Thread: Using planer boards

Nothing says planer boards are not effective when used within a reasonable distance from your boat.

I always take boat traffic into account when setting out boards but I also expect other boaters to be respectful of my boards. That said, you must use common sense when deciding how far to let your outside boards run away from the boat. Running boards 50 yards out off both sides in a crowded lake will not make you any friends.


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Nothing says planer boards are not effective when used within a reasonable distance from your boat.

I always take boat traffic into account when setting out boards but I also expect other boaters to be respectful of my boards. That said, you must use common sense when deciding how far to let your outside boards run away from the boat. Running boards 50 yards out off both sides in a crowded lake will not make you any friends.


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I run them not to far from the boat and do fine. When spider rigging the baits are relatively close to the boat

The more years that I have pulled planer boards, around twenty five now - the closer I tend to run them to the boat.
People will run through your lines, around here most people have no concept of what you’re doing.
On top of that, cat fish pool noodlers will come dump out all over a flat and make an obstacle course for you.
They still work well closer in. And, less time for the fish to come unhooked.
Nowadays I usually run four boards, outside ones forty or fifty feet out, inside ones twenty or twenty-five.
Then two rods straight back off the corners w no board.

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My state allows for only 2 poles per person. I usually fish 2 in the boat. So your post has cleared up a distance question that I had. Looks like stern poles will be out the corners and the bow poles at 20 ft. Thank you so much. The older I get the more I stew about things like this

I had thought about trying those out, but they seem like a lot of work especially for one person.


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Planer boards should help for those times when you need to fish further away from the boat than the longest rod that you use for spider rigging, and honestly based on trends how we shifted from 10' rods to 12' to 14' to 16' to 18', it doesn't need to be too far out--probably within 15-25' in a lot of cases is enough. If you see the fish scatter from the boat as soon as you approach and then come back in after you pass, then it is a good sign that you need to cast to them from a little distance or switch to long line trolling.