building a planer board mast.

[rolmops]

I am currently building a planer board mast so I can do some Lake Ontario brown trout fishing next spring and then later on some steelhead hunting.
I have built the boards and currently the mast is being worked on.
For the board lines I want to use the reels of Cannon mini-troll down riggers.They have a good braking system and every revolution is a foot of line.They even have a good handle.
I took one off an old minitroll that I had laying around,but now I am looking for a second reel.
If you have a mini troll laying around that you don't use or that is damaged but still has a good reel, handle and brakes,can you please send me a pm?
Thank you, rolmops.

 

[MRS]

Re: building a planer board mast.

I do have a EasI Troll I will that work let me know and will pm you. It is a older model all works good just can't use on boat I have now......

 

[dingbat]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Pretty common to see old big game reels used as planer take-up reels as well. Fairly cheap and a lot smaller than down rigger wheels

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: building a planer board mast.

you at a point of posting pictures yet? Just curious- I made one all homemade including reels which I need to modify and thought maybe I might get ideas from you!

 

[rolmops]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Here are the plans that I am using.They are not designed by me.They are off the Lake Ontario United web site.

 

[rolmops]

Re: building a planer board mast.

oops double post

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Here are the plans that I am using.They are not designed by me.They are off the Lake Ontario United web site.

Yes- those are the same boards I built.

My only comment is that I made mine of Eastern White Pine and spar varnished them 3 coats- look good and worked fairly well, but they need a little lead flashing nailed on the keels to keep them from jumping out of the water.

I actually didn't run them this year - only ran in-line boards but I MUCH prefer the simplicity of the yellow Offshore shower-curtain-hook-style planer board releases on planer mast boards cuz you can stack so many rods on them (or should I say spread, not stack) and just run out spare releases when you get a release. Then after a few fish, reel in the boards, retrieve your releases, and start again.

Using the Cannon reels will save you from R&D, which is what making my own reels feels like.

 

[rolmops]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Here in NY we can only fish with 2 rods per person,and since I mostly fish solo I don't think that I will ever have a (legal) spread on there.I mostly want to use the boards in early spring when the browns and the Cohos are very close into the shore (5 feet depth) and the boat would just chase them away.Now with 150 feet of planer line out they will never see me come.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Pretty common to see old big game reels used as planer take-up reels as well. Fairly cheap and a lot smaller than down rigger wheels

What kind of line do people use with that type of setup? I like the idea

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: building a planer board mast.

What kind of line do people use with that type of setup? I like the idea

a lot of commercial setups use 130 pound+ test braided stainless, but what I have and a friend suggested was 80# fluorescent green or orange monofilament. This is sufficient for this size planer board AND it gives some shock absorption. Some have commented that they would be worrying about losing equipment (boards) but boards float and I would rather break the line than rip the mast off my boat or heel it over and founder if I get messed up. Two years with these boards and no woopsies.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Here in NY we can only fish with 2 rods per person,and since I mostly fish solo I don't think that I will ever have a (legal) spread on there

That is why {we} are always looking for guest boaters

We can legally run two lines per angler in most Vermont waters, but to really have an educational outing and good width as well as depth coverage we need to see six or eight lines out. Planer boards and dipseys allow it.

So you need any guest boaters this spring? You won't even have to provide and set up the tackle. Hehe.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Michigan now allows three rods per person

After many years of running sliders to get more hooks in the water legally.

With two on board we can now run six poles, 4 on downriggers(with sliders if we want to tempt tangles) and two on planer boards...cover an awful lot of water

I will be getting my SS ready for planer boards and downriggers this spring, hopefully I can finish my restoration and have money left over for gear

 

[dingbat]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Here are the plans that I am using.They are not designed by me.They are off the Lake Ontario United web site.

I just burned a set of those a month or so ago. Way to small for my use. Doubt they would perform very well even in flat water. Too buoyant. Need to use larger lumber (1" x 8" or 10") if they are to be used in anything but a flat day

 

[dingbat]

Re: building a planer board mast.

What kind of line do people use with that type of setup? I like the idea

Typically 200-250# braided line (Power Pro) if running "small" boards. Could get away with a lot less depending on the size of your boards.

A lot of guys like myself are running "small rowboats" (3-board, 1" x 12" x 36" lg.) as planers use either 0.095" or 0.105" string trimmer line. I run 125 foot long x 0.095" lines on mine and use an extention cord reel to store them.

Then there are the guys that run bigger yet. Note the (white) planer sitting on the dock with the extention cord reel between them.

 

[rolmops]

Re: building a planer board mast.

