Fishing planer boards will be around for a while, whereas many anglers utilize them. You believe the majority of them ignore them completely. You can see why some guys don’t want to bother with your trolling because it adds a lot of extra “effort.” However, numerous trolling applications necessitate the use of planer boards…let it explain. In this blog post you will know the best planer boards for walleye.
What is a Planer Board, and how does it work?
Planer boards are essential instruments for getting the steel cable back out to sea for a better term. Planer boards are crucial when you’re trolling lengthy flats that stretch for miles. Users cover a lot of other ground.
Running a chain of planks off for every side of the Great Lakes, for instance, is extremely common. They’re trolling endless primary basins, so use as much as you can to increase your chances of getting a bite.
There aren’t many long trolling runs in my part of the woods. Plus, each angler is limited to two rods. You rarely use more than two planer boards for such a purpose.
You prefer to run low and deeper with the planer boards to determine what depths have active fish quickly. It’s often wise to trim the boat to that deep and adjust the panels as needed if you’re receiving more activity on the boards than on the boat rods. The key is planer boards’ effectiveness, allowing you to find fish rapidly and run as many hooks as feasible within this zone.
Planer Boards: How to Use Them
Maintain the rod tips elevated in the pole holders while utilizing planer boards. The rope will go directly towards the planer board, avoiding lingering in the river in this manner.
You may need to wrap the fishing line twice to avoid slipping, relying on the piece of string you use and the hooks on the board. It can use Power Proline for trolling, which is the worst line for all of this. You can also buy stronger clips, if possible, based on the board brand. For the brands, It will explain below.
Use changeable flags on the boards whenever possible. These are commonly called “tattle flags” because they allow activity from the lines to be mirrored on the banner itself. Thus, if the lures strike the bottom, get stuck on weeds, and so on, the flag can interpret it all. When using planer boards, this is a must-have tool.
Before laying out the boat paths, always lay down the planer boards first. It may appear simple, but it is simply a method of avoiding knots. If you’re using numerous planer boards, begin from the outside and work towards the boat. It’s an excellent idea to carry and modify rods once you get a catch on the deck if the fish isn’t behaving the way it ought to.
In waves, don’t be scared to utilize planer boards. It’s difficult to duplicate the prevent action from the panels to the bait!
The Favorite Trolling Boards are listed here:
DreamWeaver Ninja Planer Boards
The boat’s latest toys are now the Ninja Planer Boards. Why? So, let it explain.
For boards, you have always been an Offshore person. You’ve been this way my entire life. On the other hand, Offshores requires the purchase of two additional components to render them complete. The Ninja planer boards feature everything you could want out of the package. The significant clip (the front black clip) is SOLID. It doesn’t slip on any of the walleye fish hooks you’ve tried it on. Many boards have this problem, and you will have to double the clasp to keep it from slipping (You find it annoying).
It also includes a tattle flag mechanism. But it’s a one-of-a-kind design. Typically, the signs are up against when the bait moves; however, all are down with the Ninja boards. As your lure attracts attention, the flag rises like a frozen flag.
The flag also has three tension settings that you can adjust based on trolling. When you run leadcore on the boards, you put the tension to the maximum because the weight tends to draw the flag up—a straightforward answer to a common issue.
The release is the best feature of these planer boards. It has a button on top that releases the fishing line from the front and behind. As a result, removing the panels is as simple as it gets with these (no close second, honestly).
So many have been utilizing this lot recently with various trolling rigs, giving the planer boards a THOUSAND PERCENT RECOMMENDATION.
The only disadvantage of these panels is knowing how to use them. It requires just a few attempts to figure out the most effective method, but it’s one of the board’s only flaws once you do.
Planer Boards for Offshore Use
Offshore planer boards are the way to go if you want a tried and true planer board. I’ve been using them for a long time, and they’re always reliable. The sole disadvantage is that they aren’t ideal for large musky lures. For that, you’ll need a giant board. However, these planer boards are fantastic for walleyes.
You could go on and on, but take the word for it. Purchase one and pit it with another board! You do, however, make two changes to the Offshore planer boards:
All of the boards have the Offshore Tension Release Clip installed. Power Pro is what you use, and it eliminates planer board slippage. They come highly recommended by me.
