllenW]

First off you should be able to run a 300 copper on the yellow Off Shore boards. That said there are tricks to make them work better. 1st move the rear release to the end of the board about 3/4 in up from the bottom. 2nd take the release off the arm and add a 1in split ring between arm and the release. 3rd move the weight further forward you need to take a dremel tool or something and remove the partition so you can slide the weight all the way forward. Use a OR16 on the rear and use whatever front release works best for you on the front. Moving the weight forward will make the board dive on short cores so only do a couple boards for long lines.

Not sure how much weight/drag copper puts on a board, but with this mod can I run up to 10 colors and not have the board go tail down like it does now?

I have one set (2) for walleyes and one that I have a heavier spring on for the tattle flags, but even the heavier springs are ok for spoons but not more than maybe 3 colors.

The Blood Run mods are mine and Greg's combined work I showed him several of my modded boards and he blended the changes with some of his own. The difference in how they run is amazing. There are 3 angles involved in making a board run correctly.

1st the board angle is set by the angle from the front release to the rear release subtract this angle from 90 and it will give you a idea of how the board will track. Most stock boards have a angle of around 15 to 20 deg this means the board will run back at a 70 to 75 deg angle off the boat. Making the front release arm longer increases this angle and makes the board run wider.

2nd the board needs to run vertical in the water this is adjusted by raising or lowering the front release. If the release is too high the board will lean in and skip to low and it will lean out and dig and dive.

3rd angle is getting the board to sit level in the water this is adjusted by moving the weight too much front weight the board dives too much rear and the nose is up and it won't track correctly.

""In addition to the Jim and Gregg's setup techniques in the BloodRun blog, I would recommend viewing this YouTube how-to that the guys over at Anglers Avenue made on setting up the Offshore boards to stay on the line but not slide. Might be a very good way to improve your setups.

""

Comparing the two methods, it seems for me anyway, the AA mod might be the easiest for me to start with, not sure plus's or minus's or either but it looked simpler..maybe?

Just wondering with the Sams release sticking out a bit more with the board come further forward, I'm having trouble try to get the boards to come forward like the pictures I see. ?

Wanna thank ya all, lots of good info on this forum.

al

[danthebuilder]

Here is a shot of a couple of my TX 44 boards after the mods running about 3.5mph inside is pulling a 450 copper outside is a 300 copper.

Can you upload some pictures of your board modifications?

[1HI4X]

You should be able to pull a 300 copper or full core behind a walleye board with no modifications. Even in rough water. Granted they could run better with mods, but you shouldn't be having major issues.

We did just that this weekend in Frankfort during the Benzie Frenzy. Day one started in solid 2-3' waves and subsided to 2'. No issues whatsoever with the boards. More than 300 copper were pulled on the bigger TX-44's.

Forget the flags. Watch for the boards to fall back or loosen your drags.

[1HI4X]

Can you upload some pictures of your board modifications?

His mods are here.http://www.bloodruntackle.com/planer-board-mods-tips/

[AllenW]

You should be able to pull a 300 copper or full core behind a walleye board with no modifications. Even in rough water. Granted they could run better with mods, but you shouldn't be having major issues.

We did just that this weekend in Frankfort during the Benzie Frenzy. Day one started in solid 2-3' waves and subsided to 2'. No issues whatsoever with the boards. More than 300 copper were pulled on the bigger TX-44's.

Forget the flags. Watch for the boards to fall back or loosen your drags.

Thanks, but as of now I don't run copper, so I don't know how that relates to the lead core I'm using.

Will the Offshore boards do 10? colors?

Seasons almost over for us, but I'll pick up a couple new boards and do the AA mod to them and see if they work better.

Wonder if I should raise the anchor point as the blood mod suggests too?

I've been using the flags as I seem to hit a lot of small trout and if they run level, it seems to work well.

Once I go from spoons to lead core though all bets are off.

