Planer boards

[susqking]

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

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

Once you use them a few times, they are very easy to use. You have to run each line at a different depths to keep from tangling. Weekends are tougher because of a lot of boats are out and you need some extra room.

 

[B-Faithful]

What a difference a year makes B-Faithful, planner boards are like candy once you get a piece ya gotta have it!! :lol: ...

No doubt. I had a set of planer boards a few years ago but sold them to gw204's brother as I didnt have an efficient plan to running them and was just more comfortable trolling an all boat rod spread that I had spent a lot of time perfecting. Being hard nosed and competitive, I was even priding myself on returning the ramp with a better catch than those trolling with them. Finally a few of my buddies, who were good fisherman, kept pushing for me to start pulling them with what I had learned without pulling them. Wow did they make me a believer. Now I find pulling them easier than an all boat rod spread as I am not racing to clear lines to boat a fish and they have increased the numbers of fish being caught substantially. I grew up thinking that the majority of bass were caught deep. The boards now having me knowing that these fish are top water feeders primarily. Being that they are an easily spooked fish, the boards allow the baits to swim higher in the water column while less affected being less affected by boat disturbance. My fathers friend who is a great capt out of cape may and also owns a bait and tackle shop has become a believer and will be taking this technique to DE Bay soon! :lol:

Bottom line is that you are right! what a difference a year makes :wink:

I will stick with the rubber bands for now though. I didnt like the clips as much when we pulled them. Maybe I am over analyzing but I think the bands allow the baits to swim better too through the rougher water with their stretch. I have only used clips on other peoples boats though on a few trips as most my friends just use rubber bands. Did you notice a higher hook up ratio with the clips?

 

[MaxOut]

What a difference a year makes B-Faithful, planner boards are like candy once you get a piece ya gotta have it!! :lol: ...

Did you notice a higher hook up ratio with the clips?

Not really but the rubber bands became problems with heavier rigs, rough water and age. The clips are very consistent and will hold heavy rigs when set properly even in rougher water. Do not have any false alarms and are more dependable in my experience. Try to run some deep lines on your planners (I will run my farthest lines out at as many as 20 passes). :idea: If you like the extra action you can use a large rubber band to connect the carabineer to the planner clip? That way you get the action and consistency of the clip.

Glad to see you like the planners. I grew up on the Patuxent River and fished the bay as well. I too started perfecting my boat rods and worked into planners. One thing I have learned through the years is when the fish are not biting change up and keep an open mind. Fish seem to bite when you are messing with your set. When I kept my Coastal Barracuda in Solomon’s I always used umbrellas and the older guys at the pier around me always taunted me as they were still using buck tails, single and tandem parachutes. You would never see anything on their boat other than white and green that was it... I had some red, pink, blue, purple & black and would out catch them almost every day. I found out later from one guy’s son that they started using more colors and umbrellas but were keeping them in the cabin and putting there old stuff in the boat rod holders for display (old charter boat trick). Not that the old school stuff wont still catch fish it's just the fish are getting smarter and you need to embrace change. Some fishermen will keep everything secret were there going, what there running, what time they are getting there etc...That's not my style. I like to share what I learn and if I am on a good spot I am not afraid to tell were I am and what I'm using. There is plenty of fish for everyone that wants to catch them and I don’t have time for games. I don't get hung up on fishing reports on Tidal Fish or any other site and make my decisions based on experience. I don’t care who is catching what were and many times I will turn off my VHF because I get tired of the noise. My train of thought is "Be the fishing report". Not to say I don't pay attention and do my homework, every good fisherman should. I just don’t let outside information cloud my instinct and that has worked for me. If anything the "fishing report" tell's me were not to be. :wink: I respect the fishery and always play by the rules. If I don’t eat it, it goes back even if it’s a keeper. I don’t catch and release Striped Bass because I don’t take the time & money to buy a complete set with barb less hooks. It's not worth it to me and besides it's not good for the fish to drown and handle them. This may sound crazy but I show total respect to the fishery and in turn I have reaped good rewards. It's Karma..or superstition whatever you want to call it.
Good luck this season and I will see you out there! Maybe we could team up one day and give em hell. I injured my back a couple of weks ago and April 18th is kreeping up quick. I have a few small projects / upgrades I'm doing and hopefully will be ready and able.

 

[Megabyte]

Some fishermen will keep everything secret were there going, what there running, what time they are getting there etc...That's not my style. I like to share what I learn and if I am on a good spot I am not afraid to tell were I am and what I'm using.

