how to use a planer and downrigger

[swancaller]

I have had a lot of luck with this system and it allows you to adjust the planer to the depth of your marks on the sounder. I have gotten a lot of questions on this so this in my system that has taken all season to get right but it has really paid off this tuna season.


planer with 250 feet of 200 to 250 lb power pro. large plastic bead then a large 300lb coast lock swivel. I use #16 and #12 old salt planers.

For my lure I use naked and eyecatcher in pink/white or blue/white (pink seems better) http://www.eyecatcherlures.com/predator.html. The weight of the eyecatcher keeps the lure down incase the planer trips without strike.

I use windon 80lb flouro on my rigs and no I haven’t been bitten off very much (2 times this year) caught 10 wahoo this year with this system!

To set the planer you need to attach a double coast lock swivel. A bag of #64 rubber bands. (don’t go cheap here unless you want to be doing this a lot) Let out your line until it is past your short rigger. Wrap the rubber band around the line about 4 times and put both ends into the open end of the double coast lock swivel. Close swivel (for the ones that ride the short bus). Loosen up the drag on the downrigger and the reel and hold tension on both. Let out the downrigger until the planer starts to touch the water then let out line on the reel. As the 2 start to go off together about the same speed stop the reel momentarily and it will set the planer and it will really start going down quick. At about 80 feet I really hold tight tension on the reel until you start to feel the line slipping through the rubber band. You will know this feeling if you keep letting it slip the you will have your lure sitting on the planer. You do this to keep tension on the reel and no slack due to the line bowing in the water. I set one at 100 feet. The other planer I set at 70 feet to start with and adjust as I need to.

Once the fish takes the lure you can reel in the planer with out any trouble. If you want to reel up the planer while it is set you can do it a lot easier than on a planer rod.
I use a tether line from the tip of my planer boom to help take tension off the planer base! I have broke a base before so this was the answer I came up with.

Hope this answers a lot of questions
Mike

[stephen grimes]

Sounds like an excellent system.
A few questions if you don't mind:

250 feet of heavy power pro. Is this what you have on the downrigger?

How long is your fluorocarbon leader?

About how long is your attachment from the rubber band on the planer to your lure?

Thanks/Steve

[swancaller]

I use 15 to 20 feet of flouro to a 150lb spro windon

[swancaller]

[img]http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXP00%3F87KR6xqpxQQ0ex0ePxoPnxv8uOc5xQQQoaloaGlGea qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXP00%7CRup6lQQ%7C/of=50,590,442 [/img]

[img]http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXPon%3F87KR6xqpxQQ0ex0ePxoPnxv8uOc5xQQQoaloaGlGaQ qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPon%7CRup6lQQ%7C/of=50,590,442 [/img]

[img]http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXPon%3F87KR6xqpxQQ0ex0ePxoPnxv8uOc5xQQQoaloaGlGaP qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPon%7CRup6lQQ%7C/of=50,590,442 [/img]

[lmontagnaj]

Great post Mike...

That planer looks like it's been knawed on though..[grin]

That's some funny looking Sargasm weed you're trolling through... I think you might need to run a little deeper...

[grin][tongue][grin]

[jimmy k]

Mike that palner looks like it came of Joes old boat...right Lucain....lol.....[grin]

[swancaller]

Lucian you would not believe how far back I had to run it to get a bite [grin]