Planer boards

[Marty McDonald]

I am looking at getting into planer boards. I would like to find out what recommondations as to what I should look at when buying boards.

Thanks
Marty

[fshrman-r72]

I use the Off Shore Side Planer Boards. They are the Yellow ones available at most sporting good stores that handle fishing equipment. There is also a kit called the flag kit and when a fish is on, the flag goes down. The boards usually come with the flags but you have to buy the flag kit to get the flag to go down when a fish strikes. Get ready for some fun. If you know someone that trolls I suggest you go with them and find out how to use them. It is not a matter of just attacheng them and putting them in the water.

Church also makes planer boards but I do not know anything about them except they seem to be a little less expensive. Good Luck and have fun.

You might want to look at some line counter reels also. They are very helpful in setting the distance of the bait behind the board and also how far you want to have the boards from the boat.

My Dad always said
"When everything fails read the directions"

[gunrac]

Are you wanting inline or big boards to run multiple lines?

NEVER APOLOGIZE....
AS IT SHOWS SIGNS OF WEAKNESS
HAWG ON, SEA YA

I think I want to go Inline. Being a rookie I don't need to confuse the issue

i have used them all ,from yellow birds (junk) ,to church (great),offshore (very good),big jon (o.k.),as well as masted sets. if you want to troll cranks on erie big boards and a mast are the best way to go.you can run 10+ rods and go long distances without changing your setup. inlines work good but can be a hassle to set up and you need stronger gear to pull the boards.on big boards you could use a snoopy rod and a zebco 33 if you got enough line on it.i like inlines for pulling leadcore to the side and sometimes pulling spoons with snap weights. the way they skip thru the water attracts fish.

[Priority1]

Like the Post above I like running big boards on the big water. With 4 or 5 people on board, you can run 10 rods NP. With a 20 ft + boat it's the way to go. I like using homemade rubberband releases, like the flags on the inline boards the rubberbands can telegraph a fishon. Some times the larger eyes are the light hits. They will take it and swim with the boat.

[gunrac]

LOL. I think you can learn one as easy as the other, simply because I an't got a clue on using an inline, but I can set up a swat 400' wide.


NEVER APOLOGIZE....
AS IT SHOWS SIGNS OF WEAKNESS
HAWG ON, SEA YA

[ETT]

Off Shore in-lines are the most popular, but either Off-Shore or Church boards will do nicely. If you fish 2 guys most of the time and 3 only occasionally in-lines are the way to go, because they are quicker to set up and break down.
If you fish with 3 or more onboard most of the time, then the big boards would be beneficial.
If you intend to run Fireline or any superbraid the Off-Shore need the snapper release added, the Church board comes with a suitable release.
Good luck. Start with only a couple lines on each side, drive straight and TUNE YOUR LURES!!!