How To Make A Poor Mans Downrigger: Catch More Fish Using Planer Boards!

[@joe-i5n]

My new favorite way to planer fish!! Caught a Wahoo this past Saturday using this method. Thanks for the info!!

[@jvjoe4376]

Question, did you fight the fish on the same line as the planner rig or was there a quick release clip attached to planner?

[@rashedalmarri6993]

hey man i notice u stopped posting for a while, i just want to say how happy i am and grateful for your work and sharing of information. Your videos have helped me to catch alot more King Fish and more importantly to enjoy the fight with them one they disconnect from the rubberband. dont think your message and help didnt go far, im from the united arab emirates in the middle east and i thank you for your videos and wish you would continue.

[@jerryoconnor6770]

Exceptional educational video how to. I bought all the equipment today and will probably use it Friday (10/23/2020). I will let you know the results. We have a lot of Spanish around now and I have been doing very well, but it doesn't feel like fishing. I want them on the rod where I can feel them and this should do the trick. Many thanks for this excellent presentation.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Thank you! Yes this will bring the sport factor back into it for you especially on light tackle. I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes for you

[@paultew7087]

Will cover adding the lure to the planer again with the rubber and and line swivel 🙏🏼👍🏼. Many Thanks

[@lvitch]

Ahhh. This answered all my questions! Thanks man! I'm excited to get on the water and put some kings in the cooler!

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Any time!

[@Rumchumfishing]

Why did you stop making videos?

[@jerryoconnor6770]

Been laid up for two weeks because of the wind. Finally got out yesterday for the second attempt. I made the following changes. I bought a sack of #16 rubber bands, used a medium/light spinning rod with a bait runner reel. I set the reel on bait runner until a strike then I went to the regular drag. Now the down side. Hurricane Eta dumped tons of trash in the water along with tons of fresh water and the water was murky and full of floating matts of trash. My first strike was a 6" by 8" piece of heavy duty black plastic tarp. I had to pull in twice to release trash. After 45 minutes of trolling I caught a 10" Spanish Mackerel. The rubber band broke, the bait runner started screaming immediately and the switch to regular drag was perfect. Thesystem worked perfectly. The planer hooked to the boat took all the pressure off the rod and was a very pleasant experience. I can use the planer, pull it in and switch to other types of fishing in minutes. I marked my line so I know when the leader is close to the planer and the lure 60' feet back. There were no birds at all and conditions could not have been much worse. I was grateful to catch one fish just to watch the system work as planed. In better conditions, I expect this to be my go to system for trolling for mackerel. I think the lighter rod will handle a king if it isn't too big and I have enough line to play it. I have 30# braid but the leader is probably light. This system is inexpensive, long lasting, easily stored and put to use when called for. Perfect. Thanks so much. In addition, with all the problems with the trash not once did I have a tangle. A little care when you let the lure out and there are no problems.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Thank you for the detailed experience! I'm glad it worked out so well for you. It's a great system and I hope you catch many fish using it

[@javierguerrero4938]

Went out today 5/01/21 and I was able to assemble everything last night the same way you should on the video. Killed the Mahi-mahi and for some strange reason they where only hitting planer. Thanks it’s now going to be part on my spread.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

That's awesome! There are certainly days my planer line gets hit more often than surface lines. Usually the bigger fish hit that one too

[@jvjoe4376]

Great post. Question, are you fighting the fish with the planner? Or is there a quick release attached to the planner, which your main line to your rod can actually fight the fish separately from planner rig?

[@richardgregory9777]

Great how-to videos. Thank you!

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful! I appreciate the comment

[@tracythompson9909]

Can you use a carabiners to connect to the boat and also to planer?

[@PetClipdog]

Thank you. VERY GOOD VIDEO!!!!

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

I appreciate that

[@charlesfoglio7183]

Could you use a snap swivel on the planer end so you can change out planners

[@douglasdalton5571]

I wondered the same thing. Did you ever try it?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Yes you can but you're creating a weak point and risk losing your planer. If you choose to do that make sure you choose a good quality snap and keep an eye on it

[@befmx31]

Very well explained. Thanks.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Thanks for watching

[@jerryoconnor6770]

I forgot to add, I bought much better swivels and it did fix the line twist problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Out of all fishing tackle I believe swivels are the most important thing to buy good quality vs cheaper brands. It makes a big difference

[@ltmdangle]

How far behind the planer do I let my bait out? 25 yard 50 100?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

100 feet is my go to

[@samuelcrumbaugh2307]

Why 2 swivels between planer line & rubber band? Could you not girth hitch band to ring on swivel then girth hitch to main line, then clip to planer line?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

The second swivel is there only to keep the fishing line away from the planer. It's to prevent line fray

[@kirkmcpherson4684]

Scott, how many feet of mono do you recommend for a #2 planer? Thanks.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

100’

[@essiecoolman2738]

Really educational thank you

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jerryoconnor6770]

I have two questions: 1) When you let line out, can you feel when the clip hits the planer? You say to let 100 feet of line out, does that mean you are actually fishing 200 feet behind the boat, one hundred feet to the planer and another 100 feet? 2) If you can reel all the way to the lure, how do you stop the twist when fishing a Clark spoon? Tomorrow is trial day. Thanks

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

You cannot feel when the clip hits the planer. Yes you want to let out about 100 feet of line then hook up to the downrigger line and let out another 100’ if that’s how long your downrigger line is. You will have to either guess it right or mark your fishing line. Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you only let out 50’ of line your bait will still be below the surface. If you let out too much line the excess will just bow in the water creating slack. Adding a good quality swivel about 10’ away from the Clark spoon helps a ton with line twist.

