RIVIERA PLANER BOARDS

[frustrated]

I am new to the trolling world I have a 18 ft boat I have a set of riviera colapsable planer boards. I have a mast that I made that is 6 ft tall that fits in my front deck seat pedestal. I used it for the first time this week. I had alot of trouble because I could not get the boards to run beside the boat, they wanted to fall back causing the planer board line to cross over my rods and want to tangle up with them. I was trolling around 2-2.5 mph acording to gps. Can any one help me on how to get the boards to run more beside the boat. what is the max length I should let the boards out. I would appreciate any tips you can give, for the first trip out was very frustrating.

[hammertime]

not really sure on them boards but some of them have different holes you can tie on at, you might want to look at them. at that speed they should pull out and track pretty good.i always ran homemade boards but in going to otter boards this yr for samon and big waves, there pretty good in rough water in lk mich so in going to try them. good luck with your boards, with your mast that far forward and that speedd you shouldd not be having a problin.

[Bob]

I ran those boards last year. Lots of problems with laging behind the boat.Be careful when board lags or stalls in a turn the tow line of the board can and WILL catch a rod guide and pull the rod out of the rod holder and into the lake ($$$$$$$$$).I was very lucky,made a sharp turn & snagged the line with a crankbait from a different rod. After last season I broke down & bought Otter boards. I hope they stop my frustration this year. good luck! Bob

[frustrated]

I tried all the holes for the ajustment did not seem to make a big difference. Also it was pretty calm when I tried them.

[Bob Z]

I had the same problem and had to rearrange my rod holders to keep the rods from touching the planer board line. The planer board is going to go pretty much where it wants.

I have not seen any information on the potential for dfferent angles from different manufacturer's boards. If the board was straight out from the reel it would be 90 degrees. I would guess mine run about 45 degrees to the direction of the boat.

[Chairman]

All boards will run on a 45 or more behind the boat. It they went straight to the side you would not be able to set lines. Position your rods to keep clear of the board line and watch your turns. The boards moving around and not staying taunt to the boat give some additional movement to the lures and helps catch fish. Good luck, they take a little getting used to.

[frustrated]

How much line do you guys put out on your planer boards? Does that make a difference on how they run. Will they run better with less line or with more line. I was running mine out between 100 and 150 feet is that to far?

[ETT]

150' of tow line out is about the max. You stated earlier that it was calm, so 100' should be doable. When you've run boards for years, you do things out of habbit that beginers don't know about. You must drive fairly straight and make big open turns while towing boards. Any angle to the wind will cause the boat to crab and one board will look like it's lagging behind the boat. Harder pullin lures,or snap wts., or jets or Dipsys will cause the boards to run back a little or quite a bit depending on exactly what your pulling.
Keep working at it, and it will soon be second nature. Good luck.

[Reel Deal]

One big mistake anglers make with planer boards is not having enough height on the mast. you may want to try getting the mast a bit higher. you should see a diffrence in the way the boards run.