Master How To Use Planer Boards Like A Pro Angler

Planer boards are hydrodynamic trolling tools designed to take baits and lures horizontally away from your boat, allowing you to cover a wide swath of water and prevent line tangles. By clipping your fishing line into a spring-tension release mechanism on the board, you can spread multiple lines across a 50-to-150-foot path on either side of your vessel to target suspended gamefish like walleye, striped bass, and salmon.

Essential Equipment Checklist for Trolling with Planer Boards

Executing a successful offshore trolling spread requires precise preparation, specialized hardware, and a thorough understanding of hydrodynamic drag. Without the proper gear, boards will dive, flip, or fail to release properly when a fish strikes.

• Essential Gear and Rigging: Inline or mast-style planer boards (left and right specific), heavy-duty trolling rods (8 to 10 feet with moderate-fast actions), line-counter reels spooled with 30- to 50-pound braid, heavy fluorocarbon leaders, rubber-padded board release clips, and towing masts if using flag-style planer boards.
• Prerequisite Knowledge and Safety: Understanding basic boat control, maintaining a constant forward trolling speed (typically 1.5 to 3.5 miles per hour), mastering the release clip tension adjustment, and knowing how to execute wide turns without tangling your spread.
• Benchmarks and Specifications: Budget roughly three hundred to eight hundred dollars for a complete four-board setup including rods and reels. Plan for a setup time of 15 to 20 minutes before deployment and maintain an average deployment distance of 50 to 100 feet from the gunwale.

Step-by-Step Trolling Workflow for Deploying Planer Boards

Step 1: Set Your Lure and Let Out Initial Line

1. Begin by lowering your preferred trolling lure, crankbait, or inline sinker into the water column off the back of the boat.
2. Engage your line-counter reel and let out the exact amount of line required to achieve your target depth behind the board. For example, if you want your crankbait running 50 feet behind the board, let out precisely 50 feet of line before touching the planer board.
3. Keep the rod tip high and maintain light tension on the line so the lure does not snag the bottom or foul on surface debris while you prepare to attach the board.

Warning: Never attach a planer board to limp, slack line. Always maintain slight tension to prevent the line from wrapping around the board's tow arm during deployment.

Step 2: Attach the Planer Board to the Fishing Line

1. Take your inline planer board—ensuring you select the port board for the left side of the boat and the starboard board for the right side.
2. Open the rear release clip of the board and place your main fishing line inside the rubber pads, then snap it shut.
3. Open the front tow arm release clip, place the line into the clip, and secure it. Most inline boards feature a pin or a sliding bead system on the front arm; ensure the line is seated securely behind this barrier so the board cannot slide all the way down to your lure.

Pro-Tip: Adjust the tension screws on your release clips so they hold firmly during normal wave action, but release cleanly when a fish strikes or when you give a sharp jerk on the rod.

Step 3: Deploy the Board into the Trolling Spread

1. Point your trolling rod toward the water and slowly feed line off the reel while the forward momentum of the boat pushes the planer board outward away from the gunwale.
2. Continue feeding line smoothly until the board reaches your desired lateral distance from the boat, such as 75 feet out.
3. Engage the reel clicker or lock the reel drag, place the rod securely into a heavy-duty rod holder mounted perpendicular or slightly angled toward the stern, and monitor the board's flag or surface tracking.

Step 4: Retrieve the Board and Land the Fish

1. When a fish strikes, watch for the planer board to drop back, stall, or aggressively dive beneath the surface.
2. Grab the trolling rod from the holder and reel steadily while walking backward toward the transom of the boat to keep the line tight and pull the board toward the side of the vessel.
3. Once the board is within arm's reach, grab the line just behind the board, pop open the rear and front release clips to detach the board completely, and hand the board to a partner or place it safely in the boat.
4. Reel the remaining fish-fighting line directly to the rod tip until the fish is close enough to net.

Planer Board Specifications and Comparison Matrix

Common Trolling Failures and Field Fixes

• Planer Board Flips Over on Its Side
  
  
  • Root Cause: Trolling speed is too fast for the current board design, or the towing arm is improperly adjusted, causing the hydrodynamic keel to lift out of the water.
  • Actionable Fix: Reduce your boat speed by 0.5 miles per hour increments until the board rides upright, or adjust the tow-arm eyelet slightly forward to change the attack angle.
• Fishing Line Keeps Slipping Out of the Release Clips
  
  
  • Root Cause: Wave action is violently shaking the rod tip, or the rubber pads inside the release clip are worn down, slick, or wet.
  • Actionable Fix: Tighten the tension adjustment screw on the clip by a quarter turn, or dry the line and pads with a microfiber towel to restore friction.
• Board Slides Backward Down Toward the Lure
  
  
  • Root Cause: The front release clip is not properly seated behind the safety pin, bead, or rubber stop on the tow arm.
  • Actionable Fix: Ensure the line is locked securely behind the retention pin on the front arm before letting the board slide out into the spread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which side of the boat do I put port and starboard planer boards on?

Port planer boards are painted red and are always deployed on the left side of the boat when facing forward. Starboard planer boards are painted green and are deployed on the right side of the boat. Deploying them on the correct sides ensures the hydrodynamic design pushes the boards away from the hull rather than diving underneath it.

How far out should I run my planer boards?

Most freshwater anglers run inline planer boards anywhere from 50 to 150 feet away from the boat depending on water clarity and boat spook factor. In clear water, run boards further out to keep baits away from engine noise and hull shadow. In stained water, shorter distances between 30 and 50 feet provide better line control.

Do I need to take the planer board off when fighting a fish?

Yes, you must detach the planer board from your fishing line once the board reaches the side of the boat during a retrieve. Leaving a heavy planer board attached while trying to net a fish creates unmanageable drag, tangles lines, and risks breaking your rod or losing the catch.

Can I use planer boards with monofilament line?

Planer boards work with both braided and monofilament lines, but braided line offers superior performance. Braid has a much thinner diameter and zero stretch, which allows release clips to grip more securely and transmits strike detection instantly down the length of the rod.

What size trolling rod is best for planer boards?

Use dedicated trolling rods between 8 and 10 feet in length with a moderate-fast action and a heavy backbone. The extra length helps keep your lines elevated above wave crests, prevents tangles, and absorbs the shock of heavy waves pushing against the boards.

Master the art of offshore trolling today by equipping your boat with high-performance planer boards to dramatically increase your strike zone.