04/04/2000
- Article
Planer Boards
For Dummies
Nobody
disputes the value of small in-line planer boards for crankbait
trolling. Boards help you spread lures wide from side to side when
searching for scattered fish. The fish might be suspended or roaming
flats. Boards also let you run crankbaits right in to shallow fish,
without having to float your boat over their spooky little heads.
But a lot of people don’t use planer boards, because they don’t
know how to recognize when one of their lures has picked up a bit of
weed, or a small fish has bit and is being dragged along. Even big
fish that bite sometimes provide such subtle clues that the
untrained eye remains clueless.
The
use of planer boards adds a layer of complexity (at least perceived
complexity) that many anglers decide they don’t want so they miss
out on a lot of fish. As with many other areas of modern life,
technology to the rescue. We aren’t even going to go into the
traditional way of reading planer boards. Let’s skip right to the
latest tricks, and a couple new gadgets that have ushered in the era
of Planer Boards for Dummies.
Line
‘em up
One
trick the best planer board trollers are using is to fish four lines
at once (you must, of course, have enough anglers in the boat to
allow four lines). Rod holders, positioned two on each side of the
boat, really help. The line coming from the forward-most rod holder
will become the outside line. Its planer board will be let out
farther to the side than the line closer to the back of the boat,
which is the inside line. The forward-most (outside) line will also
feature a shallower-running lure (even if it’s only slightly so)
than the inside line, in case a big fish bites the outside line and
drags it over the inside line.
The
key to success with this setup is to line the two-planer boards up,
so at a glance you can tell whether the formation has been broken,
even slightly. When one of those little soldiers falls out of line,
says Rapala pro Ron Seelhoff, you reel it in, because you know
something is up. That something might be a bit of weed or moss on
the hooks of your lure. It might be a small fish that got hooked.
Or, it can even be a big fish that bit the lure, and is swimming
along with the boat.
Set
a clicker trap
For
this next trick, your trolling reels have to have a clicker feature,
with which you can set the reel to free-spool and adjust the
tension. Bruce DeShano, a pro fisherman and owner of Off-Shore
Tackle (makers of planer boards) taught us this one. Get the board
set out where you want it, says DeShano, and then set the reel to
the clicker mode. Adjust the tension on the free-spool until the
reel can just barely hold the planer board from pulling out line.
It’s about right if a few clicks come off the reel when you go
over a big wave or gun the engine.
Now,
when you get any extra load on the boards (such as weeds on your
lure or even a small fish), you hear a click-click-click as the line
goes out. I’ve gotten to the point where I can tell whether it’s
a walleye or a sheepshead by what the clicking sounds like. This
clicker trap method works well when you have only one board out each
side of the boat, at night, or anytime you have to face into the
sun.
Use
a Tattle Flag
As
promised, technology to the rescue. Offered as an accessory and
widely available, the Tattle Flag looks about like the flag on your
mailbox, and operates like a reverse tip-up to indicate strikes (or
any increased tension) on a planer board. Similar to the clicker
trap example, you initially set the tension on the spring-loaded
flag to match the tension placed on the line by your lure. Then, any
time even the slightest change occurs in the amount of tension, the
flag tattles, letting you know that line may need attention.
When
you get a fish, says Rapala pro Scott Fairbairn, the flag pulls down
and disappears. There’s no question about it any more. And another
thing I’ve noticed that has really helped me in tournaments is
that fish often hit the lure really hard in some cases but don’t
get hooked. Then, a couple hundred yards down, you’ll see another
strike, and this time you got the fish. I think they keep following
it after the initial hit a lot of times. Not only does it help me
stay ready for the second strike, but it helps me know where the
fish originally came from, which may be the location of a bigger
school of fish.
Add
a night light
Another
accessory available is a blinking strobe light that clips to the
board, or even the flag. The light makes night trolling with planer
boards possible (although the clicker trap can also be an effective
night weapon). The days of long-winded descriptions of what a bite
looks like on a naked planer board may be over. No longer is it
necessary to log hundreds of hours studying those little fluorescent
ships, earning a degree in diagnosing the difference between just
your lure and any increased tension.
Put
these tricks and tools to use this season. The advantages of in-line
planer boards are obvious. And now the additional bites that come
with their use can be obvious, too. Note: These articles are
provided by the Rapala Professional Advisory Team. Join the Rapala
Fishing Club, and help shape future lures!
You get a prototype lure and become a Field Evaluator! You
also get 6 issues of “Profile,” the Club publication, and two
different decals. Cost is $12 in the U.S., $17 in Canada, and $25 in
all other countries. Send membership dues to: Rapala Club, Dept. SC,
POB 581126, Minneapolis, MN 55458.
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