04-02-2025, 01:29 AM
I use planers all the time. Whenever we are trolling, we have planers out (provided we have enough people).
I think the mast idea is the only way to fly with planers. Clipping them in-line on your rod/reel is a recipe for losing fish. Every time you put your rod down or someone on the boat goes to take the clip off, you've got slack, and the fish is gone. I hated that.
I made some planer board fishing rods. They are about the size of a kite rod, 2-3 feet. I put a line counter reel on them with 20lb fly line backing.
I use the Offshore planers and basically take everything off of them. I add a mini-Scotty planer board release to the back of the board and tie the backing to the front post on the planer, leaving enough slack to be loosely tied to the back eye on the planer board.
Then I treat the planer board rod just like a downrigger, but for the surface. So I will let line out on my lure with my fishing rod and then attach it to the mini-Scotty release on the planer board. Then, I let both the planer board and my fishing rod pay line out until I get to the distance I want to get from the boat. I tighten the fishing rod down to just the point where it isn't pulling the planer board off its line.
Strike detection is easy. The rod bounces like it is on fire when it gets a hit. Very obvious. And if the fish doesn't pull out of the mini-Scotty release, it's an easy tug on the rod, reel up any slack, and reel in a fish. It actually works really well and minimal investment. It's a portable planer board mast that takes up virtually no space in the boat.
I think the mast idea is the only way to fly with planers. Clipping them in-line on your rod/reel is a recipe for losing fish. Every time you put your rod down or someone on the boat goes to take the clip off, you've got slack, and the fish is gone. I hated that.
I made some planer board fishing rods. They are about the size of a kite rod, 2-3 feet. I put a line counter reel on them with 20lb fly line backing.
I use the Offshore planers and basically take everything off of them. I add a mini-Scotty planer board release to the back of the board and tie the backing to the front post on the planer, leaving enough slack to be loosely tied to the back eye on the planer board.
Then I treat the planer board rod just like a downrigger, but for the surface. So I will let line out on my lure with my fishing rod and then attach it to the mini-Scotty release on the planer board. Then, I let both the planer board and my fishing rod pay line out until I get to the distance I want to get from the boat. I tighten the fishing rod down to just the point where it isn't pulling the planer board off its line.
Strike detection is easy. The rod bounces like it is on fire when it gets a hit. Very obvious. And if the fish doesn't pull out of the mini-Scotty release, it's an easy tug on the rod, reel up any slack, and reel in a fish. It actually works really well and minimal investment. It's a portable planer board mast that takes up virtually no space in the boat.