Preparation is the most important part of almost any activity as it helps you execute whatever it is that you're about to do in a much more qualitative way. The same goes when you're looking to catch some fish in the sea, preparing the bait for the prey to grab on is as important as angling itself.
Therefore having a space just for bait preparation is important and with a bait board, you get exactly that. Many bait boards come with rod holders so they double as a storage space for your fishing gear. Simple yet versatile, a boat bait board with holders can do so much more than just be a place for you to shape and cut ingredients.
Benefits of a Bait Board
Organisation
A bait board gives you a place to do one thing and one thing only which can help keep your overall boating and especially your angling feel more organised. This level of organisation can be achieved with a durable boat bait board with holders that are made for your vessel.
Hygiene
What matters probably even more than staying organised is the ability to keep your boat clean. With a bait tray and rod holder combination, you can easily keep the rest of your vessel untouched by what's going on the board. This is also thanks to the knife containment compartment that most bait boards come with which means you won't leave around your knife and contaminate multiple surfaces. This also helps in keeping your boat clean as one surface is much easier to clean than several ones.
Functionality
Having a separate space for bait preparation you get to make your vessel more practical and functional as you leave the rest of it free for other accessories. Not only does your boat become more suitable for your needs, but it also becomes a tidier space for you to focus on what matters most, enjoying angling and the sound of the sea.
Types of Bait Boards
Flush Deck
If you're in favour of a more streamlined design and you want your board to blend in with the rest of your vessel, then a flush deck bait board is for you. Thanks to its installation method which involves the use of posts, you can have a board that is both functional and looks good. The posts are what keep the board seated in the mounts and make it seem like the vessel came with it from the factory.
Clamp-On
When you want a no-fuss bait board that is easy to install and remove, you should consider going for a clamp-on board. As their name suggests, this type of bait board and rod holder solution clamps onto the rails of your vessel, considering it comes with them. The only downside is the requirement of said rails and without them, you are simply not able to make use of clamp-on bait boards.
Pin-Supported
While the installation process of a pin-supported bait tray with rod holder is not on the easy side of things, its removal, on the other hand, is a walk in the park. Thanks to 12 mm pins that go through the rail of your vessel, you can just slide them out and remove the board. What makes them a secure mounting method is that the pins require what is usually a 16 mm diameter tube found on the rail that supports the weight of the board and pins.
Bucket Board
A more practical solution than a regular bait board and rod holder configuration is a bucket board which can be used as a regular one it just comes with a bucket underneath the board itself. This makes getting rid of waste a lot easier as you don't need to go to the other end of your vessel or have to keep a separate bucket close to the board. Although you won't get fiddles, what you do get with a bucket board is grip gutters that help drain everything in the bucket which usually has a 20L capacity.
Important Factors
Dimensions
The size of the board is going to be determined by the size of your boat but also the amount of free space you have at your disposal. Larger bait boards are obviously better since you have more space to prepare bait which is a much easier task when that's the case. But keep in mind that not all boards are made the same and some can be a nuisance to store because of their size.
Location
Where you place the board is equally as important as its dimensions but it's not the end of the world if you have it placed a bit further than what you need. As long as you have it fairly close to the most commonly visited areas such as the cockpit and outboard then you're good to go.
Construction
The material a bait tray with rod holder comes made of should be plastic as plastic doesn't rust or rot while it's fairly strong and light. You can also go for boards made of alloys but you would have to pay much more and also maintain them much more regularly to keep them on your vessel for a long time.