Planner boards and top water

[MuskyBug85]

We have all caught fish trolling cranks and we have all caught fish casting and trolling topwater prop baits right? well I was laying in bed thinking about things that worked last summer and i thought to my self troll a crank on the break and put a topwater on a board to clip over a big flat. if you can talk a buddy into coming along of course. What do you guys think ? Jonah

[Random guy]

Tourneys have been won that way.

[cjac]

Jon,

Is there much of a trick to running planers for musky? Or is it pretty straight forward? Mose curious as to what size boards, etc.

Let me guess, talk to the guys at Thorne Bros and they will set me up? Looked on their site, I see many options.....

[Random guy]

The big double boards work nice and strong line clips are a must. Be willing to make many return trips to pick up boards from false alarms. I did try running a second line to retrive the board when they came unhitched but it just turned into one big tangled up mess.

Plus if you have any wave action at all the boards won't handle any of the bigger baits.

Maybe some of our Wisconsin members will chime in on this. Those guys are trolling pros. It is actually a science or art form in Wisconsin.

[RK]

If I'm not from WI can I still chime in?

I run boards quite a bit for muskies, throughout the season. Two seasons ago, the first fish in my boat in the spring, and the last one out in the fall, were both taken on boards.

Once you have the setup right, it isn't really too tough.

First and foremost - the right boards. For inline boards, about the only ones that are worth a dump for pulling muskie lures are the Mr. Walleye boards. The yellow Offshores, or the Yellow Birds - even the Big Birds: no good. They swamp, or just plain bury and pop off. The Yellow Birds bury like you can't believe, and as bad as the boards themselves are, the releases they come with are even worse. (I have a couple Big Bird boards for sale - anyone want 'em? ). The release on the Mr. Walleye boards work very well.

Second thing - works best with mono. Superlines and boards are a PITA. Releases don't hold and slide down or pop off, and you're forever resetting lines. Just use mono - trust me. Plus, with the Mr. Walleye Boards, or any other board where the release is clamped tight they may not pop right away, you have to reel in the board before you get to take it off (more on that in a second). Having the mono is like having the fish on a big rubber band - very forgiving. I lose VERY few fish once I hook one on a board rod. I've used either 20 or 25# Berkley Big Game for years for board rods. Never had a problem. From what I'm told Berkley XT or Stren Super Tough also work well.

To set up the boards, the Mr Walleey Board has this funky pin thing on the back of the board that holds the line in the back. Then it gets clipped into the release. The board also has an adjustable weight on the bottom - slide it all the way up. When a fish hits (which is neat as heck - lots of times the board just disappears), if the front release didn't pop free (it does maybe half the time) DO NOT fight the board like a fish. Just keep your rodtip low and slowly and steadily reel the board to you. If the front release didn't trip, a quick yank on the line will pop it, then lift the pin to release the back of the board and then fight the fish. If it DID release, fight the fish like you normally would till the board hits the top of the leader, then just pop it off by pulling the pin. Works better with two people - one pulls the board off and the other fights the fish - but manageable with one.

What to pull behind boards? I pull all sorts of stuff from 10" Jakes and Ernies to spinnerbaits to topwaters. I can drag Ernies around all day and not have a board bury, even in 2-3' waves. Catch a lot of fish off boards on Bomber Long-As and Super Stalkers that run about 3 feet down. Shallow Invaders and Sledges are good board baits too. Play around with length back with different baits. Common set for me with 3 in the boat will be a Sledge in the prop wash, a Jake or Shallow Invader 50' off a board, and a Jake 100' off a board, so I'm covering surface (more or less) to about 16'. That's an open water set obviously...

Couple other board/open water trolling observations:

- with multiple boards, run shallow baits outside and deeper ones inside - unless it's topwaters then they can go wherever.

- boards do better on bright days, down rods/prop wash do better with some clouds.

- I catch FAR more fish going with the wind than against it with boards.

- open water fish are a lot higher in the water column than you think - and not just muskies. Catch a lot of nice walleyes on Long-As 3' down behind boards.

- when you see ciscoes skipping around your boards, get ready

- only had one muskie hit a board, and he actually took it down for a few seconds. Pike whack at 'em a lot, but never muskies except that one time. I don't get it either...

- I'm serious about the mono. Superline + boards is a headache compared to mono.

Just some thoughts...

Cheers,

RK

[Brett Erickson]

For once, I have to disagree with RK. He has a lot of good info, but 90% of the year I run 100# Tuffline Plus for trolling. Offshore boards work best for this, but you must replace the releases with the red OR-16 releases (like in the Snap Weight Kit). These are a lot heavier and have a plastic pin that runs down the center of the pads. Put your line behind the pin and they almost never come off. I like the Spectra fiber because I tend to pull some pretty big baits on these (14"Jakes, 13"Grandmas, even Wishmasters) and want the no stretch properties to help set the bigger hooks on these baits. When I do troll mono, it is late in the fall and I bump up to 50# Big Game to take the abuse of rocks and handle the big baits.

As RK said, deep water fish will suspend high in the water column. Boards are a great way to control depth. A 13"Grandma will go 25'+ on a flat line. Put 30' or less out behind a board and that same bait is running within 10' of the surface. A big minnowbait running close to the surface puts off a ton of flash that both shallow and deep fish can see and respond to.

