PSA: This thread is gonna get down in the weeds...

So I have been using Parks planer boards for a few years now. I like them, a lot. They do what they say, they are very reasonably priced and I have gotten to the point that they are an everyday tool for chasin blue cats.

Now, I have been on guide trips and used Spread 'em planer boards. There really isn't a lot of difference in the boards themselves. The post is a little different but the board itself is basically the same.

Where I see a difference is in the clips. And I think it's a significant difference...

The back clip on the Parks is a simple snap. Not too hard to operate. You can get it off quickly when you need to, if the board isn't pulled lose of the front clip. If it has, the snap is big enough to slid over the terminal tackle on the main line and that can be a problem. On the Spread'em boards, the back clip is a speed clip. It isn't even really a clip. It just slides over the line. Easy release and it won't slide over your terminal tackle. See link below.

https://a.co/d/5G1iTI1

The front clip is where I started thinking about replacing my boards. The front clip on the Parks boards is like a lot of others. It is just a simple spring tension clip. That means it will pull lose with a quick tug of the line. Making it a little easier to reel in without the drag of the planer. Where this gets to be a problem is when you snag. If you break off, the board will float lose and you have to either reel up everything to go get it or risk losing it by waiting until you end your drift. The Spread'em clips don't work like that. They stay intact and will not pull off if you break off. That is, IMHO, a reason to use the Spread'em boards.

https://a.co/d/hd6QupH

I like the large boards that Parks makes. I think the next time I need to buy boards I will get some Spread'em boards. Until then, I am just going to replace the clips, and turn my Parks boards into a Catfish Tim version of the Parks boards. I know this sounds really nit picky, but if you have lost boards when you break off, you know why I'm thinking this hard about this. Trophy season is right around the corner and I am obsessing about what I need to change to do better this year than last!

God Bless & Tight Lines Y'all!

Tim,
I do the mod's to all my stuff when it doesn't work out of the box new, which is not uncommon these days. Then there is this situation like yours when you use things. Most things we buy now days are made to sell, not to use, least much anyway.
Me, being a very serious gearhead and I will be the first to admit, I can fix or redesign and build just about anything. We use things and figure certain things aren't quite what they should be, or we see ways to improve them, well IMHO, if you got anything at all to work with, man I just dive head first into it and start this project toward what I see needs to be what and where.
Now I will admit my knowledge of planers and how they work is limited to only knowing they dig the lines out starboard and/or portside, that is it. Never even held one to just look at it really... It's really sad too, with my background not to have even held one to check it out. I think that is all messed up really lol...

So per/usual of my posts on here, I tend to go the long way around here to get to the meat of things lol. I will have to do some looking online at these two boards in order to see how these clips work on the boards. Now I will say one thing right now about these two different clips, one is of metal and the other plastic. So much of the latter is what I find myself having to make from stainless steel, aluminum or other metals. My last project of this very same issue only a few weeks ago was a dip net I had thought to be the one to get and I end up having to build the key part that was made from plastic(CPS) then reworking the entire yoke to make this dip net what it should be if modern mass production was not like it is... I should hang a thread about this ordeal with pix of it all. This dip net is the bomb now and the point I am going the long way around to say is the planer boards you rework can end up the very same way, and there is another thing that will be when you do, which is "now look at this! I made this and that, now it does this".

The big thing with all the CPS, it needs to be made UV stable and I flat-out won't buy anything that is of the milky looking clear stuff, and even if it says it's UV stable. I am not talking about UV resistant either. Most of the CPS now is so much better than it use to be, the oilfield chemist have really got their act together, now if our mass manufacturing places would quite spending 20 bucks to save a dime and or put someone's nephew in a position and he is out to make his mark for a brownie button. We are getting kicked here hard too.

You basically make it your own. Then if you share stuff like this on forums like this place, you can just bet you have more than tweaked the interest of someone that has been dealing with the same stuff or going to be soon enough.
Me, myself have already been trolling all around this thread lol. Over the years, now I find myself just bat my Hideous Ears back and get right down to it, it's never as bad, as you think it will be to fix or rework things...

