how to rig a planer board?

[fencekid971]

i'm thinking about adding a few planer boards to my trolling set up and was wondering if anyone has any experience with them. how do you go about rigging them to your line? do i need a seperate line to the board, them my line off a quick release clip on the board? or is the board just hooked to my line, so once a fish hits i have to reel in, unclip the board then proceed? i will be using them mainly trolling for the wipers in willard, nothing mutch bigger than that. i know i can increase my catch with these boards. just looking for some rigging tips.

i'm thinking of the "yellow bird" series
peace
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]I'm glad you asked this, fencekid971, 'cause I've had the same question for quite some time now, and I've heard that they are very effective at Willard since the water is so shallow. Going out to the side of the boat a ways supposedly doesn't spook the fish as much. I know that some of the guys on here use them. Hopefully somebody will answer this tomorrow.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Use the in-line planer boards. I prefer the Offshore boards over the yellowbird. I also upgrade the black medium releases to heavy red release so the board doesn't come loose from your line when a fish hits or you're trolling in snotty conditions.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Boards are not hard to use. You'll know all you need to know in 10 minutes of using them. Yes, you'll have to reel in and release the board at the boat then reel in the fish. This is no big deal. You may also have to go to a little heavier rod to accomodate the added pull from the board when trolliing. Especially when trolling at speeds of over 3.0 mph.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Get'em, you'll like them. The boards will put a little added action on a lure especially when there is a little wave on the water.[/size][/black][/font]
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[iconoclasticPaul]

Planer boards are fun to use especially if you have a two-pole permit.

It is not just for shallow waters, it's for all waters especially walleyes who are spooked by the passing motor overhead, whereas they move way to the side of the boat.

Before you throw it in the water, you have to have at least 15-25 feet of line (with the lure attached), then you clip your line on two planer board clips (preferrably red clips for maximum strength). Then you are ready to throw it in the water but be careful not to foul your line.

What planer boards does, while you have to keep a tight line, it will move away from the boat, but keep it right on the side of the boat about up to 25-40 feet away, not behind the boat.

You have to keep a eye on the orange flag, if it goes down or flips to the side, (FISH ON!) You have to always keep a tight line to bring in the board, unclip it to free the line for the fish fight! It's easier if you had a partner to unclip the board, this way you are paying attention to the rod.

While planer trolling, with a two pole permit, you can let out another line straight behind the boat to ensure maximum fights! Imagine two fish on at the same time! Hee hee, imagine the scenario!
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[kokeking]

good topic..as i will be using planer boards for the first time soon my self.BLM and i had a nice talk about planer boards at the expo(thanks again for the info) and what he just said is the same thing he told me.Up grade to the heavier releases and in ten minutes i will know all i need to. Hopefully i will get a chance to try them this weekend at the gorge.
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[BigBuck3333]

fence kid i use them quite a bit at willard i hook line in first relese straight then make a loop. around secound and clip to release you will know when you have a fish cause it will ethier akt real goofy or it will pass your boat up in havy waves it is diffucult to tell if you have a fish unless the planner passes you . wipers love them .
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[Elkoholic]

Hey BLM or Paul, have you guys ever tried the Big John brand of planner boards? How do they compare to the Offshore? I saw them down at Hooked the other day, but James said he had not tried them. A friend of mine has some little cheap ones (not sure of the brand) he bought at Sportsmans and they work good as long as the water is like glass. Any waves and they are done for. I'm going to get some this year and was wondering what are the best brands.

Also I just watched an episode of In-Fisherman and they were using planner boards for walleye and trout. They mentioned that the trout rigs used a smaller board than the walleye rigs. Is there a need for that or will one size work for everything?

Thanks.
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Like I said before, I prefer the Offshore in-line planer boards. I'm sure Big Jon makes good stuff so I wouldn't be surprised if they were just as good. Cannon also makes a very similar board.[/size][/black][/font] [center][url "http://www.offshoretackle.com/"][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][inline or-12.gif][/size][/black][/font][/url][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Offshore in-line Planer Board[/size][/black][/font][/center] [center][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/center] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Personally, I see no reason for different size boards. There are a ton of ways to rig in-line planer boards. You can rig different ways for different species. At $25 a pop, one set is plenty. You can also rig to match your conditions and presentations.[/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]One big problem with using heavy releases is that you can drag a small fish around for ever and never know it. Going to lighter releases is a double edge sword. It will release on smaller fish but when it releases you have to go back for it, I'm sure there are more guys than me than have lost boards in snotty conditions when a board releases. [/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]A way to use lighter releases and not lose your boards is to replace the rear release with a swivel snap. Remove the rear release and attach the swivel snap to the eyelet on the board. When you attach it to the rod, run your line through the eye in the swivel. then slip a bead on the line and tie on a swivel. You can then add 2'-3' of leader then tie on your lure.[/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]This keeps the board permanently attached to the line. When the lighter release releases, you simply reel in the fish as the line slips through the swivel eye. When the board hits the bead, it keeps it from hitting the fish and possibly knocking it off. [/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The pain in the butt comes when you are letting your line out. You have to hold the board while you release your line. When you get it out to the desired distance, you then clip the line to the one release. [/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font][/left] [left][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]There are tons of articles on the use of planer boards on the internet. A simple search on Google or Yahoo can keep you busy for hours checking out all the sites. Like I said earlier, once you have an idea of how to use them, it will take you 10 minutes to understand how they work. [/size][/black][/font][/left] [center][/center] [center][/center] [left][/left]
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[nomoose]

would love to help but I cant help much. I got some new ones last spring and let someone from the board use them before I did. we sence them I haven't seen them or him. even after him telling me a few time he was on the way to bring them back.
and if I dont get them soon I'll let everyone know who he is, and put the shame on him. but I hope I dont have to take it there. It's kind of because he is a well liked guy on the board.
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[Kent]

I have used planer boards extensively on Willard and occasionally on other waters (they even work well on Strawberry). I own both the Off Shore and the Church Tackle boards. For calmer waters I prefer the Church Tackle ones because they are smaller (thus less drag and easier to reel in). If I can catch fish without using them I always leave them stowed away. They can be a pain to reel in, especially if you have the misfortune (and you will) of having one dive on you. But at times they can make the difference between catching none or many fish. And I agree, if there is a chop on the water they will definitely add more action to your lure as the planer board jumps from wave to wave. One plus that hasn't been mentioned is that, because they move the lures away from the boat, they help prevent lines from tangling with each other during turns while trolling.


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