I grew up as an avid walleye angler, using planner boards. By the time I started catfishing seriously they were already part of my arsenal. Using planer boards for catfish is very similar to bottom bouncing in the walleye world.
We use them in lakes, small rivers and even in some of the largest rivers, like the Mississippi River. We use them on both flats and in large structure situations. Anytime anglers have a circumstance where they would drag in the conventional way, planer boards will work really well.
A great tip when running planer boards is to keep your rod as high up in the holder as you can. We use 10-foot rods positioned in the front of the boat, running multiple Offshore Tackle boards on each side. Running longer rods on a high rod holder angle keeps the line out of the water, reducing line drag, and results in a wider spread.
Planer boards are not as difficult as some anglers think. Planer boards are very simple to use and can really increase your chances for putting quality fish in the boat.
Seth fishes competitively with Alex Nagy. They are two of the first, if not the first catfish anglers, to join the National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA). You can view their YouTube videos on their Unhooked Fishing channel.
