With having talked about the use of planer boards already, thought I would kick back a little and reflect on some of the thoughts and discussions I have had over the years on how to spread your lines out while avoiding tangles.
If you want to fish the maximum number of lines per person in the boatn a working plan or concept of how you are going to spread your lines out is well worth taking a few minutes. Say you have four people in the boat, in most cases that allows for the boat to have 4 lines out in the water. Easiest thought is to put two on each side.
With the use of heavy bottom bouncers, its probable that you will come up with several working combinations. Going from bow to aft in these scenarios, run the 3 or 4 oz bb straight down off the side first. Then set up your secondary rods slightly behind and run your crankbaits or diver spoon/harness combination back to the desired depth. If you like using inline planer boards in shallow or deep water, then run the board rods out again in the second position.
With three folks in the boat, you can run a set of board rods first, then heavy bb, then another set of boards. Remember when running multiple boards, it is important to run your outmost board with a heavier weight, deeper diver or deeper running crankbait. This allows you to bring in your outer board without tangling with the second. It will run under that boards line, which you will have set up for either long lining a crank, using a lighter weight or running a diver even deeper back. Allow for a greater distance away from the boat for the boards, 100 to 135 feet is not unheard of.
Another way to run lines for three, is to run one set of boards, then bb’s and then a diver or long line straight from the back of the boat. Again, it is important to run a heavier weight or deeper diving lure or diver on the board to avoid tangles with the back lines.
Four anglers can equal 8 lines out. In most cases this can be the max amount, when you start running more than eight, you are really tempting fate. It can be done, but not reccomended. In this case, run your first set of boards out 100 ft or more, then your bb’s, then another set of boards out about 75 ft. Finally run either a diver or long line a crank out the back of the boat.
With these set ups you can cover various depths of water, or still target a specific depth range. Allow for the amount of line let out, and use the running depths of the lures, divers and weights. When done correctly it will enhance your experience, by allowing more fishing time. You aren’t spending a lot of time dealing with tangles, and you have the max amount of lines/lures in the water productively searching out fish.
good luck