trolling tangles with boards

[roger4]

Ok guys. I know I'm not the only one having this problem. When trolling three lines off each side and spreading my boards out my lines are getting tangled like halfway down. Sometimes you can untangle them by bringing in the inside most tangled board and the other one is ok. Other times you drag the whole dang thing under and have to re set everything. What is my problem? Not taking sharp turns. Rods are all in the air in various positions from low to high back to front? very frustrating.

I was thinking that maybe it was because i was running a wide spread to cover water.

[wide spread]

If you are running unstable lures that require lots of tuning try a snap weight ahead of them. Even the best running lures can pickup trash or small fish and shoot sideways. Your lures are well tuned I take it?

[Toolman]

Roger,

A couple of tips that should help:

1) Check the tune of your cranks at boatside EVERY time you let them out. Run the lure with 4-8' of line out and pull the lure beside the boat at trolling speed. Sweep the rod tip foward to simulate the surge of a wave/increase in speed. The bait will likely 'kick out'. Tune the bait until you get a strait pull or get the crank to kick both ways equally (depends on the bait on which results you will get). Tuning goes double for when you have pulled in a fish. The Reef Runner "Tune-a-Fish" tuning devise works really well. Pliers work as well, but be careful you don't go overboard-a little at a time.

2) Run the deepest diving cranks on the inside boards and the shallowest diving cranks on the outside boards. When you hook a fish 90% of the time it will clear the other lines with little problem. When using snap weights, the same applies, heaviest on the inside, lightest on the outside. I might hesitate to run more than 2 lines with snaps per side, though, from my experience.

3) Let your lines out with some tension, such as the clicker, thumbing the spool, or a loose drag. When first setting up, set the outside boards first. One side then the other (this can be done simultaneously to save time) then the middle of each side, then the insides. To reset an outside board back into a spread it can be free spooled then set into place-don't be afraid to let WAY too much line out then crank it back into place.

4) If there are floating weeds present (or on the Great Lakes-Water Fleas which cling to your line and foul lures) be prepared to check your lines as often as CONSTANTLY! A crank run near the bottom that picks up a leaf, a twig, or zebra mussell from the bottom will screw up things real quick! A fouled lure usually won't catch fish (it's possible but not likely) and will cause much greater headaches. When two (or more) lines cross up, reel them in together, with some help, to reduce the amount of tangle/twist. That goes for cranks/boards, dipseys, etc.

Hope this helps.

[ETT]

Tim is right on...I might add, if your inside boards run up past the outside boards on a turn, and your turning short enough for a smidge of slack line, when things come tight you'll be fouled, because the outside line to the board will be under the inside board.
As a tip when you suspect a tangle bring all lines in at the same time. This prevents the wraps that cause the real head ache.
Practice makes perfect, and we all have stories of world class tangles.