Planer board setup

The 410 Planer boards are simple to use and offer you the advantage of spreading out your lines and covering more water. They can be trolled with artificial lures, or used to present live bait. Stripers, northern pike, walleye, salmon and trout and just about everything that swims is unsafe from these boards.

In the illustration below you can see how the line attaches to the board. This is the same whether you use live or artificial baits. The clip provided with your board is a single action clip and the deeper you place your line into the padded area, the more grip it will have on your line.

To set a board out you let out the desired distance back you want your lure or bait to run. Then attach the board to your line as seen in the picture diagram below. Your boat must be moving forward in order for the planning action to begin. After you drop the board into the water and begin moving forward, continue to let line out until you achieve the desired distance away from the boat. Engage your reel and set into a rod holder.

When a fish hits the bait, or lure, the line will pull free from the clip. The board will remain attached to your line and will slide freely up and down until you reel the fish to the boat. Small fish may require you to set the hook in order to break free from the clip. You can also reel your line up to the board and remove it. Then continue to reel your fish in. In all cases for my personal use, I like to attach a two-way swivel to my line about three to four feet above my bait. This way I can use heavier main line and a lighter leader for shy fish. The swivel also prevents the board from sliding down to the bait, or hooked fish. When adding weight, do so on your line above the swivel. Since I use heavier main line, the attachment of split shots, or slip sinkers will lesson the chance of damaging your lighter leader line.

To determine how much weight is needed for your line depends on the size of your bait and the depth the fish are holding at. Occasionally, when using artificial lures you may need to add weight. Most of the time you can select a lure that will dive to the desired depth.

In my home area we fish with everything from small shiners to large skip-jack herring and rainbow trout that can top 2 pounds. Although when using the large baits the baits themselves will attain the depth you want and little to no weight is needed.

For shad and shiners we add zero to two ounces to get the bait down. At different times of the year fish inhabit different zones in the water column. For example, during the cold weather, spring and fall months fish (stripers and hybrids) can be found at any depth from the surface to the bottom. I like to run multiple boards and vary the amount of weight attached to each line. I have seen them early and late in the day run the banks in only a foot or two of water and by mid morning observe them suspended in open water 20 feet down. Then again, I have seen them at all depths at the same time. That’s why I like to use multiple lines set at different depths. I’m always in the strike zone that way. This doesn’t just hold true for stripers and hybrid. The same can be said for trout, salmon, walleyes and many other targeted species.

The type of weights I prefer for boards are split shot in the #5 or #7 sizes. This way I can add, or remove weight whenever I choose. DO NOT, crimp the weight or attempt to bite the weight on your line. You only increase the chance of damaging your line. I do nothing more than pinch snug with my fingertips. Slip or egg sinkers will also work, but require you to retie your line to change weight.

Speed is important and is different for using live bait and artificial lures. In most cases with live bait you move just fast enough to plane the boards. Artificial lures on the other hand may require you to troll at speeds of 2.0 to 4.0+ MPH.

Please refer to the illustration diagram below for reference on proper board set-up. If you have further questions on planer board use, or would just like me to help you understand how to maybe become a better angler, my line is always open. I never turn down a friend for help. All my customers are considered friends. Call me at 931-285-2699, or email me at stripermanly@aol.com  Thanks again for your support.