Planer board fishing

[FloatNFish]

I am interested in doing some more trolling this year specifically with planer boards. Does anyone have any words of wisdom on brand, type, etc? Types to avoid? Also has anyone ever tried a mast system like in the attached picture or is this irrelevant for river fishing? Thanks!

-Alex

[tkwalker]

Alex, I can only speak for one brand of Boards .... That is the OFF SHORE TACKLE Planer board ... I also know that Dallas and McClintock used these boards at one time.

Also, Bruce DeShano (owner of Off Shore Tackle) and his son stayed a week at my cabin and we fished His new SST board while it was under research and development in 2001...

Like I said There may be other great boards out there I have just never used them. I had no need to ... These (Off Shore) have always done the job and the clips and other components are rugged ... And replacement parts are readily available ...

The Mast system you mentioned would not be conducive in a River environment ... To many snags and hang ups with inconsistent depths ... The Mast system was designed for the Great lakes and Blue water fishing ... Yes okay for Dale Hollow or The Hill (walleyes)... Hope this helps ... <'TK><

[SalmonDaze]

I've run 'em all for years and years on the Great Lakes.

TK is right on regarding their use on our rivers. I'd go with varying length rods and well-positioned rod holders.

For the lakes (above the dams), you're safe with in-line boards. Bigger fish (stripers) definitely go with Church's orange walleye boards. We've always used the smaller yellow off-shore or "yellow bird" in-lines for coho salmon and browns on Lake Superior.

Make sure you get rid of the standard clips and replace with the adjustable clip (Church part # WX2-211538).

You're likely familiar with the mast set-up the east coast guys use for Stripers. This is a killer rig. I've put mine together with hundreds of yards of line, shower rings for clips, and rubber bands. HOWEVER, you really need a LOT of area to roam; otherwise, the frustration of other fishermen will wear you out.

My personal preference is actually against boards overall. I much prefer multiple downriggers; even if I'm just trying to get 8 feet down; you can't beat 12 pounds of lead.

[FloatNFish]

Originally Posted by tkwalker

The Mast system you mentioned would not be conducive in a River environment ... To many snags and hang ups with inconsistent depths ... <'TK><

Originally Posted by SalmonDaze

TK is right on regarding their use on our rivers.

You're likely familiar with the mast set-up the east coast guys use for Stripers. This is a killer rig...HOWEVER, you really need a LOT of area to roam; otherwise, the frustration of other fishermen will wear you out.

My personal preference is actually against boards overall. I much prefer multiple downriggers; even if I'm just trying to get 8 feet down; you can't beat 12 pounds of lead.

Thanks Guys! This is kind of what I figured about a single board vs in line but I thought it was a cool concept.

I've never fished with either planers or down riggers but I'm very interested in what both bring to the table. For some reason I'm having premonitions of me with a lot of tangled lines somewhere down the road...

I'm going to be putting together some more tackle soon to troll with. Been looking at the ugly stik striper rods. Anyone have any experience with these?

Any other words of wisdom to get me on the right track?

-Alex

[fishfindergeneral]

I agree with TK on the Off Shore Brand in line boards. They stand up to giant deep diving Muskie bates on white cap windy days(20 to 30 mph). How ever, the mast systems don't work well in a lot of reservoir situations. For instance, tight turns in creeks and contour trolling. Plus when a line leaves the inline boards, it's at the water surface so you're getting a true line count depth. Another down side to the mast system is when you get a release, there is a good amount of slack in the line that must be gathered before you come in contact with the fish which results in a poor hook set and plenty of time for the fish to get off the line. My guess is that you will only land about 50% of the fish that you come in contact with. Plus there is a lot of line out of the water which means you don't get a true line count depth.
I also agree with the multiple downriggers, I personally use 4 on my boat but that being said I love my boards and use 4 to 6 at all times. Some days it's all riggers and other days the boards pull their weight. Some days you get fish from both..

[tacklemake]

I would think twice about planer boards because it only takes one boat to not see the board and run inside and all hell will happen. When I lived in Maryland the boats ran the boards out 150 feet on each side of the boat and on opening day you could hear them yelling at someone for running in to their lines. If you wanted to use downriggers without the cost we made a poor mans downrigger called a dummy line because any dummy could use them. The only thing is it's no fishing rod just hand over hand to bring in the fish.................woody

[aero320]

I have the mast and planer board setup. I think my mast came from Bert's Tackle. The planer boards are Riviera. I use the setup in late summer at Tim's Ford trolling for hybrids. Normally run six rods and two down riggers. Troll jigs at about 20 feet. On the Side planer rods, I use 1/2 oz. jig, let 50 feet of line out, attach a 3 oz. Snap Weight, then let our another 75 feet, then attach to a release and feed it down the line. The idea is go get the jigs at the correct depth. The rods that are furthest from the boat catch the most fish consistently. You have to work out a "rotation" system so that when one trips, you let the next closest line slip down the planer line.

