Planer Board Questions

I’m looking to step up my planer board arsenal. 98% of my fishing is on P4. I troll fairly often (especially with lead in the summer). Although I’ve used them in the past with fishing partners, I’m looking to make a move to use them more often on the flats to spread lines. I run 3 lines with leadcore, but would like the option to run 4 when I have multiple visitors with. Now for the questions:

1. What boards should I get, and is the tattle flag system a must? (All walleye and sauger, no Great Lakes fishing)

2. What are some cheap rods to use? I currently have 3 leadcore setups and 3 long line setups with PowerPro. I’m guessing it would be smart to get some designated planer board rods?

3. Is monofilament the way to go? I’ve used both mono and braid in the past, but it seemed mono gave me fewer issues with the clips?

I use the Church brand TX-22 boards with upgraded front clamps and upgraded sstl rear pin (both a must with braid). Why Church boards? Because that’s what I have. I don’t find the Off Shore brand any better or worse and I’ve used both. I think you’ll find the base majority use Off Shore.

Both have the same accessories and upgrades.

When using braid with Church boards, you NEED to twist the board 4-5 times on the rear pin. This prevents any slippage. They will never slip when you do this.

I use braid backing on my LC now. With the bow in the line from the boards and LC, I prefer less stretch to get a better hookset. It has been working better for me than with the mono backing. Higher hookup percentage.

As far as the tattle tale flags, it’s going to be personal preference. I personally have very few issues with shakers, but others will say it’s a must. I say, if you’re letting your line soak for more than 30 minutes without a getting bit, you aren’t trying. No tattle tail flags for me. Plus, you are essentially taking a $30 boards and making them $100 boards when you add in upgraded clips.

Oh yeah, cheap rods.

I like the Shimano TDR. Great value at under $30.

I’ve used Off Shore boards (OR12) for the last 25 years, prefer them over Church boards in how they run but agree it’s mostly personal preference.

The Off Shore boards should all now have the upgraded red rear clips (OR16) but if you find an older model, it’s worth it to upgrade that clip.

Braid vs mono is also personal preference – I like mono because I’m cheap plus I like the stretch and don’t have any issues losing fish because of it but you can keep your PowerPro and you’ll be fine. If you use braid, I wrap the line around the front clip once on Off Shore boards to prevent slipping.

Agree with cheap trolling rods under $50 a piece, I always use M action with line ratings somewhere around the 10-20 range and agree the TDR rods are nice for the price. Whatever rods you currently use for your 3 long line PowerPro setups are probably fine, you don’t need a specific “planer board” rod.

Tattle flags are useful but there’s a learning curve with them, I’d advise to start without to learn how the boards are supposed to run and what to look for when dealing with weeds/debris/shakers. I have personally run tattle flags about a dozen times in my life total and find them most useful with slow trolling speeds (under 1.8mph) in cold water.

Hope this helps, good luck.

I use church boards also with braid. I use the clips they come with and twist a loop in my line on the front clip to keep it in place. For the rear pin I make my own out of brass, just a personal preferance, I have had the plastic ones break from handling in the past. No tattle flag for me. I run magnum boards on the outside with flags just for visibility and smaller boards on the inside. The big boards are usually just for days with bigger waves.

Here’s some really good info nd mods for your inline boards.
https://bloodruntackle.com/inline-planer-board-modifications/