One question that comes up again and again is how do we set-up our Off Shore OR-12 Side Planer boards. From the factory, these are the best boards out there; they’re tough and perfectly ballasted so they ride upright in the water under most any wave conditions and work well at virtually any trolling speed. One modification we use for crankbait trolling however is to change the clip set-up on the board to what is referred to as The Pro Set-up. We remove the release hardware and the OR16 (Red) release from the back of the board. The board comes from the factory with an OR19 (Orange) release that is mounted straight out on the arm and we add another OR19 just behind that one so it’s aimed back at about a 45 degree angle (the board comes with pre-drilled hole for this modification). The advantages to this Pro Set-Up are that it makes the boards easier to read because they will tip back more noticeably when a fish is on. This set up also makes removing the boards easier, especially when you’re fishing like a lone wolf, fighting in the fish and clearing theåÊboard all by yourself.
For most of our spinner trolling, we use the Tattle Flag kits on our Off Shore boards, but we put an OR18 Snapper Clip on the main arm and move the OR19 clip to the back of the board on the Tattle Flag device. This makes for a stronger, more reliable connection to the line, especially when using no-stretch super-lines like Berkley FireLine. These types of line tend to be pretty slippery and the Snapper Clip can be adjusted to hold them very secure.
As you prepare your equipment for the upcoming season, be sure to check your boards for things like loose or broken brackets, broken releases, flags, or worn out floatation in the back of the board. Replacement parts for your boards can be purchased from the Off Shore Tackle website.
