Big Boards vs Inline Planer Boards

I'm not looking to start a war, but rather seeking experienced opinions on both methods. I am fairly new to trolling lake Erie. The past 2 years I trolled 4-5 lines with Dipsy Divers. I am looking to gain more horizontal spread of my lures in order to run more lines. I realize I am going to have to switch to one of the two planer board methods to get the horizontal spread I am seeking.

Please provide some feedback on which system you prefer and why. If it helps, I will be pulling mostly cranks and spoons with my 30' Monterey.

I personally prefer my planer board system for a couple reasons. The pro's are you can spread it out all ya want, but your not going to get 3 out each side. One side can have 3 or 4 poles but the other will do 2. Just the way the waves push ya around. Too much hassle otherwise. The key IMHO is never go straight. Swing the baits. Give & Take. Also ya don't need steel rod holders because the stress is on the release & board line. Myself? I run 2 tru trip jets off back 10/20, 20/30, 20/20 with spoons. Cranks out the side & sometimes 4 oz bottom bouncers w/ 3' crawler harnesses off the front sides. Just hit bottom, give it 5-8' extra & stick it in holder. Tends to catch larger eyes?????

Good Luck & Good Fishing

I have used both planer boards. Inlines are good for small boats. Where there is only 2-3 guys. They don't run very well in ruff waters. You fight the board and fish when reeling in. I personally think there slower to deploy lines. Now big boards. Need room for hardware to run them, and storage. They can be ran In pretty ruff waters. Run a lot more lines per side. Faster deploying lines. Not fighting anything but fish when reeling in. Just my opinion.

You really should ride/fish with a couple folks or charters to see what it requires to run each method. Then you will have a better idea what YOU would like to spend time learning. I rarely have to run 12 lines, but I can and it is not a problem using 10 inline boards and 2 bouncers off the corners. But I also spend a lot more time pulling meat than cranks or spoons so I'm running under 1.5 MPH. Your probably going to require running bags to stay off from idle and have more thrust/steering control. Big boards work fine for that, as do inlines.

i use both types and i have to say, the big boards suit me better than the singles. i usually have two or more guys or gals with me. once set up, the big boards are really easy and i run them 80-100 feet out the side......jmo....good luck

I have been using the Church Walleye boards for years now pulling just about every presentation in all kinds of waves without any trouble. If you go back to last summer and read my threads I can put you right on the fish and tell you how I caught them. I cannot wait to start posting again. Ice Ice Go Away......(Stay Safe)

Good to hear from you again Dr Ed. Alexandra is looking forward to seeing you on the water again this year.

Ok I'm going to invest and try in-line planers this year since my dipseys and downriggers dont seem to be making a wide enough spread. What I want to know is Offshore or Church's and why? Which size to be most practical around the islands? I plan on buying 4 to start, but want them all the same.

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that 4/5 responses will tell you to get offshore boards. And while I'm sure those are great, I'd recommend Church Tackle boards for one reason: The pins. Look at some YouTube videos to get some ideas, but that pin has kept me from being to turn around to retrieve a board countless times, and I don't fish but 2-4 weekend a year. I like to set my front clip up so that it will trip with a good yank on the rod so that I'm fighting the fish instead of the board.

The most important thing with the unlined I'd to make sure you don't allow any slack when you take the board off. You can rig the Church boards to trip both clips on a bite and then the value will ride all the way down to diver and you don't have to mess with it until the fish is in the cooler.

I like the Walleye boards because they're the right size and don't pull too hard to where I need heavier rods. I know some people think they don't work well with the larger divers, but I've seen just as many people say they work fine. Flags aren't exactly necessary, but they're very helpful. Just make sure to leave a little slack between the clips so that they actually work. I catch just as many fish because I think the flag is slightly tripped as I do setting the flag/board get hammered.

I'm one that prefers the Offshore, for me they ride better in the water, less diving. They are easier to see (yellow vs med orange) in rough water. I have my front clips release, the board swings around and falls out of formation. Even if the fish pulls the board under, your only fighting the fish, not the board. Make your own tattle flag set up for less than $1/board. I've run them both many times side by side on the same boat. Like Ford/Chevy, I just prefer the Offshore.

Church boards will pull more wt., they will handle the Tru-Trip 40 deep diver without any problems. they have only one clamp/release to mess with if not using a tattle tail flag system. The Walleye Boards are good boards and were the first boards that I bought. I then changed over to the Church Tackle TX-22 boards. The TX-22 will set upright in the water at rest making them more likely to be seen if you should happen to lose one which is highly unlikely, they can also be set to run on either side of the boat as they are multi directional. The walleye boards and the TX-22 boards are what I consider equally capable of handling heavier wts.

I have no experience with the Offshore Boards so cannot relate to them in an accurate and meaningful way. I will say that there are those who claim they will handle the tru-trip 40s and there is also those who say that they won't. It is only my opinion that they will probably handle the TT-40 but not as well as the Church variety does. I have several years of experience using the church tackle boards and feel confident that if you try them you would like them. Remember as with all new things there will be a learning curve involved no matter which boards you finally decide on.

Thanks to everyone for the great responses. There was a lot of valuable input provided. I think I'm going to go with the big board system. I realize it's going to require a little more equipment to get started, but seems easier to operate once everything is all setup. Primarily I don't like the idea of removing a planer while landing a fish. It's possible that on certain occasions I might only have one other person in the boat. This would make driving the boat and landing a fish rather difficult. I would like to get some more opinions from the guys who run big boards, on what divers they prefer. I just picked up some 40 Tru-Trips today. I'm curious how hard these will pull. I'm hoping they won't pull too hard for the rubber band and clip attached to the big board line. I've also got several Dipsy's that I've used without boards the last couple of years. They are size 0. Will these pull too hard for the big board setup?

Thanks again for your responses.

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Originally Posted by Jiga-Byte

Thanks to everyone for the great responses. There was a lot of valuable input provided. I think I'm going to go with the big board system. I realize it's going to require a little more equipment to get started, but seems easier to operate once everything is all setup. Primarily I don't like the idea of removing a planer while landing a fish. It's possible that on certain occasions I might only have one other person in the boat. This would make driving the boat and landing a fish rather difficult. I would like to get some more opinions from the guys who run big boards, on what divers they prefer. I just picked up some 40 Tru-Trips today. I'm curious how hard these will pull. I'm hoping they won't pull too hard for the rubber band and clip attached to the big board line. I've also got several Dipsy's that I've used without boards the last couple of years. They are size 0. Will these pull too hard for the big board setup?
Thanks again for your responses.

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Jet 40's will work extremely well. Spring use shallow diving crankbaits behind the jets, late spring use spoons behind the jets. If your going to use dipsy's, run those on the opposite side of the boat away from the big board.

I have both on my boat (23' Parker) I use big boards all the time, I have electric setup so retrieving is not a problem. I like big boards because ease of use,nothing to remove when you have a fish up to the boat. I know a low gunnel boat inlines are preferred method. I have Offshore never used others, I know that running 3+ rods on a side b/boards are less work. This is just my thought and not a argument for b/boards.