Hard to tell bites in rough water when the board is mostly under water.

Thanks.

Al

[1HI4X]

Thanks, but as of now I don't run copper, so I don't know how that relates to the lead core I'm using.

Will the Offshore boards do 10? colors?

Seasons almost over for us, but I'll pick up a couple new boards and do the AA mod to them and see if they work better.

Wonder if I should raise the anchor point as the blood mod suggests too?

I've been using the flags as I seem to hit a lot of small trout and if they run level, it seems to work well.

Once I go from spoons to lead core though all bets are off.

Hard to tell bites in rough water when the board is mostly under water.

Thanks.

Al

Copper and lead core, both are the same off a board. All it is is weighted line. As I mentioned, you should have no issues pulling a full core (10 colors) behind a walleye-size board. I don't use the offshore boards, but if you use the same size as the church walleye boards you'll be good to go.

You can make the Minor mods (such as moving the rear anchor and moving the weight) linked above without having to buy new boards.

Even with the boards mostly underwater you should still be able to detect a fish (loosen your drag and watch for it to fall back). The boards will still drop back even if they don't normally track properly. The planer boards just can't keep the weight of the fish out to the side too so it will drop back toward the back of the boat.

[SeaCatMich]

Thanks, but as of now I don't run copper, so I don't know how that relates to the lead core I'm using.

Will the Offshore boards do 10? colors?

Seasons almost over for us, but I'll pick up a couple new boards and do the AA mod to them and see if they work better.

Wonder if I should raise the anchor point as the blood mod suggests too?

I've been using the flags as I seem to hit a lot of small trout and if they run level, it seems to work well.

Once I go from spoons to lead core though all bets are off.

Hard to tell bites in rough water when the board is mostly under water.

Thanks.

Al

No real difference in running copper vs leadcore except that the copper is heavier per foot so it takes less to get the lure down to the same depth. Off the board you still let all of the weighted line out and then clip the board to the backing.

If you run the same weight of line (say 300 leadcore or 150 copper) then the board is going to behave basically the same. If you run a 250 copper off the same board, it is going to sag in the rear if you don't offset the additional weight pulling on the back of the board by moving the board's lead ballast forward.

Not sure what you mean by "when the board is mostly under water"? I run my Church Walleye boards with 300' copper 45# in 3' seas with no problems. Maybe your rods tips are not high enough -- you don't want any of the line from the rod to the board hitting the water. Maybe you are letting the board out too far to the side of the boat. But whether it is an Offshore or a Church board, it should not be under the water. In fact in bigger waves I have more problems with the boards skipping across the top of the water -- not being under it.

The AA mod is more about having the board release from the front and stay pegged on the rear than it is the actual release used on the front. If you do go with the Sam's Release on the front, it adds length to the arm just like a big split ring does in the BloodRun/1Maniac mods. You still might want to angle the arm up to level the board as they describe. The "standard" OR18 on the front and the OR16 with the pin on the rear will work too in the AA setup. I'm not sure how it would work with the Tattle Flag setup though as with BR/1Maniac mods and AA mods the rear release should be moved up on the board while the Tattle Flag keeps it in the factory location.

[AllenW]

I have been running the rods low in the mount, didn't know they should be raised, I'll change that next time out.

Bigger fish no problem, many times they'll pull the boards down or pull line out, it's those small 2# or so fish I have trouble with.

I'll dump the tattle flags and springs for now and see how this works for me, sounds like I won't need them.

Got a good start on correcting the problems I'm having, thanks all.

al

[SeaCatMich]

I have been running the rods low in the mount, didn't know they should be raised, I'll change that next time out.

Bigger fish no problem, many times they'll pull the boards down or pull line out, it's those small 2# or so fish I have trouble with.

I'll dump the tattle flags and springs for now and see how this works for me, sounds like I won't need them.

