Planer Board Fishing

[Bunky]

Chesapeake Members,

This season I will be fishing in the Chesapeake and want to try running planer boards. What is the preference for braid vs weed wacker line to run the boards; use of Scotty Clips vs rubber bands; method of attachment of board lines to boat; and method of board line storage/retrieval.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

 

[B-Faithful]

I sold my planer boards but I had 800lb mono that came on kite reels from All Tackle. I had scotty clips but rubber bands work just as well.

to me it is isnt worth the hassle and loss of manuverability. I am not a tournament fisherman and can troll 8 lines with out them or out riggers. 8 lines is enough for me to worry about.

 

[Porkchunker]

I built my planer boards from a pattern over on TidalFish.com

When I troll (seldom) I like to use the boards to get my spread wider. In the spring the fish are generally in the top 1/3 of the water column and when you cross them with the boat, they move to the sides...right into the lines off the planer boards. A shallow-running swim-bait (like a Mann's Stretch or Rapala) WWB (way, way, back) of the roof is also deadly in the spring. In the fall when the fish are deeper, I believe 4-6 lines off the transom are sufficient. By the time you get enough weight on the lines hanging off the planer board lines to get deep, the boards start acting squirrelly.

If I had it to do all over again, I'd build a set of folding boards that store easy. Right now, mine reside on the top of the hard-top.

Dave

aka

 

[rangerdog]

I troll (almost) always. I loop a small solid bungee (for shock) on the side of the rocket launcher, hooked to a carabiner, and the carabiner hooked to a crimped loop in the .80 weed whacker line that is hooked (obviously) to the planer. I use carabiners and Scotty Line releases. Although I don't use planers very often they are effective for springtime trolling. Even though I learned from the Master, I need more practice. I also made mine here's a picture of the Beta test deployment. They still need painted orange.

 

[goinsfishin]

If you make your own planers, make them triples instead of doubles. Set each board 12" apart on a 3/4 in dowel. Gorilla glue in place. Stay away ffrom stainless allthread and bolts/washers, adds more weight and isn't needed. Triples ride much bette than doubles especially in the typical Chessie Chop.
It took me three times building planers and experimenting for fit and function before I was happy with the results. Some help from some old-timers and HO'ing with others I finally got the performance I wanted with the size to fit on the roof.
I'll be building a new set this winter and will try to document and post as a project.

 

[MaxOut]

My personal experience has proven to me that planner boards are the bread and butter of my set. More than 75% of my fish are caught on them. Many times I have fished right beside friends without planners and limited before they got the first fish. More and more boats are using them and you are less maneuverable with them but the benefit will outweigh the disadvantages for me. Only when I am consistently catching on the gunwale or working a steep shallow ledge will I pull them in. I have had three sets before constructing my current 5 year old set. I think this will be my last set.

What I learned along the way-

1st- Most of the good fishing times in the Chesapeake Bay are generally breezy cooler times of the year. (Hence the pilot house) Knowing this you want a stable set of planner boards that will not flip in light to moderate chop. This will enable you to fish more often and work with your busy schedule. Just so you know if a planner board flips it switches direction and will create the biggest tangle you will ever want to see. Trust me this is bad.

2nd- Bigger is better. (Ask your girl she will agree) Make them out of 1"X12" boards. They will float better and give you a better grip allowing more lines to be attached. Use the 3 piece method as this will reduce the likely hood of them flipping and keep them further out from the boat.

3rd- Heavy is good. Like a Parker you want your boards to be heavy and stable. Use regular steel all thread and paint it with your boards. It will last for years and save you money. Put large fender washers on all sides of the boards were the all thread passes through. Use stainless for the eyelet as rust may damage your lines and be a nuisance.

4th- DO NOT USE BRAID! You will regret it. It will not last as long as weed eater line and costs as much. There will come a time when you will want to grab you planner lines to miss a crab pot or something and you will need lots of band aids if you use braid. Use the smooth weed eater line .80 or larger if available. Larger line is less likely to tangle if loose on
deck.

5th- Use planner clips attached to a carabineer with stainless key ring. These will last forever and work excellent. Rubber bands suck and rot quickly. These are about $6.00 each and get extras (JJ's tackle in Deal, MD has them pre made they are right next to Tri-State Marine)


6th- I mounted an eyelet in place of one of the screw holes on my rocket launchers to attach the planner lines. Drill through the top and use a large fender washer and lock nut. Remember look before you drill. I run my line in front of the center support on the roof handle then back to the eyelet. This moves the planner line forward and helps it clear my forward gunwale rod in turns.

7th- I use an orange extension cord reel to fetch my planners and clips on both ends to remove the line from the boards. Works great and only $5.00 a piece.


Things to consider.

How many lines do you want to attach to the planners? I can attach 5 lines on each side with 150' planner lines, 125' will give you 4 and 100' 3. If you are only running planers add 1 to each of these figures.


Paint them a bright color so other people can see them! Use a flag if you are going to make the long as they are harder to identify. You can use a bicycle flag and stick into a hole drilled in the top of the outside board.


If you need exact plans I can measure mine exactly and post it here for you. I feel these are the best planners I have ever owned and I have had allot of them. These have never flipped and work awesome!


Hope to see you out there next season! Off to VA beach...No Boards Needed.

 

[MaxOut]

I troll (almost) always. I loop a small solid bungee (for shock) on the side of the rocket launcher, hooked to a carabiner, and the carabiner hooked to a crimped loop in the .80 weed whacker line that is hooked (obviously) to the planer. I use carabiners and Scotty Line releases. Although I don't use planers very often they are effective for springtime trolling. Even though I learned from the Master, I need more practice. I also made mine here's a picture of the Beta test deployment. They still need painted orange.

Nice boards! Looks like your line is attached too low on the planer. Try moving the line above the centerline and it will perform better. The line needs to be out of the water or it may drag in a wave and pull your board over! Trust me I learned this the hard way.

 

[Porkchunker]

The plans on TidalFish call for a board 27.5" long. My first set flipped in the Ches. Bay chop. I made the second set 40" long (double, not tipple boards), and they work great. Only change I'd make would be to make them folding.

 

[Bunky]

Thanks to all for your guidance on planer board fishing. I am ready to build a set of boards but believe I will first give it a try running only 1 board about half the usual distance off the boat with only 1 line attached. Once I am comfortable with running the 1st board we'll see how both work.

 

[goinsfishin]

I agree with Porkchunker that 27.5 inches long is not enough, they tend to jump around and will dive if they reenters a wave wrong. BTW-when planers turtle they go straight to the bottom and tangle the h#ll out of your lines.....guess how I know?
my next set will be 36-40 inches, not sure of the clearance to where the GPS is mounted on the cabin top, and still need to be able to store up ther easily.

 

[BoatRick]

I had a set years ago and let them go with a previous boat, now I want to build another. There is no shortage of plans on the net, but I would really like to hear from someone with a real life endorsement for a particular set of plans. If I remember correctly, the only magic was where the line attached to the board to get it to tow right.
Rick