Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014 - 8

Selecting the Right

Planer Boards
by Ross Robertson

photos by the author

Planer boards have arguably become one of the hottest
fishing accessories for anglers across the country. Most
known and used by Walleye and steelhead anglers, they
have found their way into the boats of striped bass, crappie
and musky anglers.
Planer boards excel in a variety of circumstances, which
is most likely why anglers have accepted them so well. They
spread out lines and cover more water.
With planer boards, you can get lures in front of reluctant
fish without fear of the boat disturbing them. Putting the boat
in 30 feet of water and running your lures up on top of a break
in less than 10 feet of water can be a huge advantage. This is
particularly an advantage when fishing at night, over weed
beds or in clear water.
Likely the most overlooked benefit is that planer boards
can take the surge that the boat creates out of the equation.
A rod placed in a rod holder right at the boat causes the lure
to react to every little surge and turn the boat makes. This
can be an advantage some days, but most days having the
planer board to act as a shock absorber or almost bungee
cord to your lure can ensure that the lure doesn't look like
its having a heart attack in the water.

Choosing

You wouldn't use a musky rod to fish for panfish, and
the same is now true for planer boards. The increased
popularity has caused manufacturers to offer multiple models
specifically designed for different trolling scenarios. This finetuning allows you to have the power you need to troll larger
presentations or the subtlety to see even the lightest bites.
Walleye boards: While called Walleye boards and
originally designed for Walleye fishing, many steelhead
charter captains on the Great Lakes use these planer boards.
The reason is simple. They perform well in nasty
waves. An adjustable weight allows you to adapt
these planer boards for different water or
load conditions. When using lighter weights
or when looking
for lighter bites
associated with
Walleye fishing,
slide the weight
back one or
two notches.
The spring tension on this
double action flag kit causes the flag
to go down with light pressure from small
weeds or even the slightest strikes.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2014

When steelhead
fishing, anglers
often move the
weight forward to
lower the nose of
the board.
TX-22: This
perfectly balanced
board runs
upright even
when not moving.
This allows
for increased
sensitivity when
Pictured here are the four planer boards discussed.
chasing Walleyes
or other species that bite light. It has enough beef to pull
crankbaits and loads to about 3 ounces, but most Walleye
anglers use them to troll spinners. Add a double action flag
kit to aid in seeing light bites, weeds and small fish. This
adjustable kit allows the flag to go down when bites occur.
TX-12: A lighter tackle board is great when you don't need
to troll large gear. It is very sensitive, and the compact nature
also keeps from disturbing fish in shallow and or clear water.
They work great for trolling in and around break walls or
near shore structure.
TX-6: This unique board is used by crappie anglers for
trolling small baits suspended over open water structure or
by small river anglers for various species of trout. Anglers
wading have used them with much success to get lures
away from both themselves and structure. Crankbaits
can be moved in and around log jams or other structure
without hanging up.

Use

The inline planer boards described above are simple to
use and require no additional equipment. Big boards or
those that require a mast system can be both expensive
and take up a lot of space and special rigging. Inline
boards are simply clipped to the line after you have left
out the amount of line you want in the water. You just let
out more line until it has "planed" away from the boat at
the distance you desire. An angled face and the forward
motion of the boat make this possible. The "tow line" is
the main line from your reel.
The next time you hit the lake, give planer boards a
try. The increased options of planer boards allow you to
find something that will work for many fish species in
lakes, rivers or reservoirs.

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014

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