[@timwedemyer7980]

Thanks for a great how to video. Question: instead of the plastic bead could you use a small egg sinker ?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

I haven’t done that but I don’t see a problem with it. Keep it very small

[@maz227]

Can you rig this with a snap swivel on both ends? I’m thinking what would work great for me is to rig 2 lines of different lengths and I can use them with different planers. Snap one end to a cleat and the other end to the planer. Think that would cause any problems?

[@tri160jmpr]

I have the exact same question.

[@quickblapps]

It should be fine, once you have the bead a foot above the swivel! Thanks for the idea, I'm going to try it this weekend as you've described.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Yes you could do that and shouldn’t have any issues. A snap swivel is always a weaker point though so make sure you get a strong high quality swivel

[@jerryoconnor6770]

Well, I tried it out and had a few problems. Did it work? Yes sort of. I caught three Spanish mackerel. I have been catching 13 to 17 per day so production was way down despite seeing more fish than ever before. Two of the fish did not break the rubber band and were brought all the way to the boat still attached. The third fish was brought in as described. I did have to make adjustments as I am fishing Tampa Bay which is generally between 12 and 20 feet deep so I had a #1 planer. I was most successful using 35 feet of 20# mono leader and attaching the rubber band at the head of the leader and letting the line out to the planer. I did hook up with two other fish that broke off after a short fight. I was surprised at how hard the fish pulled once broken off of the planer. I think the breakoffs were related to drag being to tight. Since production was so far down, I went out Sunday in the same area fishing as in the past and caught only seven. There were so many boats out churning the water I believe the fish were put down by so much activity. I also was surprised at how long it took me to reel in the fish and reset. The planer tethered to the boat acted perfectly. Interesting concept and one I will continue to work on. Thanks for the idea and instructions. Further comments as I learn more.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Wow thanks for such a great description of your day. What strength rubber bands are you using? Try using a lighter strength rubber bands when targeting smaller fish. I typically use this method for larger fish such as kingfish and wahoo so the lighter band should fix that problem for you. Did you experience any tangles? If not that’s a big win for you on your first attempt. I look forward to hearing how round 2 goes for you. If you ever have trouble getting strikes try putting the bait back another 30’ or so from the planer.

[@saqaleka]

Thank you just what I needed

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

No problem

[@nakaiswilling0369]

It's about time you made this video lol how hard is it to pull the planer back up when you're done fishing or is there a way you can unset it thanks for the knowledge n keep the videos coming more often and what state and what city do you live at I'm out of fort Lauderdale Florida

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

The other video is coming up shortly as well! It’s very difficult the best thing to do is pull the throttle back to as slow as possible and pick up the rod pull back on it as far as you can. You will quickly drop the rod towards the water creating as much slack as possible the snap the rod back as fast as possible. This should trip the planer. Reel as soon as possible so the planer doesn’t reset itself. It takes a little practice but with time you’ll get them to trip every time

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Go back to the planer video and go to 16:40 for an example on how to purposely trip the planer

[@sinj85]

I have 400lbs mono. Will that work? Or is it too heavy of a line?

[@roberthamlin6638]

What size rubber band do you use. Thanks

[@lbsean35]

He explains in another video #64 for heavier bait, #32 for things like Clark spoon

[@jerryoconnor6770]

I used the smallest rubber bands I had and they were pretty thin. It worked properly when I I went with a smaller clip with thinner wire and attached the the line to the planer at the head of the leader. It would be easy to make the leader another 30' longer. I'm very interested in making this work. Smoked mackerel was terrific.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Smoked mackerel is definitely the way to go!

[@cgirl111]

Why not crimp a swivel on both ends so you can use the same leader for different planers?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

You can definitely do that if you choose to. A swivel will always be the weakest link so I try to avoid them and just make a rig for each planer

[@midlanticfishing5405]

You just saved me $2000 from buying a downrigger and drilling holes in my new boat.

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Awesome! How has it worked out for you?

[@a23b23]

He, he 😂. Same here

[@paulbisbee4804]

Getting ready to make this rig. Saw a question about using a snap swivel on the planer end so that you can switch out planers. Any reason not to do this ? Has anyone actually tried it ?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

You can use a snap swivel just make sure it’s very strong. Planers aren’t cheap. I prefer just to pre make each rig for every planer board I own

[@paulbisbee4804]

@@ScottBonnerOutdoors Thanks Scott !

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

@@paulbisbee4804 any time. Let me know how it works for you

[@randallmock9273]

Does seaweed cause problems with planer

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Yes it does. Try to avoid weeds

[@mrJeffb1997]

Do you ever pull multiple poor man down riggers or just one?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Yes I pull two at a time a lot

[@Jason-cz5sd]

Can you use this technique for speed trolling wahoo?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

Yes you can but you have to buy high speed planer boards. For high speed trolling I prefer heavy trolling leads

[@mastanifoxi2]

Great way

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

I use this a lot and it definitely works. Thanks for the comment

[@kennethgilderubio9140]

Im worried about leaving my planner on a reef who deep do they go?

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

It depends on the size of the planer. A #1 will just barely be below the surface and a #6 will be much deeper. It also depends on how much line you put out, boat speed, line weight etc. you just have to experiment around

[@paulw2583]

Sell them on amazon

[@paulw2583]

In the Breeze 85 LB Double Snap Barrel Swivels - Spinning Swivel - 12 Pieces www.amazon.com/dp/B076W5BF8F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_Y1206HCHHDX8QAM83R4N

[@ScottBonnerOutdoors]

I wish I had the time