Planner boards vs. Outriggers

[WalleyeHawk]

What are the pros and cons on boards vs outriggers?? I recently purchased a pair of Off Shore boards with the tattle tails, is this better than using outriggers on a 18 1/2' boat used in fresh water lakes??

Thanks for any info!!

The Walleyehawk

[FreeByrd]

Can't really picture any advantages of Outriggers for an 18 1/2 foot boat. Didn't realize you could even put them on that size boat and if you did they would almost always be a hassle - storage - securing them when running, trailering, etc.- not to mention the cost factor. Planar boards allow great versatility and the ability to get much farther away from the boat and run multiple lines on each side of the boat.

[Reel Naughty]

If you do put outriggers on the boat send out some pics. It seems like they would be as long as the boat!!

JD

[perchjerker]

they have telescoping riggers for smaller boats. I think they are about 20ft long extended.

but you still cant get the same spread or run multiple lines line Freebyrd mentioned. And you cant run anything that pulls much off them either.

[K Gonefishin]

I have seen the small portable ones in Cabelas I would think they would be good for running 4 sets of lead if your inside rods are nice and short, aside from this I don't think there are any advantages at all, learn to run the inlines you won't regret it they work awesome all the time, lots of programs you can run off of them also, jet, cranks, inline's with spinners, bouncers, just about everything but big dipsey's. Make sure you get planer board specific rods with counters, having the right stuff to run them makes them alot easier to run and use once you get used to them you will always want to run them expecially with cranks, they are the only way to go. No big mass to worry about either, if you need to run and gun nice an easy to pull them in to switch locations.

[trouser trout]

the problem with outriggers is for freshwater fish you are trolling on average 2.2. When the fish hits and the clip releases you have a full one second of slack line. You can get away with them in saltwater because you are trolling on average 8mph and the fish are traveling much faster

[Raybob]

-to me it would just be another pair of F'-lines w/o all the advantages of a presentation 'pulled behind a PB. Also they would be a cluster 'phuck to work around if you also wanted to put out a pair of PBs w/your Gull-wing F'-line spread in place w/a 2nd Angler on board...

[j9f]

I had a set of outriggers on my last boat. I kind of wish my current boat had them. It would cost over $1000 for a nice set with 18' poles. You can buy a lot of inline boards for $1000.

I used them all the time for walleye fishing when I had them. I ran a 5' piece of aluminum with a big jon pulley on top which I fed my planer board tow line through. That was the best "big" planer board set up I ever had. I had the hard top mounts that I could swivel out.

I'm one of the few guys where I salmon fish that doesn't have outriggers. I really can't figure out why they need them. Most of the time they run dipsies off their outriggers. Aside from the snap of an outrigger clip being one of the coolest trolling sounds you'll ever hear next to a screaming drag all they do is give you a little more separation for your dipsies.

You can also run leadcore off an outrigger, but at 15-18' off the side of the boat a dipsy set on 2 or 3 with any line out will be underneath it. That almost guarantees a tangle when a fish hits the diver.

[perchjerker]

you would have the same problem running big boards.

[FreeByrd]

>I had a set of outriggers on my last boat. I kind of wish my
>current boat had them. It would cost over $1000 for a nice set
>with 18' poles. You can buy a lot of inline boards for $1000.
>
>I used them all the time for walleye fishing when I had them.
>I ran a 5' piece of aluminum with a big jon pulley on top
>which I fed my planer board tow line through. That was the
>best "big" planer board set up I ever had. I had the hard top
>mounts that I could swivel out.
>

J9F,
Do you have any pics of your setup in action or even just at the dock, etc. I have one of the few Contenders without outriggers since I ordered it from the factory to fish on Lake Erie. I've experimented with a few different setups for my planar board masts and have a good program now, but if I order another boat down the road I will probally get the outriggers just for the resale and thought I could rig up a nice setup using a short section from the ourtigger base.

Thanks,
Steve

steve199132@yahoo.com

[j9f]

I couldn't find very good pictures of the set up, but I'll send you what I have.

[h]

I tried a Church portable outrigger on my 16fter ($20-25). It was pretty cumbersome the few times I used it & didn't put any extra fish in the boat. In-lines are way faster & easier IMO.