I feel the same way. My thought is... that was how it was on that day, at that time, and in that place.
Your mission (if you decide to accept it) is to equal or surpass my experience.

I sometimes even post my good experiences on TidalFish.

 

[evetsmd]

With only 4 years of learning under my belt fishing the Bay for strippers, I have no experience using planar boards and it sounds like I should learn. The best way is first hand knowledge. If one of you guys ever has room on board and would be willing to share the knowledge on one of your trips, I be glad to tag along. Clean the boat, bring the lunch, chip in on some gas....I'd be glad to do whatever is needed. I'm retired so if ur ready I can be ready.
Thanks
Steve
Rock Hall, MD

 

[B-Faithful]

Steve, I am trying to fish once a week. Most of the time I go during the week. I would be more than happy to take you out.

MaxOut, I wouldnt be affraid of C&R fishing if I were you. It is rare that we get a bleeder or a fish that isnt green by the time we get it back in the water with the water this cold. I think we have had only 1 bleeder out of the more than 40 fish we have released in three trips this spring so far. We do try to be very quick with the fish in getting them back in the water. We only take a few snap shots of a couple of the fish for memory's sake and they go back in green. I think the mortality of the fish is much less than you would think on the troll. I hope your back gets better and I am sure I will see out of So MD one of these days this spring.

 

[rangerdog]

The thing about trolling is that you almost always get a good clean hook up for a fair release. Greg you are right, rockfish strike up at bait. As far as not telling where to fish or not sharing techniques is why I don't frequent TF anymore. The guys here appreciate sharing and learning together. We should definately plan on fishing together more, I know that I for one am still learning. Besides trolling the bay in the 60s and 70s with my dad, I only started back to Bay fishing 5 or 6 years ago but I have fished with Walleye Pete and learned "Force" fishing now referred to as LTJ and I have fished with CAPT Wayne and learned his spread which I have adopted and modified for my smaller, what I call LTT, spread. I have a lot yet to learn and I suppose some to share.

 

[susqking]

MaxOut, I wouldnt be affraid of C&R fishing if I were you. It is rare that we get a bleeder or a fish that isnt green by the time we get it back in the water with the water this cold. I think we have had only 1 bleeder out of the more than 40 fish we have released in three trips this spring so far. We do try to be very quick with the fish in getting them back in the water. We only take a few snap shots of a couple of the fish for memory's sake and they go back in green. I think the mortality of the fish is much less than you would think on the troll. I hope your back gets better and I am sure I will see out of So MD one of these days this spring.

I thinks its hard to say weather it hurts the fish or not (By the way I'm not against C & R if it's in the bay or the flats) But how many fish are dragged in with their mouths wide open for 5 minutes on the surface, It can't be good for the fish. I don't do much C & R in the spring in the bay, maybe one trip just to get everything worked out before the opening day. As long as it's legal have fun !

 

[MaxOut]

I'm not against or afraid of C&R in the bay it's just not for me. Just for the record you are supposed to use barb less hooks and that’s the main reason I don’t C&R as it is way too expensive to have a set of barb less rigs just for a week or two worth of fishing. I run 18 rods X 2 (double rigged) plus 36 trailer hooks = several 100's of dollars. Just not worth it to me. Besides it's hard to throw back those nice fish when you want to eat them :lol:

 

[B-Faithful]

I hear you on the wanting to eat them. I had a guest from NJ with me on Tuesday and he was asking why we couldnt keep even one per person. I told him that it was so he could keep 3 over 28" per person right now in NJ He thought it was funny and asked if we would honor his "trophy tag" down here :lol:

Barbless hooks arent required in the bay and i dont think the barbs cause a problem. A good set of pliers and some care gets the hook out quickly and easily in most instances.

18 Rods :shock: You got me beat! Maintaining a 13 rod spread is enough coin for me.. :lol: hope to see you on the water soon!

 

[evetsmd]

Steve, I am trying to fish once a week. Most of the time I go during the week. I would be more than happy to take you out.

Kevin.....thank you very much for the offer....I'll stay in touch via PM.


Steve

 

[evetsmd]

Kevin

Sorry Greg...getting u and Kevin mixed up! I'll get the names straight!

Steve

 

[Beaches]

Could someone post a specific site that gives directions for building planner board?

Thanks :?:

 

[B-Faithful]

http://www.downtimecharters.com/Ideas/P ... -plans.pdf