Hare pointed me to one of the other rods bending toward the water and explained, “Just reel a few turns while the rod is seated in its holder, and then pick up and continue reeling with a steady pace.” By doing that, I didn’t allow for the circle hook tied to the end of the line to self-set as designed. With a rush of excitement, I hoisted one of the rods from its holder and attempted to set the hook in the same way I would when a largemouth bass sucks down a plastic lizard. Hare and I were in a saltwater striper feeding frenzy on the beautiful fresh, clear waters of Lake Martin.Īs the aggressive underwater predators attacked our baits, I panicked at what to do next. Before I could get the sixth and final rod set, three of the other rods were being tugged at ferociously. Straight away we began dropping lines to the desired depth. Hare and I baited offset circle hooks with live herring and secured six rods into holders-three rods on the port side of the boat and three on the starboard side of the boat. Once we were firmly in position to catch fish, Capt. Next, the good captain “spot-locked” our location, deployed his Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor, and with GPS technology, the little electric engine held the captain’s center-console boat, a Robalo 246 Cayman, directly atop the fish just like an anchor.

“See the dark-colored, thick lines-we are over some stripers.” David Hare’s eyes were fixed to his Humminbird Helix 12 fish finder when he called my attention to the screen and explained…

Remember a rhyme 'yellow clip is closest to rod tip' and you will have it pointing correctly.Capt. Place the line through the snap swivel and close it, then place the line in the yellow clip (do so by squeezing the center of the clip and it opens) just barely in the pad about 1/3 entrance. Place your bait out the proper distance using the above formula. A great spread is two planers on each side of the boat, one about 50 feet away and the other about 20 feet away. If your getting hung up every time you get in the target area then either speed up or remove a split shot. Remember if your getting hung up occasionally on the bottom you doing it right.

For every foot of water put one yard of line outĮXAMPLE - Fishing in eleven feet of water you would put one #7 split shot about fourfoot from the hook and you would let out thirty threefoot of line then clip on your planer.ĮXAMPLE - In eighteen feet of water you would have two #7 split shots about four foot from the hook and you would let out fifty four of line then clip on your planer.ĮXAMPLE - In twenty eight feet of water you would have three #7 split shots and let out eight four feet of line then clip on your planer.Ĭurrent, wind and your speed are the factors of concern.

For every ten feet of water use one #7 split shot about four feet above your hook.

Hooks are your choice but you will need size #7 split shots for this method. The technique will keep your bait near the bottom of the water column and the stripers that are in less than 30` of water are usually close to that bottom. This technique works best for live bait and can be modified depending on how fast you troll.Run at just a slow troll just enough to keep your baits off the bottom. The board is in the water correctly when the label is upright. Remember the rhyme 'yellow clip is closest to rod tip' and you will have it pointing correctly. Squeeze the yellow clip and place the line in the opening (you may experiment based on your setup.) Your line placement will vary depending on size. Put your bait out the proper distance (10 - 40 feet) and place the line through the snap swivel. When a fish strikes the bait the planer board releases and slides down the line until it reaches leader or the fish. It takes only a few seconds to attach a Water Bug. Baits placed 10 - 40 feet behind the planer seem to do best. 1 to 2 mph is ideal for trolling live bait. This simply is two boards on each side of the boat and one free-line in the center. The perfect setup is two boards per side and a prop bait. TACTICS - (King Mackerel,Mahi, Wahoo, Spanish, etc.) This gets you back to the action quickly. With your wide coverage and separation of lines, you have the ability to turn 180 degrees in an acre of water. These bright orange planers will disturb the surface and act as a front runner with the bait typically 10 - 40 feet behind the board.

The slower you troll the more effective your live bait will be. Live bait fishing is most effective at less than 2 mph but Water Bugz can handle up to 3 mph. As we all know.more coverage equals better fishing. When using this side planer, you expand your coverage from the width of the boat to up 100 feet. Water Bugz Planer Boards are a simple and more affordable alternative to outriggers.

Water bugz planer boards