Which is best to use for offshore trolling?
“Those who have the ability to make a difference have the responsibility to do so.” Thomas Jefferson
Personal preference IMO. I personally use a #5 braced planer off my penn downrigger(replacing the ball) that is spooled with power pro vs the cable. Works great for me, but if ya ask 10 fisherman the same question you will get 12 answers and they will all tell ya their way is the best. g’luck with it but either will work!
Two different methods that give the same results.
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While a down rigger will work fine, it is not and cannot be as effective as a planer rod/bridle rig. If using a downrigger, you must first change it over to braid instead of the steel cable due to the hum it will produce. Second, with a downrigger, it takes a lot of work to reel it up and reset/check and change baits. Third, with a downrigger in the event of a short-strike from a wahoo it will not always pop the planer or release the bait allowing you to drop back to the fish. Alot of the times you will go to check the bait and it will be sliced just behind the hook. With a planer rod and bridle assembly if you are using a 80# class rod and not the overbuilt 130# class a lot of people seem to be using, you will notice the tip of the rod bump slightly on the short-strike, therefore allowing you to drop the lever drag down and drop back to the fish. This method accounts for 30-50 percent of the wahoo we catch. With a planer rod vs planer fastened straight on a downrigger you also do not have to handline 75 feet of leader that is attached to the planer if you can simply unsnap the planer from the bridle. To recheck a bait on a bridle/plane rod all you must do is to drop the drag, freespool for two seconds and the planer trips and rises to the surface if you are using the proper set-up. Keep in mind if trolling thru scattered grass you will also be collecting a large amount on your planer regardless of the method.
You cannot go wrong with the planer rod and bridle system. I use it for both flatlines with trolling weights and also for a planer rod.
In the past, people have stated in the past it must be a Tiagra 80 but they are wrong to a point, if you plan on using a #16 or larger it should be a Tiagra 80, but if you want to pull a #8, a 50 Shimano TLD-LRSA 2 speed will work fine all day and give you no problem. I rarely break out my original heavy planer-rod outfit consisting of a Tiagra and a heavy rod. I have downsized to the 50# outfit for years now and have proved to several others here on t
Gofshn, with the planer rod is it necessary to use a swivel rod holder on the boat or will a fixed one work
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I have always used a 30 degree Lee’s heavy-duty swivel rod holder with a backing plate under the gunnel and ALWAYS… use a safety lanyard on the planer rod. All of my planer rods have a swivel tips but I have known some friends to use a standard bent-butt with a golf-ball dropped in a non-swiveling rod holder with a backing plate underneath. I can’t really say that this short-cut method is the greatest idea due to the pressures the rod is under with the planer in tow/and having only done it that way twice.
Be sure before using a planer rod to make sure your gunnels are supported enough and that your rod-holders are thru-bolted and not simply screwed. I know of a few boats that didn’t have anYthing but screwed in rod-holders and have had them ripped out by normal flat-lines and bent butts. This of course was by larger fish.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go! Always ready, always willing to teach the ways.
Also keep in mind that the less time the bait is in the water, the less chance you have of catching a fish. A planer rod bait check and re-bait is without a doubt quicker.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go! Always ready, always willing to teach the ways.
No need to crank up the downrigger everytime you get a strike. Just send the bait down with a rubber band and shower curtain ring.
yes, but how do you drop back to the fish properly? We found that the only way is a roller style flatline clip like an Aftco tailed on a planer. As stated before there are many different ways to rig the planer on the downrigger. Anyone who has swapped over to the planer rod can testify to the results and the ease of operation. It’s what I use and what works great for my friends and I and countless other boats, rec,comm and charter.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go! Always ready, always willing to teach the ways.
Iv done both. Bridal is only way to go. Not to mention how nice it is not fishing around a huge chunk of metal on the aft corner of the gunnel all day!
Ahh, so nice to not have a downrigger lways in the way, also u can rig your trolling weights so they snap on and off the bridle. Be sure to remember when u are unsnapping the planer, the man at the helm should increase speed slighlty to keep the line taught and not let that foul, ruthless head shaking beast to throw the hook.
Wanna kill fish, then let’s go! Always ready, always willing to teach the ways.
First I had a downrigger than I built a planer rod than I gave my downrigger away
Planer and bridle are the way to go! gofshn hooked us up with a couple of bridles he made and the work great!
Also something to remember (another tip from gofshn) is you may need to back the drag off after the planer has tripped and the fish is on. always use a safety lanyard!
I am very interested in trying this bridle system. Do I have to go out and purchase a bent butt rod with different rollers and a swivel tip to fish this setup? Will I need to change out my rod holder to the swivel style? I already have one Tiagra 50w on an 80lb class rod that I pull lead weight with… would this work?
I don’t have a 50 so i down sized to a #2 planer and run it on a 30 on a non bent stand up without any type of swivel tip or holder and it still out produced any rod on the boat. Fish with what you got…JMO