Planer board features, advantages are easy to learn

Planer boards push against the current, and by using line clips and swivels, they can carry trolled or drifted baits well away from a boat, allowing a tremendous amount of water to be covered by a spread of baits.

According to guide, Justin Whiteside, planer boards are primarily employed when an angler uses an electric motor to move a boat on a specific course at a specific speed.

“Boards are built to move either left or right away from the boat, so you’ve got to use the proper boards on each side of the boat,” Whiteside said. “By spacing the boards at different distances behind the boat, fishermen can use multiple boards on both sides. Thus deployed, anglers have the advantage of multiple baits presented on a single drift on both sides of the boat, all working in unison.”

Whiteside said planer board hookup is easy. Get your boat up to speed and let out the bait or lure to the depth you want to fish with weights, if desired, added above a leader with a swivel.  Different boards may have slightly different configurations, but take the fishing line and clip the swivel clip around the line. Then attach the line release, often a device that resembles a clothespin, to the line. Place the board in the water, keep your rod tip high and let out line until the board moves out to the desired distance from the boat. Place the fishing rod in the rod holder and repeat for other rods. Put the longest lines out first.

Instructions usually come with planer boards and plenty of videos and instruction is available on the internet.

When a fish strikes, Whiteside said it’s like fighting any other fish. If the strike frees the board from the release-clip it’s still attached to the line via the swivel clip, and it simply slides down the line as line is retrieved. If the board does not free on the strike, simply unclip it when you reel down to that point. This allows it to slide down the line and be stopped by the swivel at the leader so it doesn’t interfere with the fish.

About Terry Madewell 805 Articles
Award-winning writer and photographer Terry Madewell of Ridgeway, S.C., has been an outdoors writer for more than 30 years. He has a degree in wildlife and fisheries management and has a long career as a professional wildlife biologist/natural resources manager.

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