Planer boards

[B-Faithful]

For you non-great lake or chesapeake bay fisherman who ask what planerboards are when we post about them, I took a few photos of mine running for you to see and understand what we are doing better...

The purpose of pulling planer boards for fish like striped bass is that the baits are being pulling in clean undistrubed water away from the boat. (Stripers are fish that are spooked by boat noise) They also allow you to fish the baits closer to the surface as well as pull more lines.

Here on the Chesapeake we can get a good chop on the water and pull larger baits to mimic big bunker. Therefore we have to pull big 3 board planers so that the boards dont flip in rough water and they pull hard enough so that the clip will release the fishing line when struck by a fish. (weaker pulling boards will pull back with the fish). I run 100' of line to the planer board off of each side and tend to pull 3 to 5 baits off of each side. The line pulling the boards is .095 round weed wacker line. We let the bait out a certain length then hook it to a clip that we allow to slide down the planer line and away from the boat. I carry like 40 clips so that when a fish strikes I dont have to pull the clip back in but rather just collect the clips at the end of the day when I retrieve the planer board.

The "clips" I use are poor man's clips. I just use caribeener clips with a rubber band. When a fish strikes, it breaks the rubber band. Scotty does make some nice planer board clips that hold like and outrigger clip but they are a little pricey for carrying a bunch and I like the fact that the rubber band stretches some allowing the baits to swim better.

Here are some shots of the boards running in glassy water with only 3 lines being run to them. (the shots of the clips were taken by a friend off of his boat - as you can see he had a crazy good day)

 

[DaleH]

By God, am I sooooooooooooo glad they don't fish like that up 'har ...

 

[B-Faithful]

It is so productive that I am sure it will be coming to a neighborhood near you :wink:

 

[B-Faithful]

only a hassle if you dont catch fish

 

[Megabyte]

I use Scotty Clips on my FlatLine Booms.

 

[rangerdog]

Here's mine on a test pull...I don't use them very much, although I do like my downrigger.

 

[steve j]

Hey, Megabyte:

Do those Scotty clips on your flatline booms have enough strength to hold 65# braid pulling deep running Rapalas or Yo-Zuris? I've been very interested in a pair of those short booms that fit in rod holders. My son is a machinist and can build me a set.
Thanks for any info.
Good fishing!

 

[Megabyte]

Hey, Megabyte:

Do those Scotty clips on your flatline booms have enough strength to hold 65# braid pulling deep running Rapalas or Yo-Zuris?

Never tried using the FlatLines and Scotties using hard baits.

The typical baits that I run off the FlatLines are either single parachutes or tandem parachute/bucktail rigs. Those rigs don't pull quite as hard as the hard baits, but I do use 65 to 85# braid (Western Filament TUF-Line XP) and the Scottys don't have a problem with it.

 

[B-Faithful]

Regarding the clips, i bet they would hold the deep running plugs depending upon what speed you trolled. The charter I take every spring trolls umbrella rigs off his planer boards with them and they hold. However we are trolling at around 3 knots here.

 

[gw204]

How do they run in a 3' confused chop???? :lol:

 

[B-Faithful]

How do they run in a 3' confused chop???? :lol:

The triple boards I have pull well in a decent chop. They skip, surge, jump, etc. but I havent flipped one yet. :lol:

 

[Parkerman]

I am still confused about how you run these. B-Faith already tried to explain it to me in a previous posting. I guess I will keep putting squid on and dropping the hook strait down for now. Maybe my friend in VA will invite me a few times down on his Pursuit and I will learn a bit more.

 

[Porkchunker]

I have a pair I made from plans on TidalFish.com. First set bounced and flipped over in the chop...so I made a second set 42" long. They work great, but trolling is so boring that they just sit up there on the top of my hard top year after year not being used.

Last time I trolled with them, I ran two lines off of each board. Ran 4 lines off the transom and on way-way-back off the middle of the rocket launchers on the hard top. That made for 9 lines. Still boring...that is until one of the lines snags a crabpot, and then it is like a Chinese fire drill on deck.

