300 copper - keeping everything else clear?

[jonboat]

Maybe it was just because of the four foot rollers yesterday, but we were running meat rigs off the riggers down 80', had starboard dipsy out 180 and the port dipsy out 200, and a 300 copper down the chute.

 

When we first set up, the rigger releases were too light, both popped on their own ase we were bouncing along (19' boat). I reeled one in, then started reeling the other in and brought in our copper with it 

 

After a half hour of untangling, finally put everything back in the water and a little while later noticed that the copper rod was pulling like a diver...  found out that was because it was pulling the port side diver :(

 

So the question here is this: How do you keep a 300 copper from getting hung up in the rest of your spread? Is this a normal problem, or was it more of a problen that comes along with rough water?

 

I'm hoping the rough water is the culprit and the lesson learned is to not bother with copper when it's rough out.

 

 

[on the lam]

the easiest thing to do is get a church board and get it off to the side

[jonboat]

What is a church board?  Is it just a brand of in-line planer, a big-board (like my OtterBoats), or something else.  Just not a term I'm familiear with.  But using a planer board to get it away from the rest of the spread makes sense. I've used inline planers with lead core before. Seems like a similar setup.

 

Still wondering if people have problems with copper down the chute on calm(er) water. A 19' boat on 4+ foot rollers does a lot of bouncing and the speed fluctuates a bunch too. Copper is new for me. First time was Monday on an angry lake.

 

I like the idea of letting it out on a light drag down through the prop wash while setting up the rest of my spread, but if it means spending all that time fixing tangles, I won't be trying that again.

[Tim Bromund]

it's an inline board.  for a 300' copper you're better off with the Church TX-44 rather than the more common Walleye board.

 

If you have otter boats, you can run coppers off of those as well.  Most gus add a second half keel on the bottom to get them to run right when pulling heavy presentation like long coppers

 

Tim

[jonboat]

Thanks guys! I'm thinking that yesterday would have been a good day to keep the copper in the boat... don't see too many boards track well in 4 footers 

Edited July 30, 2013 by jonboat

[John E Powell]

Church TX-44 Super Planer http://www.churchtackle.com/product%20pages/planer_boards/tx-44_super.html If you are only going to run one, set it up to run off the opposite side of the boat you steer from so it is easy to see from the driver seat. (For most people with right-side steering, this will be set up as a port side board)

 

You can also use a large 4-5" foam bobber with a pad style release to affix the bobber to the line (with a center pin that prevents a release).

 

For either of these, I rig the reel as follows. A layer of mono on the spool (to keep backing from slipping on the spool), spliced to power pro backing with Albright knot, #8 Spro Power Swivel, 10' of 40lb Big Game (where board or bobber attach to the line), another Spro, then copper, another Spro, then Fluorocarbon leader.

 

To rig for fishing, let it out and attach either the TX-44 or the float to the section of big game. The TX-44 comes with a reversed release that does not release, it acts as a hold in place clamp. With the bobber, place your main line in past the center pin of the pad release so it won't release. If you don't have a pad release with a pin, then affix the float with a clip to hold to the line and a pad release to hold it in place on the line. Let both straight out the back. With the TX-44, apply just enough tension to keep the float upright but not so much to cause it to start pulling off to the side. Let the float back about 150-200' down the chute. With the TX-44, at about 100' stop letting line out and the planer will go off to the side.

 

For the float, you can manage fish caught on other rods by hitting the freespool on the chute copper until the float is 3-400 foot behind the boat, then re-engage it. This will be sufficient to land most fish on other rods. For a really big king fall king, just reel it in and get it out of the way.

 

Either way the planer board or float act to keep the lines separated from each other, the planer off to the side, or the bobber behind the boat. The TX-44 are good until whitecaps begin to show up, after that, just stick with a float bobber down the chute as it will fish in any water.

Edited July 30, 2013 by John E Powell

[jonboat]

Great stuff John - thanks!

[on the lam]

Fyi. I use the walleye board for copper up to 350. It gives you plenty of separation. After that I'm on the big boards.

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[KOPPERKLAD]

Your otter boat will run in 4 ft waves

[Tim Bromund]

Pete, I've never had luck running more than a 200 copper on a Walleye Board, it barely gets out from behind the boat and I have the keel weight all the way forward. 

 

More than that I put out the Amish Outfitters redwood boards for the longer coppers.

 

Tmi

[jekyll]

TX-44's definately pull all coppers out well. They put quite a beating on the line though. I snapped a line last year using 30 lb braid and then upgraded to 40lb. I borke off a 400 copper with 40 lb braid near the rod on Sunday in the chop. Lost the board and the whole copper before we could circle back and grab it. A quick $100 to the lake gods. Actually, I got the board with a boat hook and it then slipped off the hook and sank but, not before getting the braid in the prop and rudder. Went diving to clear the boat. Fun stuff. Diving under the boat in 3-4 footers was....interesting!

[on the lam]

Pete, I've never had luck running more than a 200 copper on a Walleye Board, it barely gets out from behind the boat and I have the keel weight all the way forward.

More than that I put out the Amish Outfitters redwood boards for the longer coppers.

Tmi

Yea Tim the weight has to be all the way forward. And for me I'm good? And yes I use my cedar boards for anything longer.

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[K Gonefishin]

Are you guys running the TX 44 straight out of the box?

[King Slammin]

I use them for 250'. Was a 300 but, u know.

[Gator]

That's funny, our 250 used to be a 300, too. Must be catching.

 

There isn't as much adjustment on the TX-44 as on the smaller boards. The weight runs along most of the length. The clip seemed a little odd to me when we first ran them, since the tensioner faces toward the board rather than away from it. I guess that make sense if they're not designed to release.

[skipper19]

In your case, running the meat rigs with big flashers would be "safer" on the long lines with copper in the chute...IE, on the copper and divers with meat or flies. Running spoons on the riggers instead. I get the visions, on my boat, of major FUBARS when the riggers pop and a flasher comes spinning up into the copper in the chute. There is no prediction in 4 foot waves on where your copper is running, and if it is angling off right or left, you are exposing many 100 feet of copper trailing at an angle to grab all your rigger stuff coming up out of the spread. Flashers are almost always a death sentence to a copper when it wraps it up. I always keep my flasher stuff on the long lines behind everything so they don't get a chance to grab anything else. If I run flashers on any downrigger, I will not run a chute copper. I use outriggers or big boards, but outriggers shine very pretty on those days of 4 foot waves, just sayin!

Mark

[Rippin'Line]

Watch the length of you leads off the downrigger ball too and remember that flasher setup move around quite a bit especially with long leads off the ball. Also with chute rods it best

To keep your divers planed out as much as you can to keep them away.