We had 5 rods on each side and a down rod on the corner. The captain did not have the tru trips set to release so there never was a bad release. I do think the tru trips were easier to reel in than a small board. I have a Tracker deep V 18' and I just use the small boards and now that I have them set up with the pro release it is so much easier to reel the fish in. All of these comments are interesting to read and shows we all enjoy to fish and either way is the right way.