Now I have to go copy and paste these two planer boards to see what's, what.

Laterz

Edit: you did say it was going to get down in the weeds, you do know that the bigger and better fish are in the weeds right? LOL

Tim,
I have looked at both these boards you mentioned as well as others and I like the look of these two over any of the others I have seen so far anyway, and let's just throw money out of the equation for now. I do see the big trick part is the trigger clips that once you get the bite or snag, it releases. That's where I figure your going to need the money on the CPS to be able to make it all happen correctly.

I saw the two different snap swivels styles and I guess I don't understand when you snag and break everything off, that the Spreader Fishing boards don't float loose also. These two brands look way close with how they are built. The stand-off leg being out of round material the other flat.

I did see that you can get the different trigger clips and swivels, so is there a issue with just make these boards you have work with some of them or am I missing something? Either of these two boards get my vote right from the get go as the have the aluminum fin interfaced into the floating material, I like the look. The stand-off leg, looks to me you can simply swap it out for starboard or portside spread (digging) lol

So the technology and the money goes into the CPS of the triggers, then there is the snap swivels, so what makes one board not float off when you break off? I have to beg for forgiveness of my pointed head here and now...

I prefer spread ems over the parks personally. Partly the locking clip but I think they pull better. I have a set of XLParks I used once I’d part with Tim if you’re interested.

Now talking about them digging more that alone could be changed with that stand-off leg. By increasing the length would make them dig more, at least to a point. You guys ever mess with that any? Would not take very much, you go much more than 3/8" longer you would roll them over, not good.

The opposite side of this you could make a set of the stand-offs that are shorter and decrease the dig away from the boat.
I guess now I am going to need to get something else to not only messing around with, but add to my floating Basspro/Cabela's all in one. My rig would rival either one or the two added together...
You guys are not helping here...

Appreciate the offer brother. I have a full set and a full set of extras so I'm good for now. I looked hard at getting a set of Spread'ems because of the rack they make for them. They are difficult to store.

GB & TL...

Rowdy, it's an addiction for sure...

I run Zack Royce boards. The first thing I did was replace the spring clips with large snap swivels. When it comes time to replace them, I'm buying Spread'em.

Same same.

I purchased Zack Royce boards and like you changed out the spring clips which were a pita to attach. The new ones they are building now have the snap swivels fitted fyi.

I purchased two Rock Creek large size planer boards and they are way better in light winds. The front clip on them is way too stiff and I realized may be weakening the mono line, so I swapped them out with these (from Amazon).



Much mo better!

One thing I have come to realize, putting numerous drifting rigs out the back of my boat becomes a complete disaster when one gets snagged. Much frustration, tangled lines and potty mouth ensues. I have discovered in my old age that 4 rods is ample for me, sometimes just 3 (two planer boards and a long line).

Serenity now!

Bob,

What you talking about "potty mouth ensues" lmao

All this time and I didn't know that was what worked... All kidding aside after lmao at this statement, I have always wondered how you guys keep all this stuff all out fishing and not snag everything in the lake. Then the other question all this has me wondering is when you guys hooks up with a really nice fish, don't you end up with every rig in the water all wrapped and tangled?
Now I figure if you have others on the boat, they would reel the others up, I am only guessing. So how this all work? Man by yourself I can't even think about how you guys swim all these different rods at one time and do that without the tangling and worse?

Now where I fish and actually catch fish, I just expect to lose tackle, drifting as many rigs as you guys, really figuring you guys must be saint's, may be that you guys can even walk on water lol.

I set up a drift, one, read it, one rod and I am lucky once I get the bait coming into where I need it, I don't just snag up right away lol. Potty mouth fixes this?, mine would be swimming like bait and doing great. Let's just say I talk to my stuff a lot lol
Only reason I mentioned already I would be messing with one of these planer boards, is to just see how it's all working, so I know how you guys are getting all this hung out, I am not by any means saying I will be fishing more than one rod in a drift while by myself. Just not going to happen at present. I have got to get rod holder boom first. Just the thought of snagging up one and drag that rod out of the boat before I could get to it.would not be anything I want to have experience in lol.
Excluding the potty mouth, I want to understand how the planers snap on and the trigger is set and it's tripped and I will be getting one to check out for sure. I saw a short u-tube on those lime green releases or some that looked like them.

