BY CAPTAIN LANCE VALENTINE
One of the most asked questions on my charters and at seminars is “Do you release your Off Shore boards”? While I have tried different release methods, currently I do not release my boards. Here’s my thoughts on why.
My normal spread when trolling open water is 6 to 7 Off Shore Tackle OR12 boards and one corner down rod on each side. I’m almost always fishing with anglers who have little trolling experience, especially with that many rods in the water. By keeping my boards attached, they are helping me; pulling away from the boat, keeping tension on the line and the fish and most important to me, staying in their location in the spread. All these factors allow me to get everything in the boat ready to land a fish. We fish hundreds of hours every year and can honestly count the number of issues we have on one hand. Below are the most common questions I get and my answer.
How do you bring in the outside board to change a lure without getting tangled?
This is probably the only hard thing about not releasing, but I have a pretty good system. First, I turn the boat AWAY from the board I want to bring in. Second, I grab the rod and move to the back of the boat on the OPPOSITE side and “pull” the rod tip as far as I can to the side. Third, I reel in about 30 feet of line, then free spool the board back about 30 feet. This move slides the board closer to the boat. I simply repeat until the board is in clear to reel in.
How do you reset a board into its original position?
Again, simple. I let the lure out, attach the board then free spool the board down the “chute”, the open area directly behind the boat. When the board has reached the proper amount of line out from the board to the rod, I simply engage the reel and the board swoops right back into place. A little tip: I am VERY detailed with how far from the rod tip each board is.
How do you bring in a fish without releasing boards or clearing lines?
In my mind this comes down to two important things: rod holder position/setup and setting lures in your spread. First, a big mistake I see anglers make when rigging for trolling is spacing rod holders along the gunnel. When doing this, boards closer to the boat will run further back from the gunnel than boards further out. This is due to the position of the rod tip being further back on inside boards and creates a situation that makes it harder to get outside lines over inside lines. By moving all the rod tips forward and on the same vertical plane (think rod trees), the “pull point” for each board is the same, meaning boards closer to the boat will run further forward than outside boards, eliminating the need to clear boards. Your boards should run in distinct “V” pattern, getting further behind the boat the further to the side they are.
Second, paying attention to WHERE lures are in your spread will eliminate most tangles. When fishing unweighted crankbaits, always set the LONGEST LEADS to the outside with shorter leads closer to the boat. Remember, when fishing unweighted cranks most of the line is on, or near, the surface. By setting shorter leads on the inside, outside boards can be brought in without ever catching the line from the inside rods. When fishing any type of weight or diver, set the SHALLOWEST lures to the outside and deepest inside.
To release or not? A question all trollers need to answer, and always a topic of intense discussion! I hope that for those that prefer to not trip their boards this provides some insight on what has worked best for me after many years of fishing and thousands of hours pulling Off Shore boards.
