Planer Boards

[BoarBuster]

Will someone explain the use & design of planer boards to me.

[jimp]

Planer boards are used to move the bait/lure away from the boat and can run the lure at set depths, and you effectively cover more water in one trip down the shoreline or creek channel, etc.. You don't need 10 - 16' rods, as the planer board itself will pull the lure away from the boat, the distance is controlled by the amount of line let out. boards are designed to run on the right side or left side of the boat, can use as many as you want and can handle. Other boaters may not see the boards so they could ruin your day if you want to run 'em real wide.

You tube or google can be a good friend to have.

[Tommy Skarlis]

jimp covered it pretty well - I'll try to expound. My partner Kyle Steinfeldt and I used Off Shore's OR-12's (big board) with the tattle flag kit to win the Crappie Masters National Championship (Cory and Cody Batterson took second using them as well) - they were actually the key to winning - we couldn't catch a fish close to the boat - so we spread the lines out as far as we could - most of our bites came form the outside lines. The fish must have been boat shy? Planers boards will "drop back" when a fish hits - with the tattle flag - the flag wiggles or "folds back" indicating you have a strike. In the last event at Ratbun, IA - we used the little Off Shores (OR34) because of the smaller crappies - they are easily detected on the smaller boards.

Another aspect of planer board fishing - it is more fun for some that usually get "bored" with trolling - the board is a visual aid that people can watch and stay somewhat more entertained with than just a rod tip.

The Off Shore OR 12's are Bright Yellow with a Bright Orange Flag that are highly visible to you and other boaters - but courtesy and awareness of others come into play - so if another angler starts to "approach" your "spread" - best to reel them in closer to the boat "just in case".

Off Shore's youtube sight - as well as their website - have a lot of information as well - and you can always pm me if you would like!