04-01-2025, 04:07 PM
I love using them and they WORK!
With that said, I have tried three different brand boards. Offshore, Church, and BassPro Shops brand. Offshore work, but I feel their standard board (OR12) are too large and their mini-boards (OR38) are too small. However, the worst feature of Offshore is their crappy releases. The pads are tiny and its difficult to get them adjusted properly. The BassPro boards are junk. The plastic on the release arm snaps off and they don't sell replacement parts like Offshore or Church. The Church boards are really nice and I like them the best. My favorite size is the TX12 or you can upsize to their "walleye board" which is the same size as the Offshore brand OR12. The Church boards have adjustable keel weights so you can get the board to run "flat" in the water instead of with the nose sticking up like the other boards which minimizes "skipping" along the surface. The Church releases are better, in my opinion, than either of the other two brands, but, they still aren't perfect. The best feature is they have a spring-loaded pin built into the end of the board that I really like, since it allows the front release to let go and then the board to slide down your main line when you get a strike and you don't have to unclip the board from your line like you do on Offshore or BassPro boards. I've lost too many fish unclipping over the years and its really difficult when you are by yourself and don't have someone to unclip your board from the line. But, you can set the Church boards up just like the Offshore if you prefer the unclipping method. I run a large plastic bead/barrel swivel combo about 6' in front of my lure so the board doesn't slide all the way down the line to the lure. Yes, you still have to reel in the board with your fish, but it is a lot less than fighting in a big keel weight or having to unclip the board from your line in order to reel in the fish.
The mast is really nice, but it takes up room on the boat and the boards take up a lot of room too and there is the cost of the big planer boards and where to store them in your garage!. If all you did was troll for salmon on the Great Lakes, then I would have the mast set up. But I am a multi-species angler and like that I can store my boards inside a small compartment on my boat when not using them.
With that said, I have tried three different brand boards. Offshore, Church, and BassPro Shops brand. Offshore work, but I feel their standard board (OR12) are too large and their mini-boards (OR38) are too small. However, the worst feature of Offshore is their crappy releases. The pads are tiny and its difficult to get them adjusted properly. The BassPro boards are junk. The plastic on the release arm snaps off and they don't sell replacement parts like Offshore or Church. The Church boards are really nice and I like them the best. My favorite size is the TX12 or you can upsize to their "walleye board" which is the same size as the Offshore brand OR12. The Church boards have adjustable keel weights so you can get the board to run "flat" in the water instead of with the nose sticking up like the other boards which minimizes "skipping" along the surface. The Church releases are better, in my opinion, than either of the other two brands, but, they still aren't perfect. The best feature is they have a spring-loaded pin built into the end of the board that I really like, since it allows the front release to let go and then the board to slide down your main line when you get a strike and you don't have to unclip the board from your line like you do on Offshore or BassPro boards. I've lost too many fish unclipping over the years and its really difficult when you are by yourself and don't have someone to unclip your board from the line. But, you can set the Church boards up just like the Offshore if you prefer the unclipping method. I run a large plastic bead/barrel swivel combo about 6' in front of my lure so the board doesn't slide all the way down the line to the lure. Yes, you still have to reel in the board with your fish, but it is a lot less than fighting in a big keel weight or having to unclip the board from your line in order to reel in the fish.
The mast is really nice, but it takes up room on the boat and the boards take up a lot of room too and there is the cost of the big planer boards and where to store them in your garage!. If all you did was troll for salmon on the Great Lakes, then I would have the mast set up. But I am a multi-species angler and like that I can store my boards inside a small compartment on my boat when not using them.
![[Image: Scott-cisco-with-TDs-lure.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/Sc0QLy5/Scott-cisco-with-TDs-lure.jpg)