Chris Souders is shown here with a nice blue cat he caught
on the Pro Mag Offshore planer boards.
Catfish Gear #030 — Off Shore Tackle Planer Boards
Planer boards have become a vital part of most catfish angler’s arsenal. They were used for years in walleye fishing and have now been adopted by many catfish anglers. There are not many catfish boats that don’t planer boards onboard. If they don’t have them, they should.
Anglers have discovered that there is no better way to increase your spread when dragging or even anchored in the current. Just put one or two boards out each side of the boat and watch your catfishing success grow.
Planer boards are not as hard to get used to as some anglers think. They are pretty simple and they increase the odds of putting fish in the boat. Catfish Crazy TV host Chris Souders carries different size boards for different applications.
“I find Off Shore Tackle planer boards to be some of the most dependable and toughest boards on the market,” Souders said. “I run two different sizes on my boat depending on my targeted fish.”
“The OR12 boards are the perfect size to drag baits in small lakes for channel catfish,” continued the Oak Hill, Ohio angler. “I can normally drag weights up to 4 ounces with small to moderate size baits. They provide a good wide spread, even at lower speeds (.3 to .5 mph).”
“My favorite boards to run are the Pro Mag series,” explained Souders. “I can do everything from drag baits to suspend baits in any lake or river with the Pro Mags. Being able to have one board that you can suspend 8 ounces of weight with a large bait in the Ohio River is a must for me. Then to turn right around and drag 6 ounces or less on Lake Wheeler in 3-foot waves, with the same boards, is a real confidence booster.”
“Actually, only having to have one set of boards to fish two different situations not only boosts your confidence, it is also a huge space saver in your boat,” concluded Souders. “I recall my catch rate increasing around 35% instantly when I started using planer boards. If that doesn’t boost your confidence, I don’t know what will.”
Visit the Off Shore Tackle website to view their full line of catfish gear. www.offshoretackle.com
Check out Chris Souders & Catch Catfish Crazy TV on their Facebook page.
