church planer boards

I currently dont have any boards and have never used them before, i was looking at buying the TX-6 magnum mini planer board, i was just wondering if anyone has used these before, i will mainly be fishing for eyes with shad raps and other cranks that dive to 20-25 feet, are these boards big enough for these of baits or should i just save my money, also i was looking at dipsy divers, i dont understand how these work, how do you put your line on them?
Thanks for any info

I started using Off Shore boards and liked them. I ran into a guy at Scheels in Eau Claire one night and he talked me into the TX-6’s. I tried them out on Lake Superior and didn’t like them. I did not like the way they tracked in the water. It wasn’t that rough either.

I’ve been told they will work well for your described application.

I see you live relatively close to me. We could meet and I could let you try out the TX-6’s. If you like them, I would give you a good deal.

Sully

I have a few of the TX-6 boards. Not a good choice for the deep cranks. They will work for cranks up to a #5 shad rap in 6-12 feet of water. Also, not good in anything over a good chop. If you don’t overload them, they track pretty good. Get a couple of the Offshore or Church full size boards for the big/deep cranks.

-J.

It will be a lot easier running boards if you’re lures will run those depths….rather than running them on dipsy’s…..dipsy’s are fun…..but we’ve always run those when we want to get both down and out…. rather than just out… we run Church boards….. I used to use the off shore boards…..when I started using the Church ones I thought I’d miss the Offshore…but it’s totally to the contrary, I’ll never go back to the Offshore!…..I really like the way the Church boards snap on and off…. rather than the two snaps, they have the one snap,and the other goes behind the pin…they track great too……

How does the clip on those work does it just pinch the line in there or do you have to wrap it around somehow?

Pull the back pin, and clip the front. It is rubberized to grip. They wear a little quicker than the other kind, but worh it in ease of use!

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How does the clip on those work does it just pinch the line in there or do you have to wrap it around somehow?

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j
What you might be thinking of with “the wrap” is when using braided line on Off Shore with stock clips some folks advise doing a wrap around the clips. I use mono to avoid this step, although the wrap really isn’t a big hassle.

It looks like I need to give my Church boards another try.

Sully

I have both sets of baords with “stock” clips on both. I only use my offshore if, I have more than 3 people (the # of Chruch boards I have) in the boat. Otherwise the Church boards (Walleye Boards) are the only thing I use.

I usually run deep diving lures, so I never tried the TX-6 boards. So I can not comment on them.

Hey Lip,

Just curious as to wether your using the flags with these

boards. I bought the pro pack from Cabela’s and it came with 2 boards and 2 flags. They recommend shaving the rear fin off if you install the flags. I was a little hesitant to start modifying my new purchase but went ahead and did it anyways. I think if you buy a “Pro Pack”, which would mean that you want the flag system, it would be nice if they removed that rear fin for you. Once you remove that fin you’ve pretty much committed yourself to always using the flags. I also had a problem with the eye screws that the rod goes through (line clip on one end, hooked to flag on the other) breaking off when screwing in. Looks like the predrilled hole was not quite deep enough as it happened on both boards.

I only tried using the boards once and forgot my phillips screwdriver so I was not able to adjust the weight to trim the board properly. Hopefully I will be able to master them this year.

On a sidenote, if you were going to purchase a trolling combo for both planer boarding and longline trolling what do recommend for rod length. I’m currently looking at the TXS trolling rods from Cabela’s. They show and 8’6″ telescoping rod for trolling/planer boards. Is this a good choice if a majority of the time I’ll probably be longlining.

Thanks,

dandorn

Who needs flags? The fish I get on these are so big they just take the whole darn board down! Anything smaller is bait.

Dandorn,

I have not used the “Pro Pack” or tattle flags as of yet on either name brand of board. The Church’s Pro Pack is on my to “look into / buy” list for this Spring. So I can not comment on this set up. I can not believe they do not come “set up” ready for use. Tuck is right, for most of my planer board fishing, I’m targeting big fish. If you have your drag set correctly and watch your board you will know when one hits. Although I see other timese where someone might be fishing 15″ eyes where you might not be able to tell that easily and that is where the flags can help. I would hate to toll a 14″ fish around the lake half the day with out knowing

For as far as your combo question. That is a tough one. I have separate rods for each. For Planer Boards: I have (3) 9′ Telescopic Planer Board rods from Cabelas with Cabelas Depthmaster Gold LC Reels and a brand new 10′-6″ St. Croix Wild River rod with a Shimano Tekota 500 LC. For Long Lining: I will run the 10′-6″ St. Croix / Shimano Tekota. I also run a Shimano 500 LC Tekota with 8′-6″ Gary Roach / Berkley Telescopic rod. Then I also have a Depth Master Gold LC, with a 8′-6″ Gary Roach Rod as my third Long Line set up. I love the sensitivity of these Berkley Gary Roach rods. I can feel anything that may be dragging / hanging on my crank.

I have not used the 8′-6″ Rod you talk about, but have ran my 9′ Planer board rods with Jointed Rapalas (J12)long lining and had good feel with these baits. I have not ran the husky jerks behind that rod. I know this 9′ planer rod is a little stiffer and slower action then my Gary Roach rods but probably could get by with them. I would suggest if possible get one for each method. For awhile, I had different rods for each presentation, but I had to switch the reels over between the 2, until I got the Shimano Tekotas.

If I had to get one rod and reel for both presentations, I would look into the Shimano Tekota 500 LC and a Wild River Rod. I would look into getting the 10′-6″ St. Croix. It can be a tad heavy for holding long periods, but I just love to see that long rod double over with a big eye on it in the fall. The sensitivity and performance of that big rod is awesome. Perhaps you could look into getting the 8′-6″ model Wild River Rod. I have never pulled boards with these but maybe someone else can comment. The Shimano and Croix is expensive. If that is out of your price range, I would then look at Cabelas as they offer Combos for around $90-100, with the Depth Master Gold LC’s and Diawa Sea Line 17 LC’s. You then can pick from Cabelas Rods with either of these reels. I think their Depth Master Gold series (I run the DMG 15 LC models) has came a long way the last few years. I think their latest models would compare quite well in performance and durability of the Diawa’s.

Click on the text below to go to each.

Depth Master Gold DMG 15 Combo

Diawa Sealine SG17LCA

Hope this helps.