The use of Inline Planer Boards (updated)
I had a really good question tonight, and sometimes what may seem obvious after some experience using planer boards, really isn’t when you first start employing them into your fishing strategy. So, this topic will be a “how to” in the use of boards in helping to increase your catch rates. When, how, why and how can you tell when you have a strike.
There are several types and manufactures of planer boards. There are those that run off of mast and reel, and employ clips on the line, spaced out out to the board. For the sake of an introduction, we will talk strictly about the use of the inline variety. Some of the manufactures include; Offshore, Church Tackle Walleye Boards (Michigan company), and Yellow Bird. I run the orange Church boards, and to a large part its just a matter of choice.
Why use the boards at all, can’t you catch fish without them? You bet, but the boards allow for several factors that will put more fish in the boat on a more consistent basis. First of all, in shallow water, like early spring walleye bites, the small boards, do not look like a large boat going over the top of skittish fish. It is more of a stealth approach. Second reason to use the boards is get a wider spread of lines when there are number of anglers in your boat. One day this year we were running three boards on one side of the boat, two on the other, plus two rods dedicated to bottom bouncers off the sides. Not one tangle in 6 hours of fishing, and 49 fish landed.
On the how of running these boards, start with a linecounter reel, a medium action rod with a length ranging from 7 ft 6 inches, to 9 foot. I personally run 40 lb Power Pro, because of its 10 lb diameter that most of the trolling guides use in measuring running depths of the lures. If you prefer monofilament, choose a good 10 lb line that resists abrasion, 
example being Trilene XT or Big Game. The nice thing about the Church boards is that there is an adjustable lead weight, that will slide back and forth along the keel, to adjust for the drag of what you are trolling. One guy I know actually will run 4 oz bottom bouncers off his boards.
Select the lure or diver, and release enough line to reach the fish’s location in the water column. Might be 30′ or could be 220 ft, then attach the inline board with the clips that come with it. Release another 50 to 150ft of line to get it to the desired distance from the boat. *Helpful hint, you are fishing by yourself, and you want to keep an eye on both lines out at the same time. Choose the side you want, either port or starboard, and run two boards on the same side.
Ok, the last part, how to tell when you have a fish on the other end. Here is a pic of Adam Marchbanks, of Kawkawlin, Michigan. He fished the Linwood Classic on Saginaw Bay Saturday and caught this 29 inch plus, 8.21 lb piglet on his boards. We go back and forth on yahoo messenger several times a week, talking dogs, fishing walleye, salmon and through the ice. So I asked, what happend to the board, and the reply was, it went down deep, totally submerged! Usually on a 28 inch or larger fish that is the way you tell if you have a fish on. 24 to 26 inch and the board will leap back 4 or five ft. Smaller fish and the board will stick up with the backside down in the water. Fish that are barely legal will just tug on the board. Perch and small silver bass, can be a little harder to detect, or weeds even, sometimes you have to notice when the boards are sweeping back in an arc towards the rear of the boat. Reel up and check your lines when this happens.
If you really aren’t comfortable in your detection skills, you can purchase tattle flag kits for the Church and Offshore boards. I know on the Church boards, you can set the flag to either be raised or pulled down on a strike. When you do get to the point where you can tell the difference, its nice to keep the flags on, in an upright position on your outer boards, just so other boats can spot them easier as they go by.
Good luck!