Got a good start on correcting the problems I'm having, thanks all.

al

Set the drags on your reels just a little tighter than what it takes to keep line from leaking during straight line trolling. You should hear an occasional tick from the clicker reels on the outside board rods in a turn. With the drags set that way the boards should pull backwards and you should hear the clicker as drag is pulled on the reel with most hits without the Tattle Flags. Also watch the board position as on small fish they will get pulled out of formation but might not take drag.

[AllenW]

Set the drags on your reels just a little tighter than what it takes to keep line from leaking during straight line trolling. You should hear an occasional tick from the clicker reels on the outside board rods in a turn. With the drags set that way the boards should pull backwards and you should hear the clicker as drag is pulled on the reel with most hits without the Tattle Flags. Also watch the board position as on small fish they will get pulled out of formation but might not take drag.

Been hesitant to loosen drag to much, not everybody I fish with understands 12 or 14# test and how much drag you can add, but I'll try loosening them up a bit more and see, been trying to split the difference between normally set drag and drag light enough to tell when a bit hits.

Line to the planer board has been in the water for a fair piece of it, I'll raise the rod tip and that should help.

I run a 20 foot Larson and fish usually with just two of us, rarely three.

MN has a 2 line max so I don't get the spread out you guys do.

Even Wisc with three lines means normally 6 lines out, 2 rigger, and two boards each side, leadcore on a couple, snap weights on one or two and maybe just a diving hardbait on one of then.

The few boards and different set ups make it hard for me to tell when a board is out of place, more time on the water and better (mod) boards should help.

Al

[1HI4X]

Here is a shot of a couple of my TX 44 boards after the mods running about 3.5mph inside is pulling a 450 copper outside is a 300 copper.

Jim,

Have you tried using the TX-44 pinch pads on the walleye boards instead of the lock jaw? They would not get the line as high as the lock jaw but there would be no way for the board to release due to the orientation of the pads. I set two boards up this way but haven't a chance to try this setup.

[1mainiac]

I have 20 boards on my boat and several different setups on them. I do not run any of the Church Walleye boards I had some several years ago and sold them in a yard sale. I know many will tell you what a great job they do for them but to be honest I doubt any of them have ever seen what can be done with a better board setup. The Church Walleye board is designed for walleye fishing which is slow speeds and shallow diving setups generally working the top 25ft of water. My fall Steelhead spread can be 800ft wide with boards 400ft out on each side. You can't get enough line on a reel to get a stock Walleye board that wide. I have modded nearly every common board out there my personal fav is still the Z Boards which are no longer available. Like I said in my other post is is a simple geometry problem the board wants to run straight thru the water it also needs to be vertical and level so it can work. Once you have the board running correctly the only improvement is to increase the angle from the front release to the rear. This is done by lengthening the front arm so the line angle thru the releases is greater and this forces the board to run wider because the board wants to run straight so it must get wider to setup.

[AllenW]

I have 20 boards on my boat and several different setups on them. I do not run any of the Church Walleye boards I had some several years ago and sold them in a yard sale. I know many will tell you what a great job they do for them but to be honest I doubt any of them have ever seen what can be done with a better board setup. The Church Walleye board is designed for walleye fishing which is slow speeds and shallow diving setups generally working the top 25ft of water. My fall Steelhead spread can be 800ft wide with boards 400ft out on each side. You can't get enough line on a reel to get a stock Walleye board that wide. I have modded nearly every common board out there my personal fav is still the Z Boards which are no longer available. Like I said in my other post is is a simple geometry problem the board wants to run straight thru the water it also needs to be vertical and level so it can work. Once you have the board running correctly the only improvement is to increase the angle from the front release to the rear. This is done by lengthening the front arm so the line angle thru the releases is greater and this forces the board to run wider because the board wants to run straight so it must get wider to setup.