So far the planer boards that I built with these plans work fine for me.I don't have any trouble with wave action and,because of their size, I barely have room to store them on my boat.
If I would use the large one shown on your picture,I would need to tow a small sloop behind my boat to store them!

 

[dingbat]

Re: building a planer board mast.

So far the planer boards that I built with these plans work fine for me.I don't have any trouble with wave action and,because of their size, I barely have room to store them on my boat.
If I would use the large one shown on your picture,I would need to tow a small sloop behind my boat to store them!

I?m not saying you need the monster boards we pull when Striper fishing. All I'm saying is that I built those exact boards and had problem with them flipping when it got rough. Just trying to put you out front of the learning curve but seemed to have offended you in the process.

Flipping a board is not pretty. Keep a knife handy for when it happens.

 

[rolmops]

Re: building a planer board mast.

I?m not saying you need the monster boards we pull when Striper fishing. All I'm saying is that I built those exact boards and had problem with them flipping when it got rough. Just trying to put you out front of the learning curve but seemed to have offended you in the process.

Flipping a board is not pretty. Keep a knife handy for when it happens.

You most certainly did not offend me,so let us not even mention that thought again.
My main concern here is storage space.As for rough weather,I use an open bow 19 footer and trying to steer that with lines out and planer boards riding the waves mostly limits my use of them in under 2 foot waves,forget about whiteheads.Mark mentioned the same problem with stability so weighing them down or stabilizing them with flashing rear keels is certainly a good idea
I do use 200# test bright yellow braided line so the idea of keeping a knife handy is a very good one.
The only striper fishing I do is in the waters off Cape Cod,but there are so many lobster pot buoys out there that planer boards would be instant trouble.
Can you describe what to expect when a board flips?

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: building a planer board mast.

I don't know about flipping but when you toss the starboard planer on the portside while trolling it gets ugly real quick:redface: I'd imagine when they flip they cut back in towards the boat in a hurry but will defer to dingbat on this one.

We have used the otter brand that float over more than cut thru the waves and they have a deep weighted keel that keeps them upright pretty well.

 

[WATERHAM]

Re: building a planer board mast.

Hey Rolmops. I use the Riviera (Offshore) double ski's, and love them. 150lb. is what I would consider standard for "big board" fishing, using triple ski's up to 200lb. tow line is suggested. Put it this way; at about 3-4 bucks a piece having a couple of sets of clips dumped in the water by a snapped tow line would tick me off and take me out of my game. I use the Big jons planer reels, I feel there clutch is far superior to others. As far as storing your boards, look at the offshores and similar models, they all fold up very compact and hardley take up any space. By the way when your boards flip, and they will, it can suck balls. The boards will pull and dive. If you ever fish with inline boards and hook a salmon on leadcore, that board sometimes submarines adding a ton of pressure, well magnify this feeling times ten, make sure your rodtips don't get caught in your towline otherwise you will laugh and cry at the same time as you rods on one side of the boat dissapear forever.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: building a planer board mast.

...My main concern here is storage space.As for rough weather,I use an open bow 19 footer and trying to steer that with lines out and planer boards riding the waves mostly limits my use of them in under 2 foot waves,forget about white[caps].Mark mentioned the same problem with stability so weighing them down or stabilizing them with flashing rear keels is certainly a good idea

I never saw them flip...yet. However, what I had an issue with was the boards would "surge" rapidly jumping ahead and jumping out of the water briefly, dragging back a sec, then grabbing water good before scooting ahead again. I think some wave action and surging *can* be good for lure action, but what I was experience was tangling line in rapala trebles and scooting spoons out of the water, neither of which is good for catching fish. Weighting the keel (bottom) keeps more of the board in the water. Those bright yellow Offshore's do plane nice, but they ride deeper than a wooden board because they have more density, which is probably why they run nice.

Why build your own? Biggest reason for me is I like the mystique of making my own stuff, and I built a pair for pretty cheap. Plus, I don't like looking at plastic stuff and watching those bright varnished pine boards out there makes me feel all John Denver-ey

Another big motivator for me is what I will call the 'social aesthetic.' Sure, you can go spend $600 or so and buy a nice Big Jon mast and boards, but I have less than $100 in my homemade mast and boards. And the side benefit is that the guys who go out and spend the $600 don't always just start catching fish and they think that you do because you know some "secret" you incorporated into your boards when you built them

rolmops, I think you will have no problem catching fish...btw When you can do it without the boards, having the boards only helps!

I do use 200# test bright yellow braided line so the idea of keeping a knife handy is a very good one....

I would just reach over and free-spool the reel, kill the motor, clear the lines, and winch the sucker back in. Never had to do this yet though. The only board trouble I have had is catching up on weeds with inline boards.