New to board & to trolling

[Hoytman86]

Hello all. My dad and I are going to be taking a few trips this summer to Port Clinton and we'll be targeting the walleye. We've got some of the essentials, port & starboard inline planer boards, line counter reels on trolling rods & I tie my own harnesses. We used to make 4-5 trips per year, but always just casting crawler harnesses. Seems like then and even more now that trolling is a lot more effective way to catch fish, so we're going to give it a shot.

My question is, for first-time trollers, having never used planer boards, what are some pointers to get us started? Would you recommend divers or inlines? Which of each is a good one to invest in (it seems most prefer Tru-Trips). Also, I'm up in the air on whether or not to spend twice as much to go with braided line, or if most still prefer mono and what test to run.

I can provide any info that will help to answer any further questions, right now I feel like I've got a fair understanding of how to rig and run a spread, I just am unsure about how to complete our presentation. It's been a few years since we've even been up to the lake, so any insight into everything from blade & diver/sinker colors and which brands to buy to lead length on our harnesses would be greatly appreciated.

Right now we're a lock for late July and hoping to make it up in a couple of weeks as well.

[jm gremore]

Make it simple...I use 2 oz wgts with 4 ft. leader. I run 25 ft to 35 ft back. using worm harnesses. Speed is 2 mph. constantly check your baits as a nipped off crawler will not produce fish.

[ebijack]

The choice for braid is yours, I used to use it but since I do not run big dipsies any more I run #17 mono. Learning to read boards takes time, and only running one per side will be even more difficult since you won't be able to tell when one is running out of position. I don't run harnesses above about 1.8 mph, mostly in the 1.2 to 1.8 with an average in late summer of 1.5 mph. Inlines would be easier to use IMHO. There are some articles here that you can read thru that should help you. If you have more questions just ask.

http://www.dwfonline.org/articles.htm

[Bggeary]

Sorry, but what is IHMO?

[Bggeary]

I meant IMHO?

[ebijack]

I meant IMHO?

In My humble Opinion

[Bggeary]

Thank you ebijack. lol

[Hoytman86]

Thanks to everyone for their answers. I was leaning towards inlines as it was, now I think we'll definitely stick to those for at least the first couple of trips.

Also, this may sound dumb, but has anyone ever considered running a Rat-L-Trap as their inline sinker? I only ask because the Rednek Outfitters inlines look so similar to a rat-l-trap. I dunno, may be crazy, but looking at those and the TTs the same night gave me the idea.

Also wondering if anyone has any preference on which inlines to use. I saw an article addressing this on the website Ebijack linked, but that article is 5 years old and I didn't know if there were any updates.

Thanks again to all for the info.

[Eyezcrazy]

I like trutrips because they float if you have to stop. With all the boat traffic you have to constantly adjust speed to avoid other boats, stop with inlines and you drag bottom and risk losing tackle. Also, why I prefer braid, much stronger if you snag up and it last much longer than mono. I switched to braid and have never looked back. JMHO.....lol

[ReelTime]

If you are going to run inline planer boards then run 10 or 12 pound mono. I run 12 pound Trilene XT. The mono hold better in the clips, is less expensive, and the stretch will help keep you from losing fish.

Tru trip divers cannot be pulled behind inlines as they pull too hard. For running harnesses and spoons All you need are some 2oz. And 3oz. Inline weights. Run them 4 to 6 feet in front of your harness or spoon. Make up your leaders from 20lb fluorocarbon with a snap swivel at each end. Use this chart to give you the depth setting desired.
http://www.rednekoutfitters.com/inli...ght_chart.html
The key is to target the bait about 3 to 5 feet above the fish. Walleye always hit up not down. So if you are marking fish at 20 feet, try to make your bait run around 15 to 17 feet deep. So if in this case you were running 2oz weights, you would run them about 40 to 45 feet back and 3oz about 25 to 30 back.
Crank baits such as Reef Runners and Husk Jerks can be run right off the end of the main line with no weights.
Hope that helps.