As far as trolling topwaters and crankbaits together, make sure you find baits that compliment each other as far as their speed range. Magnum Lowriders, Tsunamis and Husky or Magnum Hawg Wobblers are some of the few topwaters that work well on boards. The Hawg Wobblers and Tsunami are very slow baits and need a crankbait that can run less than 2mph. Jointed cranks, soft plastic swimbaits or Slammer's 10"Deep Minnow will work at these very slow speeds. The Magnum Lowrider will work all the way up to 3 or 4mph depending on how much the blades are cupped.

One fish, so many ways to catch them (or not). Hope this helps.

Brett Erickson

www.thornebros.com

[cjac]

RK, you may not be from Wisconsin but you're welcome to chime in!

My primary concern is with the terminal tackle, getting the right set up, ensuring I have boards that spend the time running, not boards that I'm running after, resetting, etc. Considering this is an effective nighttime application, I want my equpiment to cooperate as much as possible and heandle the Jakes, Grandmas, etc. Mr Walleye boards are the way to go, eh?

As for super vs mono, sounds like Ford vs Chevy being debated. I have always trolled with mono for all species, feeling that I like that stretch and would not want to rip out the hooks on the superlines. Brett: why do you switch to mono late fall and not stick with the Tuffline? Curious as to your thought process.....

Looking for a couple nice 8 ft glass stick to troll with, got my eye on a couple. That long makes them a little tough to sneak into the house!

I see myself taking a nice long ride around the lake and doing some experimenting!

[RK]

Heya -

If I were pulling big baits a lot I'd probably use the superlines too Brett - and those Offshore releases are pretty decent. Makes sense to me. For most of what I do I do still prefer mono though. The 20-25# I use is open water however. If you're rattling rocks, go heavier for sure, although 50# mono is kind of miserable stuff. Hey - anyone at the shop seen the new big Offshore boards work yet - the red ones? They look like they may actually work ok for muskie lures.

Cheers

RK

[big musk411]

Has any one tried the otter boards with the mast set up? I was thinking about adding it to my rig this year. You can fish 2 lines in one of my favorite muskie waters and I think it will be the key.

I got a pair of the cheip boards[forgot what kind] and they dont do too well with big baits.

[Random guy]

Good info guys! I would like to thank both RK and Brett for giving us some great tips and ideas for planer board applications.

[RK]

Hey Big Musk...

Mast and ski setup works just fine. Run shower curtain rings with the Offshore releases Brett mentioned above. Mast and ski is nice if you're running a lot of lines, or if you're in big waves or pulling bigger baits. The downside is they take some setup and teardown time when you want to switch from trolling to casting, and when you aren't using them they take up a fair amount of storage space. Great if your boat has the room, but... I really think when you're running 2 -3 lines and garden variety baits, a mast/ski is overkill - but they do have their advantages. If you've got them already, no reason not to try them out.

Cheers,

RK

[Brett Erickson]

Just like you have set-ups for bucktails, jerkbaits, swimbaits, etc. you should have set-ups to fit the different trolling applications. RK's set-up for the baits he is using in open water is ideal and the Church Walleye board is the best for using with mono. The set-up I mentioned with Tuff-line would be the next rig to use for bigger baits.

I switch to 50# mono late in the fall when the air temp gets cold enough to freeze the water that is retained in the braids of the Spectra fiber. I like the 50# not only for its abrasion resistance, but also for its diameter. I do not like to drag my baits deep and the larger diamter has more drag in the water and keeps my bait up higher in the water column. I've used Berkley's Big Game and Yozuri Hybrid and like both of them. The Big Game tends to handle a little better though. I know Gregg Thomas uses 50# Magna Thin most of the year.

As far as mast vs. in-line boards, I have run both and prefer the in-lines. The mast system does take a while to set up and get used to. It is a big pain when you want to do some run-and-gun trolling. Also, you have to make a lot more gradual turns than you can with the in-lines. I have also had some problems getting good hook-ups. They work best when you are planning on running more than 4 rods and they will spread your lines further than in-lines. One of the main reasons I run in-lines (other than better hook-ups and easier to use) is that they tend to give your bait more action as the board bounces through the waves. With a mast system, this action is dampened by the mast line.

Haven't got to try the red OffShores yet. If I remember right, they are calling them their "lead core board". They are bigger to accomodate the drag of lead core and should work great for muskies. Only problem is that we are still waiting to see them from our distributors.

One little trick that I picked up from Gregg Thomas is if you are planning on doing any night time planer board trolling, drill a small hole in the top of your board just big enough to firmly hold a little (1" to 2")glow stick. Besides being a visual reference as to where your board is, it also does a number of different things. First, if your bait gets weeded up you will know because the board will stop bouncing as the bait is not working properly. Second, if the board happens to pop off you can easily go and find it. Last, if you are running mono, the board will be pulled under long before your drag goes off when a fish hits due to the high amount of stretch in mono. Just like night time bobber fishing for walleyes--watch the bobber go down when you get a bite Time to get the rod out of the holder and hang on! (It has been a long winter. I can't believe I just equated muskie fishing with walleye fishing )

Brett Erickson

www.thornebros.com

[Random guy]

Quote:

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(It has been a long winter. I can't believe I just equated muskie fishing with walleye fishing

)

Brett Erickson

www.

thornebros

.com

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You need to get out of store and do some fishing or something to get that out of your head!

[Cooter]

Hey Jon, think I'm gonna try row trolling with planer boards this year - what ya think? I just hope my masculine prowness doesn't provide too much speed for the boards and lures to handle

Seriously, I'm gonna do some 3 line trolling this year - either two in rod holders and one planer or two planer and one in rod holder. Now I just need some cute little musky girl to drive the boat while I struggle with 3 lines Cripes, that would make 6 lines!