I have not had any trouble with other boaters while using this method. It is very visible. Also, tried it at Woods for crappie.

Hybrids and stripers will wear you out if you are alone. This is a great method if you have a couple of friends with you, otherwise you get real tired. We have hooked up as many as five fish at one time. Also, you can't stop the boat or the lines will hang up.

Will look for some pictures of the setup and post.

[bd-]

I'm sure there are some lakes (Dale Hollow for example) where downriggers are more suitable than planer boards. But for stripers on the systems I've fished, downriggers are just not feasible. The fish frequently hold tight on rockpiles and other cover that breaks current very near the bank - almost like bass. You need the planer to get in tight on the cover while your boat is in the channel - a few feet off the cover can make the difference between success and a day without a hit.

The fish aren't necessarily very deep, and if you run right over their heads with a downrigger set to 8 to 10 feet, you're just going to scatter the fish you're trying to catch.

[FloatNFish]

Thanks everyone for getting me pointed in the right direction! I'm gonna start with two inline planers per side and some snap weights and see what kind of trouble that can get me into...

-Alex

[tkwalker]

Originally Posted by FloatNFish

Thanks everyone for getting me pointed in the right direction! I'm gonna start with two inline planers per side and some snap weights and see what kind of trouble that can get me into...

-Alex

If you are going to fish the upper Cumberland river ... Only use boards on the port side (bank side) That is where your ambush points are ... Also you have navigation buoy's to deal with ... with a gen current etc ... You can't handle a starboard side ... Fish downstream with the current and use your elect. trolling motor to stay ahead of the current ... enough to keep pressure on the boards for control ... Good luck .... PS ... !! You have been reading to much BS articles ... for a river environment forget about the snap weights .... ... <'TK><

[tkwalker]

Originally Posted by tacklemake

I would think twice about planer boards because it only takes one boat to not see the board and run inside and all hell will happen. When I lived in Maryland the boats ran the boards out 150 feet on each side of the boat and on opening day you could hear them yelling at someone for running in to their lines. If you wanted to use downriggers without the cost we made a poor mans downrigger called a dummy line because any dummy could use them. The only thing is it's no fishing rod just hand over hand to bring in the fish.................woody

The river environment is a totally different ball game none of the above holds true here ... ... Planer boards for stripers in Tennessee is like crab pots in Maryland ... !! LOL !! <'TK><

[FloatNFish]

Originally Posted by tkwalker

If you are going to fish the upper Cumberland river ... Only use boards on the port side (bank side) That is where your ambush points are ... Also you have navigation buoy's to deal with ... with a gen current etc ... You can't handle a starboard side ... Fish downstream with the current and use your elect. trolling motor to stay ahead of the current ... enough to keep pressure on the boards for control ... Good luck .... PS ... !! You have been reading to much BS articles ... for a river environment forget about the snap weights .... ... <'TK><

Thanks TK! Planning to use snap weights on the lakes to get some baits down a bit.

-Alex

[Catch & Release]

Originally Posted by tkwalker

If you are going to fish the upper Cumberland river ... Only use boards on the port side (bank side) That is where your ambush points are ... Also you have navigation buoy's to deal with ... with a gen current etc ... You can't handle a starboard side ... Fish downstream with the current and use your elect. trolling motor to stay ahead of the current ... enough to keep pressure on the boards for control ... Good luck .... PS ... !! You have been reading to much BS articles ... for a river environment forget about the snap weights .... ... <'TK><

you specifically say to fish port side not starboard side, so all the fish are on the port side in the cumberland river?

[Reel Tune]

My biggest Tennessee fish have come from a river using planer boards, and from a kayak. I feel comfortable pulling 2 boards, but no more than two.

[TNBronzeback]

Originally Posted by Catch & Release

you specifically say to fish port side not starboard side, so all the fish are on the port side in the cumberland river?

i dont wanna speak for somebody with TK's knowledge, but the idea behind fishing the bank, is there are features that create ambush points. Downed trees, logs, rocks, ect that they hide in and around to ambush prey, so the closer you can get your bait to those holding area's, the more it increases your chances at a hook-up.