Planner Boards on a Pontoon

[MBM1969]

Has anybody ever tried using planner boards when trolling on a kick boat with a trolling motor? I have thought about using trying one to fish a spinning rod and a fly rod at the same time. I like the idea of the spinning rod line being out to the side and not interfering with the fly line. Will the slower speeds of a kickboat allow the planner board to work?

Mark
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Lift, thrust and drag. Planer boards will pull out to the side if you are going fast enough...and there is not enough drag (lures) to pull them back in. Fast enough is about anything over .5 mph. If you are trolling fast enough to make a crankbait wiggle you are trolling fast enough for a planer board to work.

You can definitely use planer boards from a motorized 'toon. But the main reason boaters use them is to get the lures away from a noisy boat. It is true that some fish will even shy away from a quiet boat with an electric motor...but not as much.

If you rig up two rod holders out from your toon at about 45 degree angles there should be little problem with tangling two lines. I do it all the time on my motorized float tube. I and I fish either two spinning rigs on one spinning and one fly rod...if I am working the crappies and wipers at Willard.
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[pontoonman]

[quote TubeDude][#0000ff]Lift, thrust and drag. Planer boards will pull out to the side if you are going fast enough...and there is not enough drag (lures) to pull them back in. Fast enough is about anything over .5 mph. If you are trolling fast enough to make a crankbait wiggle you are trolling fast enough for a planer board to work.

You can definitely use planer boards from a motorized 'toon. But the main reason boaters use them is to get the lures away from a noisy boat. It is true that some fish will even shy away from a quiet boat with an electric motor...but not as much.

If you rig up two rod holders out from your toon at about 45 degree angles there should be little problem with tangling two lines. I do it all the time on my motorized float tube. I and I fish either two spinning rigs on one spinning and one fly rod...if I am working the crappies and wipers at Willard.
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I have use TD method with 2 rod spinning holders for many years, and sometimes just that can be a challenge. Like 2 weeks ago when I barely landed two feisty 20" rainbows hooked at the same time. Dealing with a planer board would have made it more complicated and difficult. Planer boards may help noise factor, but it seems like they would disturb the water pattern around trolled lures, scaring away wary fish. With either method, trolling 2 lures can be a tangling issue if not running in a straight line or when turning, as well as when debris tangles in the lures sending them off kilter.

PM
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Like every system more complicated than fishing a single rod with a single lure it requires some preparation and some practice to make it work efficiently.

The concern about "disturbing the water pattern around trolled lures" is not a problem. Normally you let out an amount of line behind the connection to the planer board that will allow the lure to run a ways behind...without any disturbance or interference. You determine the drop back distance by how deep your lure runs and how much line you need...at what speed...to get it where you want it.

Tangles are another issue...especially in a tube or toon. I too have had two fish on at once and had to do some fancy maneuvering and rod handling to avoid losing one or both fish. Freakout time while it's happening but great memories and a lot of self laughter later.

Fortunately, if you set up and work a planer board right, it should reduce rather than increase the potential for tangles. Easier to keep one line well out from your craft while you deal with a hooked fish on the other.
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