New to planar boards

[ducks and bucks]

I was hoping to get a little info on using planar boards. Haven't tried them yet, just unsure on what I might need. As far as size, are the mini's better for crappie than the regular size? Are bites easy to detect when fishing jigs? 6 or 8lb test line? What size jigs should I use? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, any help would be great!

[Tommy Skarlis]

The best on the market: Off Shore OR-12's. (bigger ones) the smaller ones help detect really small fish better - but for the majority of my crappie fishing I prefer the OR-12's. Accept NO substitutions either - you will only need to purchase the boards one time if you buy Off Shores. To answer your other questions - I use 10lb Trilene XT - it is the line they use for all of the crankbait dive curves. As far as jig size is concerned - whatever you usually use - just clip the board on where the line in one of your standard trolling scenarios enters the water. When we took second in Florida this year - we were using 1/32 and 1/16 ounce jigs - but using in-line diving weights called tadpoles. Keep the questions coming!!!

[wicklundrh]

Off Shore boards.. end of story!!!

NickD is a member on our site. Him and his father are the owners of Offshore boards. If you have any specific questions, I'm sure they have no problems answering them for you!

[yikess]

Do the mini boards sink when you stop?

[Tommy Skarlis]

Do the mini boards sink when you stop?

No - they do not.

[NickD]

I was hoping to get a little info on using planar boards. Haven't tried them yet, just unsure on what I might need. As far as size, are the mini's better for crappie than the regular size? Are bites easy to detect when fishing jigs? 6 or 8lb test line? What size jigs should I use? I know I'm asking a lot of questions, any help would be great!

We are getting ready for the Lake of the Ozarks Crappiemasters and will be pulling cranks behind #1 Tadpoles at .9-1.1mph with both The OR-12's and the OR-34 Mini boards. We like to run the OR-12's (the bigger ones) on the outside and the Mini's on the inside. The Mini boards are pretty sensitive to a bite, but the full size ones will get farther out to the side. A big benefit with the OR-34 Mini is that if you are just starting with planer boards, you can use them with any rod. You don't have to have a stiffer planer board rod to use them. As far as what you can pull with them, your options are unlimited. Any bait you can pull through the water will work on the boards. They work from a slow crawl all the way up to a Musky speed. If you check out our YouTube channel in my signature, there are a lot of videos showing you how to run both boards for Crappie, as well as other fish but the theory is still the same. All you are doing is getting your baits away from the boat and each other so they don't get tangled. Why mess around with an 18' rod long lining when you can use an 8 footer with a planer board and get 100' away from the boat? Once you get the hang of it, they are pretty simple to use. If you get some boards and have questions, send me a PM and I'll get you my contact info and we can work through any issues you have learning how to use them.

[chulai1968]

I have 12 & 14 ft b n m pst's will these work for pulling the or12.
Thanks.

[M R Dux]

Do the mini boards sink when you stop?

Not trying to start a disagreement with anybody here.

The OR34s will float flat on the water when stopped and will try to dive when you start moving again if you don't lift the nose of them up. I took one inch round foam insulation, cut it to the length from the back of the angled part of the board to the rear of the board, slit it 2/3 of the way thru lengthwise, and glued it on with white gorilla glue. This allows the board to ride higher on the top edge when stopped. Haven't had any issues since I converted all of mine this way.

I've had folks here PM me asking about this very issue. I like the size of the board and the features. Mine just work better now after tweaking.

[Bunk]

mrdux, do you have a pic of your modification?

[M R Dux]

Not a work of art by any stretch of the imagination but it solved the issue I was having. This round insulation is what we taxidermists use for reproducing bird necks. It should be available by the foot at a building supply company. The flor paint is flaking off but so what?