Then there is the trolling your baits with your trolling motor to get the heading you are after when the wind and/or current not working. So what sorts of trolling motor setups you guys using,for this?

Rowdy, learning to drag 6 rods at a time without tangles is a challenge BUT... The planer boards are a great tool to help keep things from getting SNAFU'ed.

Yesterday afternoon, after being out of town all week, I headed out to the lake to fuss with my planer boards and provide some much needed therapy to my soul!

I changed out the two small Parks Planers I was using and replaced them with two of the large ones. The large ones are what they call their "Suspending Boards". I like them as they seems to pull better than the smaller ones in light winds. I then replaced both the front and back clips on all four of them.

New front clip:



New back clip called a "speed clip":



I pull 4 boards and I have 2 long lines as well. So I have a total of 6 lines in the water. My spread looks like this:



What do I think about the new clips? After one use, I like them. When I would snag, I was able to just hold the spool so the drag didn't release and they would pop loose. And the boards were still connected so I didn't have to reset. I am a big fan of that part. I am also a fan of the board not pulling lose and getting tangled with the terminal gear when you boat a fish.

As I was pulling boards last night I hooked a nice fish around 25 pounds. when he took the bait he started running straight aft of the boat. When he did so, that planer board jumped out of the water as he straightened the line. That was cool!

Now I'm not gonna say when you hook a sidewinder that you won't get tangled. It happens, but, it happens less if you space your boards properly. For me that means like I showed in the image above.

For those of you that read this far, thanks for following me down this rabbit hole!

^ its a TRAP!!!



Joking aside, having spent some time fishing with Tim on his boat, he makes it look so easy. Frankly it is not! It's just years of experience and practice, and now Tim just has it all down and is fairly relaxed. When we have fished together, one each side of the boat, he gets his 3 rods out and in the rests in the time it takes me to get just one set up. I am getting better and I know only time on the water will get me more proficient.

One of the things I have learned is not to spend too much time trying to untangle when things go to s*it (technical term), which they invariably do sometimes. I now just break the line, untangle the birds nest and start over again. I leave pre tied leaders (line, swivels, floats, rattles, hooks) in plastic bags on the boat now to make things easier and faster.

I will only have two planer boards out unless the conditions are perfect and I'm drifting away from any timber and or structure. I have got to know where they don't get snagged on my local lake.

Bob,

I agree, Tim makes it look too easy! Both putting out rigs and catching TOADS!

I also agree, lot of time on the water and trying different things until you learn what works for you.

Fish on my friends!

Ken

Ok, I some follow this on the very basis level. I get using the drift, I get using the main ob engine at idle for a power drift or troll. Just how are you guys doing this with a trolling motor? Like, this a foot operated TM, or? I just not sure how you can set the plotted coarse and keep the heading?

I also get using the drift socks, now keeping the size of fish you guys land, from wrapping the drift sock completely up, and losing the fish. I have a real hard time keeping the fish from wrapping ob lower unit or wrapping the trolling motor if at the bow.

I just keep seeing the pix of size of fish, I have seen on here that you guys land while fishing like this, it's amazing how you guys keep everything all good and the bottom side of things, well; on the bottom lol... Excitement got to get involved in all the Kaos at some point. Should and if it doesn't, there really is something wrong there lol.

Rowdy, I like drifting with the wind. When there isn't enough wind, I drop the trolling motor and troll. I have never used the engine to troll. If the wind is up good I throw the 78" Drift Sock and keep it slowed down. Problem then is, sometimes it gets too slow. So I will throw the sock, drop the trolling motor and set the speed control to .5 mph. I have iPilot with a remote that I use to keep it on a heading. If I use the coarse lock, sometimes that gets a little sketchy if the wind hits the boat from the side. I like to control that manually. I have not had any issues with fish getting into the sock or the lower unit. With a 7'6" rod, I find it pretty easy to keep them coming to the side of the boat and netting them from there...