Re: Planer Boards... Mast or "mini's"?
Hi fellow members, I'm refitting the boat for Walleyes on Erie. I used to have a mast and used the big board on the old boat, but I see people using those small plastic boards like "Off Shore" and "Yellow Bird. I tried one up north last summer and wasn't to bad, caught fish, But what happens when the water starts to chop? Any advice would be appreciated.
I like the OffShore in-line boards- easy transport, and when on a boat without a mast as a guest, you can still use them.
Do I use them? I prefer to have multiple Offshore "shower curtain hook" releases and the bigger boards on a mast (or even tied to my bowcleat without a mast!)- I can stagger out several lines with one setup, and most often you can land fish without having to clear other lines.
However, I will say that I have used borrowed inlines a lot more often since I dislike the space that the big boards take up on my small-ish boat. This year might be a transition year to running the big boards a lot more often, though, as I have a second boat - a 19' Starcraft. That has a LOT more room.
With that said, I will comment that I am not a very dedicated board user. I run plugs, cranks, leadcore, diver disks and dipsies off to the side, and bouncers off the bottom for walleye, and have caught enough fish that developing my board use hasn't been that big of a deal.
Of course Erie is a whole different game than here in the northeast with our smaller lakes, but I plan on trolling South Bay on Champlain after the Walleye opener- the shallow water might dictate running boards as there may not be enough depth to keep my dipsey divers from hanging up during maneuvers.
Those are my thoughts- mileage may vary but it has worked for me.
