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Planer boards are great for moving your lures away from the boat. The plans below will help you to make your own boards with parts easily purchased from any hardware store. Note that these boards are not designed for use with live bait, they will not pull right. However, they work great when trolling artificials. I have used them trolling bucktail jigs (1/4 to 2 oz), spoons, Vibra-Shadz, Bomber Model A's, Rattle Traps, Little Macs,Big Macs, and other favorite Striper/Hybrid lures. Depending on the lure being used, you may have to experiment with the amount of line out behind the board, the distance you let the board out from the boat, and the speed that you troll. Another option would be to use a weight for ballast that could be moved forward or backward to adjust for the lure weight and depth.
List of parts:
These plans can be used to make either a right or a left side planer board. A right side planer is depicted in the plans. Flip the bracket and the groove to make a left side planer. Cut the wood to size (7.5 x 3 x 0.75 inches). The angle at the front of the board should be 30 degrees. If you do not have a miter saw, the cut is from the front of the board to about 1.5 inches back. Cut the groove in the bottom of the as shown. The groove should be 0.5 inches deep. This is done easily with a router or a chisel. After sanding the board, apply a couple of coats of primer/sealer to the board. Either melt lead or add sinkers (3/8 oz) to the groove in the bottom of the board. If you use sinkers, fill the groove with epoxy or chalking to keep the weights in place. Split shot or small egg sinkers should work, just make sure that they are placed evenly throughout the groove. If you pour lead into the groove, it helps to have a couple of small screws inside the groove to give the lead something to hold onto. If needed, fill the remainder of the groove with Marine Chalk or epoxy so that the bottom of the board is smooth and even. If you poured lead, the lead should be even with the top of the groove. Attach the shelf bracket (1.5 x 0.75 inches in size) to the board at the location shown. Note that the bracket is on top of the board. Insert the screw eye in the back of the board approximately ¼ inch from the bottom of the board. Paint the board with several coats of a highly visible paint. Add a coat or two of polyurethane. A large split ring is used to attach the planer release to the front hole on the bracket. For a less expensive board, you can use a large alligator clip as the release. Use a file to dull the jaws then slip a section of vinyl tubing (available at most hardware stores) over the jaws. Use a small split ring to attach the snap to the screw eye. Finally, take them fishing!!