So if you have to pick a board that is available, what would it be?

tia

al

[1mainiac]

First off there is no buy this and run it unless you match your setup to what the board wants to do. So you will find if you want to pull a lot of different setups you will need a lot of different boards. My boat has Z Boards, Ziggy boards, Off Shore yellow boards and Church TX44 boards on it. I chose the board based on what I am running for light setups I run the Off Shore boards which I have made a few mods to. Deep setups require big boards so for 300 and longer copper I use my TX44 boards. Generally most of my setups will run on my Z Boards. I am not going to tell you what to buy but I can tell you how to improve nearly any of them. Z Boards, Yellow Bird and Ziggy boards are easy to run and tune but do not let you move the weight so you have to match the board size to the setup. Running too much board only means more trouble getting them in and fighting the board can cost you fish.

[AllenW]

First off there is no buy this and run it unless you match your setup to what the board wants to do. So you will find if you want to pull a lot of different setups you will need a lot of different boards. My boat has Z Boards, Ziggy boards, Off Shore yellow boards and Church TX44 boards on it. I chose the board based on what I am running for light setups I run the Off Shore boards which I have made a few mods to. Deep setups require big boards so for 300 and longer copper I use my TX44 boards. Generally most of my setups will run on my Z Boards. I am not going to tell you what to buy but I can tell you how to improve nearly any of them. Z Boards, Yellow Bird and Ziggy boards are easy to run and tune but do not let you move the weight so you have to match the board size to the setup. Running too much board only means more trouble getting them in and fighting the board can cost you fish.

I run mostly just leadcore or snap weights off my boards, I'll stay with the offshore's and do the mods on them and see what happens, thanks.

Al

[AllenW]

Just an update, I took two of my off shores and moved the rear eyelet to the back and used the OR 16 with the pin as suggested, installed the sam's pro release and heated and bent the anchor for that release upwards, then removed the lead weights, and cut out the little divider to move the weights forward.

With 6 and 10 colors both rode level and did move further out by a little bit.

Much easier to see when a fish strikes.

I used a split ring a bit smaller than a half dollar to attach the release, if I use a bigger split ring will the planer boar come up even more towards the front of he boat, they still lag a bit further behind than you pictures here?

I also loosened the drag up a bit to where it was just holding and that helped on them small fish that I used to drag all over..

Anyway, THANKS MUCH!!

They are much easier to deal with.

Oh...hit 14 Lakers for the two days out, biggest 26", lost about 4 and had 4 foot waves on Friday so our day was cut short, slowly getting better, thanks in a big part to you guys.

Al

[Jgc]

I fish Lake Superior a lot I don't run anything heavier than 10 color lead. My inside boards are not modified and there walleye boards, they handle it no problem. My lighter setups that I want to run farther out I run opti boards with a or16in rear they pull lighter stuff farther out than the walleye boards but don't handle as much weight. My farthest out boards I run off shores with the lockjaw releases front or16 back they could interchange with the opti boards run the same but like front clip on optis better but like a front clip on my outside boards that doesn't slip down braid. If I was just running one set of boards and 10 colors was heaviest I would run it would be walleye boards. Next year I'm gonna try the SAMs pro releases on a couple sets of offshore boards thing that would be the best setup for our spring fishing on outside boards. I have a set of tx 44's I seldom run because everyone hates to reel them in, you definitely don't want to run on lighter setups. I've converted a couple people to inline boards and they always get the walleye boards because they were the ones they like best but are disappointed when they use them on their boats for outside lines with heavier stuff. I run a 300 copper and heavier a lot but I always run it down the chute, if I fished on Lake Michigan more I would run it out on boards to avoid tangles but our fish don't run much. I don't really need the lockjaw releases except on powerpro set ups when there's not much weight but a lot of line in water. The board ends up sliding down and chewing up releases, don't need them for mono or leadcore with power pro backer. Probably would of been way cheaper if I'd known about 1 maniacs mods when I started, but I'm set up now. I want to try the SAMs pro real eases for our spring fishing with flat lines would make it easier to get our small coho in on outside boards.