Dave

aka

 

[MaxOut]

What a difference a year makes B-Faithful, planner boards are like candy once you get a piece ya gotta have it!! :lol: Ditch those rubber bands and get some real clips like Megabyte. Just in case you didn't know those clips Megabytes showing have several different levels of tension and two stages activated by moving the rear part of the clip forward. You can run anything from pork on top to weighted double rigged umbrellas.

Any neigh sayers on planner boards just have not been shown how to use them effectively. They truly have been my bread and butter for any fish on the troll. Don't be afraid to use them up North either. My cousin is a fishing guide on Lake Ontario and was using those small folding planners from Boaters World until I took him fishing on the Chesapeake for Striped Bass. Now he runs twice as many lines and catches twice as many fish (walleye) on Lake Ontario. He is one of the best producing guides on the lake. There is nothing wrong with not wanting to use planners but if you are serious about catching fish its worth a try.

I run my planners 150' off each side and up to 8 lines on each side. Most of the time my "A" game targeting large Striped Bass I only run 5 each side. My planners are custom made 1"X12" pine offset boards. I have run them at 6 knots in 3’ chop and have not flipped them. There is a technique to running them in rough water and different speeds but they are easy to master. In my opinion they are way better than outriggers and way less money. Outriggers don't give you 300' spread; they rock with the boat and are as cumbersome to operate. Planners constantly catch the majority of my fish regardless of species. Clean water, large spread and alternating action. Win Win Win I love them...

 

[MaxOut]

I have a pair I made from plans on TidalFish.com. First set bounced and flipped over in the chop...so I made a second set 42" long. They work great, but trolling is so boring that they just sit up there on the top of my hard top year after year not being used.

Last time I trolled with them, I ran two lines off of each board. Ran 4 lines off the transom and on way-way-back off the middle of the rocket launchers on the hard top. That made for 9 lines. Still boring...that is until one of the lines snags a crabpot, and then it is like a Chinese fire drill on deck.

Dave

aka

I would love to take you out this season if you like. Or even jump on your ride. I launch out of Solomon’s frequently. You may look at trolling with planners a little different after a trip or two. I agree un-marked crab pots spice it up a little but keeps you moving :lol:

I would like to see your planners? I can give you some advice. The one I've seen on TidalFish has major design flaws. Placement of the connecting eye is crucial and offsetting the boards adds greater stability. I have flipped earlier designs but the current design has launched 15' into the air without flipping. Mine are 36".

 

[MaxOut]

Hey, Megabyte:

Do those Scotty clips on your flatline booms have enough strength to hold 65# braid pulling deep running Rapalas or Yo-Zuris? I've been very interested in a pair of those short booms that fit in rod holders. My son is a machinist and can build me a set.
Thanks for any info.
Good fishing!

No Poblem. Use the higher setting on the clip. I have run 2lb parachutes with no problems. The clips will hold..the boom??

 

[Megabyte]

Hey, Megabyte:

Do those Scotty clips on your flatline booms have enough strength to hold 65# braid pulling deep running Rapalas or Yo-Zuris? I've been very interested in a pair of those short booms that fit in rod holders. My son is a machinist and can build me a set.
Thanks for any info.
Good fishing!

No Poblem. Use the higher setting on the clip. I have run 2lb parachutes with no problems. The clips will hold..the boom??

I'm sure the higher setting would work, I've just never tried it. I generally run my hard baits in the fall off of SeaStryker dive planers.

The FlatLine boom will absolutely hold. There is a piece of 100#(+) mono that runs from the tip of the boom forward to the springline cleat to account for any pull by your baits. The booms are rock solid.

 

[CaptainJim]

teehee

we cant fish that stuff here - too many boats, too rough, too much current.

for trolling we tow umbrellas or spoons on wire (i prefer leadcore line because its pre-marked).


most of our bass are lazy as hell and lay on the bottom anyway, if you are anywhere further than 5 feet from the bottom you get all alligators (bluefish)

 

[TheOtherLine]

Good God! :shock: What ever happened to just dropping a line over the side !!!

All those contraptions and lines....I got a headache... :lol:

 

[Megabyte]

Good God! :shock: What ever happened to just dropping a line over the side !!!

We do that a little later in the season. It's called LTJ up here.