All of my boards have the Tattle Flag System installed. As previously said, it helps me detect what’s happening about the bait. The tattle flag approach works effectively for weed whacking, little fish, reaching the bottom, and similar situations.
Many have used Offshore planer boards in almost every application imaginable. Longlining, base bouncers, lead-core, and even small to medium-sized musky baits have proven effective. These are a little on the pricey side, but they function.
Church Tackle TX-22 Boards
When you want to attempt a planer board that isn’t as expensive as the Offshores, have the Church Tackle TX-22.
The boards are created differently from the Offshore boards for a handful of considerations.
First and foremost, you prefer this one over the rivals because of the tension flag mechanism. You can easily adjust the tension by dragging heavy bottom bouncers or big baits. That appeals to me.
Secondly, and when you utilize these, this is a tip. The load on the base of the planer boards is forced forward by design. Instead, return the weight to its original position. This permits the boards to ride higher in the surrounding water, making a significant difference inside the waves.
Overall, with a few tweaks, they ride rather well. If you don’t want to employ Offshores, this is probably your best option.
PROS: Excellent flag system, user-friendly design
Cons: It needs some work right out of the box, and the primary clip isn’t my favorite.
Church Tackle Mini Planer Boards
It was recommended by a friend who uses them frequently, so you gave them a shot. Because they’re so tiny, you only use them for smaller and superficial crankbaits.
You also prefer to use these in calmer weather because they bounce and dip in solid waves, rendering them difficult to read. However, with that stated, they’re great when you understand when to utilize them.
You usually use this one on the river, fishing these simple planer boards with floating Rapalas over sandbars. They’re quick and straightforward to click on and off, plus they spread out a lot. It’s not terrible to have as a backup board in your boat.
PROS: Low-cost, easy-to-store, and simple-to-use
PROBLEMS: Doesn’t work well with profound crankbaits or large waves.
Boards for Opti Planer
These were suggested to you by a friend, and you’ve tried and tested a pair. Of course, You tried them because they were free.
In general, they functioned well as planer boards, although they lacked the strong line clip you used. We double wrapped the line because it slid down the track to the lure if we didn’t. These boards are reasonably price, coming in at roughly 50percent less than that of the competitors.
Pros: It’s very affordable and straightforward to use.
Cons: There is no proper flag system or line clip.
There are numerous more brands available. You’re also intrigue about Yellowbird planer boards, but you haven’t tried them yet. The clips and signal system appear reliable for a reasonable price right out of the box. You didn’t include them in the review because you haven’t used them yet. They may be a future purchase.
After everything is said and done, planer boards will always be valuable items to have in your boat. If you’ve never used these before, they’ll take some getting use to, but then when you do, you’ll be using them all the time.
Choosing a Planer Board for an In-line Planer
There’s an in-line planer board for every eventuality if you’re trolling a large or little water body. In-line boards are a fantastic item to use this year, from casting small trout baits to copper cable and in-depth diving stick baits. Here are a few of the most excellent in-line planer boards available, along with the methods that work well with them:
Boards for Yellow Bird Inline Planers
Yellow Bird Inline Planer Boards are pretty affordable. The minor variant is ideal for slow-running tiny trout and panfish lures and shallow-running walleye stick baits in little lakes. Walleye and many other big gamefish lures with running weights are suitable in medium and large sizes. The pricing includes the tattle rating system is the genuine value in the two larger sizes.
Planer Boards for Church Tackle Walleye
The Church Tackle Walleye Board best Planer Boards for walleye is ideal for a wide range of trolling applications for trout and walleye. This board hangs nicely on a rough lake and could handle hard tugging stick baits with a bit of weight counted. These planer boards also have an adjustable keel weight to ride smoothly in lying to rough environments. The Board Planer Boards for Walleye from Church Tackle are extremely simple to remove from the line.
