hi. i highly recomend large board and mast system.yes muskys hit boatside but motor noise spooks fish off to the sides.big boards run midship,not back behind.small boards have that tendency when lure loaded.here another tip. you can run and depth control a deeper diver by line out from clip. many many big fish cruise hi feeding on bait.i have run boards from the ottawa to st clair my home waters. scotty makes great clips. many guys use cheep caebiner clips for holding/sliding down the main tow line. boards are deadly on salmon/walleyes and mooskies. .also good running boards will not dive in waves like small boards. personaly boards outfish boat rods 5-1.boards were introduced here in the great lakes in the mid 70,s..they came from the west coast salmon trollers.....hope this helps...