side planers

[MetalHead]

Ok guys I have never used one of these things but I went ahead and bought a couple because when I had my drift boat I used to catch a lot of fish plugging hot shots. Now my question is has anybody used one of these things and do you have any tips or suggestions on using them.
Thanks
Roy

[Smily]

Hi Metalhead,
I have seen a couple of guys using these and have heard of success stories with them. This is there tips page on the product. I don't know if you seen this but check it out.

http://www.luhr-jensen.com/tr_hot_shot_planer.htm


:smile: Smily :smile:

[dogfishboy]

M'head,
I seem to use them on wider streams and/or stretches of streams with consistent depths; getting out to that shelf-edge and being able to hold position, and good for working that deep pocket for suspended (moving/resting) fish. They are not my first "weapon of choice" by any means, but this seems to be the situation I've found them useful in when I resort to using them.

...but what do I know...I'm just a dfb

dfb

[ 12-15-2001: Message edited by: dogfishboy ]</p>

[SGTQ]

I use a long rod of 10 1/2 feet. Like bobber fishing you have to keep the line off the water. I also use a reel that will hold lots of 15 lb line as it is easy to send this thing to the other side of the river and then some. I place the plug I am using at the end of a 2 foot leader. At the other end I place a good swivel. About 1 to 2 inches up from the swivel, on the main line, I place a bobber stopper then a glass bead. That way if I snag the plug and have to break off I get my planer back. Or at leastI do most of the time. To launch, I stand ankle deep in the river. Then holding the planer in my left hand and with the rod tucked under my left arm, I place the top hook of the plug on one of my rod guides. I then take 7 to 10 pulls of line out from behind the planer with my right hand. The line will fall to the water at your feet. It is important, therefore, you don't move during this procedure. I then set the planer in the water. DON'T TRY AND CAST IT! As the planer starts to move out into the current I quickly unhook the plug from my rod guide and give the plug a short toss up stream. The planer will then take the plug out into the current. This does take practice. I have found it best to let the plug ride in one spot for sometime before I take a couple of steps down the bank. You will have to experiment and practice to learn how to steer this planer through a drift. But it is a combination of letting out line and the raising and lowering of your rod. But remember to keep the line off the water. One last thing, it's not nice to use this system around a crowd of other fisherman. Good luck!