BY LEE GOULD
When it comes to planer board versatility, Off Shore Tackle has you covered. Often Imitated, Never Duplicated; Off Shore Tackle meets all your trolling needs with planer boards, releases, clips, divers, tuner and weights.
Let’s start with the OR38 Reversible Mini Board. These boards are not only the choice of many crappie anglers, but they are great for all methods of panfish trolling. On top of using these boards for panfish trolling, I also love these boards for pulling lighter crankbaits and spinners over shallow weed flats. These boards are a blast to fish with, because no Tattle Flag® is required to tell when a fish is on and they have little resistance in the water. They come equipped with the OR10 (yellow) release on the bracket and the OR16 (red) Pro Clip on the rear. Another great thing with these boards is the bracket is reversible, meaning it can be used as a left or right board.
Moving on to the next in size, the OR12 Side Planer, these boards are the most common and most widely used on the market today. Not only are OR12’s the premier planer boards for walleye, but they are also popular with the salmon and trout anglers. The OR12 can easily pull copper and lead core up to 300 foot lengths!
The OR12 are the best pulling boards I’ve ever used. They plane perfectly in the water and with different rigging options they work flawlessly no matter what you’re pulling. The adjustable OR12TFEK Tattle Flag® HD Upgrade after-market articulating flag kits make it easy to see the lightest bites on all popular trolling gear. By simply switching out the line clips or releases used, the OR12 can be setup to fish with all the popular main line offerings. These versatile boards come equipped with the (orange) OR19 on the bracket which works perfectly with monofilament especially if you are popping your boards and the (red) OR16 Pro Clip on the tail that has a pin that protrudes through the center of the pads that you place your fishing line behind so the board can’t come off your line until you remove it.
The other options out there, for anglers that run braid include the OR39 Sam’s Pro Release and the OR18 Snapper Release. My favorite is the Snapper because it can be used with all the popular line types. I use these on the bracket of the board in the warmer months when trolling at faster speed with the larger Off Shore OR36 series Tadpoles or deep crankbaits. I also started running the Snapper Release on the tail of the board when it’s cold because they are easy to open with frozen fingers.
Just like the pin in the OR16, the OR18 also has a pin that prevents the boards from coming free from your line. No matter what kind of species you’re after, or type of tackle you’re using, Off Shore Tackle has the products to get your lines to the fish! Check out their full line of quality, Made in the USA, products and apparel at www.offshoretackle.com.