SST Pro Mag Planer Boards by Off Shore Tackle
SST Pro Mag Planer Boards from Off Shore Tackle are the ideal big water in-line planer board. It’s design to use with anything so that you can use it with stick baits, dipsy divers, or lead core. These boards have hefty clips and pull firmly, making them suitable for monofilament and braided lines. A stationary flag is also included for enhance visibility. If you need a large water planer board for a modest spread of rods, this is the board for you.
In-Line Sides Planer Board for Off-Shore Tackle
The In-Line Sides Planer Boards from Off Shore Tackle are the most famous in-line planer boards on-demand today. These boards have sustained prolonged use in turbulent conditions while also performing admirably on calm days. Deep diving baits can employ this lure, and now even five different colors of lead core, and they ride well in heavy seas.
TX-22 Special Planer Boards by Church Tackle
TX-22 Special Planer Boards from Church Tackle are the best versatile planer boards in the marketplace. They can take diving baits and weights and ride well in choppy water. Unlike many others of its kind, this planer board is convertible and can use on either the starboard or port side. Whether you choose to utilize the TX-22 as the mainboard or not, bear in sense that it provides an ideal backup if one of your other boards breaks or gets into trouble.
Church Tackle Stern Planers
The Church Tackle Stern Planers are unlike any different planer boards for walleye on the market, and whether you use in-line planers or not, it should be part of your arsenal. This board can assist you in fishing flat lines behind the vessel and keep track of your line. They operate well in both calm and turbulent water, and they let you set flat bars different back while maintaining a small line length between the lure and the planer.
Reviews of the best planer boards for walleye in 2022
Many anglers utilize trolling when fishing in the sea or a large body of water. While searching, the best planer boards for walleye are a piece of valuable support equipment. Planer boards allow you to extend the reach of your fishing line.
Using these boards also makes locating fish and bait in deep and shallow water much more accessible. New 8″ Medium Planer Boards from Yellow Bird Fishing Products has redesigned is the top choice. There are many more boards on the list, some of which are lime green and others in color.
Typically, the boards come in two sizes: one that is regulated and another that is larger. In the buying guide area, there are many more talks regarding this.
Yellow Bird Fishing Equipment The New 8″ Medium Planer Board has completely redesigned: ABS plastic, quite robust. There’s also a red tattle flag on it.
Spring Flag System: (P007, P009) Krazywolf Planer Boards features a bright yellow hue with five tension spring slots and changeable tension springs.
Off Shore Tackle’s SST Pro Mag Planers Board has OR16 red clips and an OR18 blacks release. A red fixed flag is also supplied.
Opti Tackle 593 Medium Planer Boards with Right Corkscrew, Multicolor: The fixed, folding additional flag clips are included on this soft green planer board.
Grip clips and just a strike flags kit are included with the Gator Board Planer Board. For nighttime fishing, an LED light is provided.
Church Tackle The Walleye Board: is a light board with a bright orange hue covering more excellent water.
Walleye trolling using planer boards
Why are planer boards so essential and valuable during trolling? There are other reasons, but we’ll stick to the top three for the sake of keeping this inside the typical person’s attention span.
1. They separate your lines from the boat
In Wisconsin, you can fish three lines per person, implying three trolling lines. So, if we had two people, we’d have six lines in the water. Six lines stacked up behind a boat, as you might imagine, is a catastrophe waiting to happen. By stretching the lines out per side of the ship, planer boards eliminate this twisted, tangled, and snagged horror.
2. They alert you when you’ve taken a bite
During trolling, the boards will run in a standard configuration of the boat’s sides. When a fish hits a line, the board will fall behind the others due to the weight of the fish. The tattle-flag system is one modification available on the OR12 boards. It’s a spring-loaded flag that may be pushed down from the board. When a fish strikes if the line becomes snagged or clogged with trash. It’s a fantastic system, and I strongly advise spending the extra money to update your Offshore boards. Here’s a great video of some Offshore boards in action, as well as what to look out for when it comes to strikes!
3. They enable you to stagger each line in the water column
All serious trollers recognize the value of being able to scatter your lines across the water column to locate active walleye (which is a topic for another blog!). You can target a particular depth with each line by spreading them out, with the highest flowing lines on the outsides and the depths on the interior closest to the boat.
