So for those of you who have owned or fished with the Off Shore or Church planner boards, which one did you like better and why?
I'm mainly looking for one that tracks good in the waves and one that is easy to release from the line when there is a fish on.
I have some immatation Off Shore's but they don't handle rougher water very well so I'm looking to upgrade my boards.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]Off Shore don't hold a candle to Church. Church is, by far, my choice. Easier to set up, easier to release when fish is on but they both run pretty much the same out in the water.
I ran Off-shore for a couple of years. I had only run Church for about 30 minutes and realized that it was time to dump the off-shore.
Currently, I run Church TX-22's. Bait_Caster purchased new Churches in a size smaller than mine. We are curious to see if they are better or worse than the TX-22's.
You can buy off-shores at Sportsmans but you will have to order Church's on-line.
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Church brand is the best as far as the release goes, here is a[url "http://www.fishusa.com/tackleshop/catalog_product.asp?ProductFamilyID=%7B50DACFFB%2D0671%2D4AC7%2D8EE0%2DF847F1B3BEFD%7D&i=3D27815485374BD8A9745B916DCB3454&fx=1"] link to one of the smaller ones[/url] like I have. It shows a good picture of the release, the rear pin holds your line and the front clip holds the line until a fish hits your lure then it releases and the board slides down to the swivel, making it a breeze to reel in. Even it the fish doesn't hit hard enough to release the clip, it is fairly easy to reel in and remove the board while fighting the fish. Unless your line breaks you won't loose your board either so that is a plus.
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I will second Old Coot's response to the Church Tackle Planner Boards and I have found them to be the best. I have been using the Church Planner Boards for a long time with no problems, also veryt quick release from the line.
AFDan52
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I also like the church boards for the fact that if they pop off with a hit, you don't have to go back looking for them. Of course if your line breaks, you will have to chase them, but otherwise they are the better choice.
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Chalk up another vote for Church. I have a set of both TX-6 Magnums and TX-12's and would further recommend the TX-12's. The TX-6 is a great ultralight board and only super calm days as they are very small (5.25" Long x 2.25" high and 5.oz) and don't support alot of weight or drag. The TX-12 are great boards for the lakes in our neck of the woods (7.5" in length x 3" high). Hope this helps out.
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Could someone enlighten me on what you are using these for [crazy] sorry i dont do much trolling so i was just wondering
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I first started using mine for wipers and walleye but have also caught plenty of trout with them and a few kokanee. The big advantage is getting off to the side of the boat. Fish that are near the surface are spooked when a boat goes over them, so it can really help to have a lure running off the side of the boat. Plus you can get very close to the shore, where some fish seem to hang early in the year.
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All i have used are the Off Shores so i can't help you. I don't have any problems with them, but the Churches may very well be easier to use.[cool]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]Unlike most guys using Church boards, I don't take advantage of the front clip release feature. Conversely, I actually do a double wrap on the front clip so that they WON'T release. Why? ... because I don't use a snap behind the board to catch the board when it releases. Plus, that ups my chances of not having to chase down a loose board if my line does break behind the board.
The rear release pin is definitely a good design.
As for what planer boards are used for, they take the line way out to the side of your boat. Like WH2 said, the boat does a fair amount of "scaring" the fish. And I believe that when they get scared, they swim out to where the planer board (and lure) is traveling. My experience is that I catch 2 to1 on boards.
They take some getting used to though. If you get a chance, go with someone who uses them so that you can get some first hand OJT.
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Hey Ralph, doesn't it make it hard to get the board off while reeling in a fish when you wrap the line around the front clip? If you don't use a swivel, isn't line twist a problem? If a fish or a snag breaks my line at the leader, I don't loose the planner board. I guess there is always a chance the line could break at the swivel but that is one of the reasons I like to use braided line out to the swivel, then mono as a leader. I guess what ever works right [
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Coot, Did you look into "the Walleye Board"? I noticed they have a movebale keel weight system. Do you think that makes any difference? I will most likely be using them for the same type of fishing as you, (wipers, and trout) so as long as the big ones track well I think they should be fine.
Thanks.
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For the money the church ones are a better way to go. I went big and put on a planer board tower and run the boards on a dedicated line. That way when the fish get on I can play the fish and not the board. There is a knack to it to learn to get it right but some days we catch most of the fish out on the side. Plus when the kokes are not too deep I put a DT 30 rappella on with the belly hook removed. Put a swivel and a 10-12 inch line with a good koke lure run it out on the side planer and enjoy. The planer board also helps accommodate more lines out if you have lots of guests on the boat with 2 pole permits. If I were starting over I would give the planer boards pretty high priority over down riggers. for most trolling situations.
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I use boards I made myself from plans a Michigan friend sent me. My boards stay out where I put them and the line is held with a release similar to a downrigger release. The release is attached to a shower curtain hook that slides down the planner board line and can be stopped anywhere on the line allowing more than one fishing line per board set, if needed. They work better than anything I've seen in Sportsmans.
I built a set (2) for under $40 to include all materials and painting. Actually I built two sets, one for me and one for a buddy. Then my neighbor built a set last year for his pontoon boat. The plans include dimensions for two sizes of boards which will cover about every size boat application.
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Would you mind posting these plans. I have been considering making my own also.
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Don't mind at all - as soon as I can find them.[:/]
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[#800000]"doesn't it make it hard to get the board off while reeling in a fish when you wrap the line around the front clip?"[/#800000]
Absolutley not ... super easy.
[#800000]"If you don't use a swivel, isn't line twist a problem?"[/#800000]
Since I mainly use planer boards for wiper lures (crank baits and grubs that don't twist like a spinner or trout lures), there is no line twisting so I have no need for a swivel. If you don't use a swivel, you can reel in your fish on the line much closer than being stopped by a swivel at the tiptop eyelet (also less chance of breaking that tiptop). Now ... if I were to troll with a lure that spins (spiners, lil-jakes, meps, etc.) for say trout, then I would definately use a swivel.
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[font "Times New Roman"]These boards are 21” long and 6” high. They are 8” apart and the near board is offset 4” to the rear of the far board. A larger set can be built that is 30”long, 8” high, 10” apart, and offset 4” (same as small board set).[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]The boards are kept apart by three threaded rods and the connection point is an eye bolt which is adjustable fore and aft for tracking fine tuning.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]The angle top to bottom is 30 degrees and the angle front to back is 60 degrees.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]The 30 yards of 50# mono is wrapped around the cross supports when not in use.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Leading edge detail of angles mentioned above.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Eye bolt adjustment method is via 5 separate holes. My set works well at this setting.[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Any questions?[/font]
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Thank you. I can guestimate from your pics but how far back are and from the top are your holes for the eye bolt.
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I go you one better; [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=415914;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;page=unread#unread"]Click here[/url] to get the dimensions for the boards.
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