Off Shore Tackle’s Mini Planer Board plays a key role in catching the skipjack
baits used by longtime catfish angler Doc Lange of Springfield, Ohio.
Catch Skipjacks Using Off Shore Tackle’s Mini Planer Boards
Courtesy of Off Shore Tackle
Planer boards can help you catch more catfish bait.
If you’re among the many catfish anglers who use skipjack herring for bait, you might want to try this technique that can help you quickly get all the skipjacks you need. Ohio cat man Tim “Doc” Lange helped develop this method, which centers around the use of small jigs and the Off Shore Tackle OR38 Mini Planer Board.
“I tie a half dozen 1/32-ounce crappie-style jigs on my line, spaced out about a foot apart,” explained Lange. “My boat gets anchored with the bow facing into the current. Straight out the back of the boat, I’ll run two rods set up with half a dozen jigs each. Next, I use an OR38 Mini Planer Board to position two additional rods, including one on the port and another on the starboard side of the boat.”
With this many lines and hooks in the water, it makes it a lot easier to catch enough skipjacks for a day or two of fishing for catfish. Skipjacks are oily fish that do a good job of putting out a scent stream in the water.
“Because skipjacks are hard to keep alive, I generally put mine on ice and plan on using them with a day or two,” said Lange. “Everything we catch goes on ice because even the bigger skipjacks make ideal bait for monster blue cats. What we don’t use can be frozen and used for bait on future trips.”
For more information on Off Shore Tackle’s Mini Planer Boards, click here.
