Side planer question

doryboy22 · 12-30-2002, 03:45 PM

Anybody ever had any luck running hotshots with a side planer from the bank? Or even trying it. If so, any pointers or tips?

Jennie@ifish · 12-30-2002, 03:48 PM

I've tried it.

There are some good tips, here, on the Luhr Jensen tech pages...

Everyone would do well to take a night off, and read all these tech tips that apply to us steelhead, salmon and trout people.
Jen

ZaQ · 12-30-2002, 03:48 PM

I bought one a couple of years ago and was leary to put it on. The day I first tried it, 3 fish in about an hour. It worked awesome. I have run diver baits behind it and everything. Pointers?, just follow the directions and walk slow, and hold on, that is all I did. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me, I will do what I can.

chummer · 12-30-2002, 03:56 PM

I assume you are talking about the Luhr-Jensen side-planer. these were developed specifically for plugs on rivers like the deschutes where you can't fish from a boat in the middle of the river. I've used mine with excellent results, just follow the instruction sheet. Use the large rudder for slower moving water, and the smaller rudder for faster water. You can cover alotta water by adding alittle tension to your line causing the rudder to dig into the current and by walking up and down the bank. I could cover the entire width of the umatilla in Pendleton for spring salmon with my side planner.

First Light Bite · 12-30-2002, 04:13 PM

I have used them alot in the upper Wilson they are very :grin: effective. Mostly used with hot shots only problem is getting the correct size rudder on, I usually use the small one. If you use the large in much current it will trip the arm and you have to start again.
The tech report is great just follow the instructions.

Mr4am · 12-30-2002, 04:37 PM

I've ran a side planner for a couple of years now.Pointers, never try to start it near or in a back eddie. Sometimes the wire gets old and starts to trip very easily, I push the spring forward and bend the wire to keep it from tripping. Sometimes it doesn't trip and you have to trip it by hand.I try to get it out into the deeper water quick as I can so the plug doesn't get caught in the weeds in the shallow water. Always look up stream for boats coming down before putting out.Some people add a weight to the fin in faster water to keep it digging into the water. I never use the small fin.Sometimes I keep the plug at my feet as I'm putting line out from the plainer to keep the plug from snagging before I'm ready to set the plainer in the water.Then I set the plainer in let out line and get the line I just let out almost straighten out then toss the plug in. Run a plug several time through a slot before changing or moving. I've gotten fish on the second and third time through a slot before.
Its very exciting to feel that hard tug on your rod as you watch your plainer get pulled back into the river. Good luck.

24 on/ 48 off · 12-30-2002, 04:48 PM

My advice?

Hang on and get ready for some action!!

Side planers rock!

--spud-- :smile:

stick flicker · 12-30-2002, 06:29 PM

I have used them without sucess so far. They do work to drag your plug into the current like they are designed to do. I'll keep trying. They add something new to play with on the river.

Livin the Dream · 12-30-2002, 07:41 PM

We use them every year on the Deschutes. Excellent way to back your plug down that seam that you KNOW is holding fish but you cant get to it. A friend of mine showed me how to use them and with a little practice they can be deadly.

Just like everything else it takes a little getting used to, and lots of swearing (for me anyway) as you have to reset the planer and put it out again. One thing that helped me was having my friend help me get it started, then I practiced using it alone.

Good Luck

AL

ssteelheadsteve · 12-30-2002, 09:13 PM

Side planers Suck !
No talent ,skill or knowledge required.
I am not a great fan of any type of plugging for Steelhead.I believe these magnificent fish deserve better treatment. I have used them when I take blind or handicapped folks fishing. For the hadicapped plugs and planners area great invention. Remember that " Real men don't eat pen-raised
Salmon or use side planners" IMNSHO :smile:

Boedy · 12-30-2002, 09:22 PM

Not everyone is as blessed with the fishing prowess as you are Steelheadsteve. You may find it hard to believe but some people may find it a challenge heck even fun. Even though you find it beneath you doesn�t make it any less sporting then how you fish. I have met a lot of fly fishermen that think they same thing about bait you don�t use bait do you?

ultralight · 12-30-2002, 09:27 PM

In my experience, the side planer was tricky to use, at best. It requires fairly swift current, preferably flowing away from the bank, to set it off, so I found it not-so-versatile to use in many circumstances. If you're impatient, the side planer will definitely test it.

Bankbound · 12-30-2002, 09:33 PM

I've got one but am reluctant to use it. it would be cool if I had the river to myself, but I fear that it will tie up an entire slot. not something I want to do when others are around.

P.S. I hate drift fishing and am no good at it, If I could pull plugs all day I would love to "real men fish with whatever they want to!!!"

MH

Flatfish · 12-31-2002, 06:57 AM

Steve,
please tell how real men fish. What do real men wear when they fish properly? How many steelies have you caught on plugs while you were in controll of the boat?

Thank you and have a wonderful and safe new year.

Mark and the dog.

Jennie@ifish · 12-31-2002, 07:07 AM

shs?
What does IMNSHO mean?

I'm not so hot?

How bout, "The only way I catch salmon and steelhead is with my teeth?" :smile: I just swim out there and bite em! Me da man!

Geesh!

Jen

[ 12-31-2002, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]

Rock Stick or Fish · 12-31-2002, 07:20 AM

In my not so humble opinion...

RSF

Straydog · 12-31-2002, 07:42 AM

sssteve,

Is that where the saying "blind leading the blind" comes from?

Real men know that they are not always right and that blanket statements like "no talent, skill or knowledge required" really make them sound shallow and silly. :blush:

pearl · 12-31-2002, 08:12 AM

Dory Boy,

Go out and try your side planer. Experiment with it and have some fun. Alot of times were aprehensive about trying things that were not familar with. In your original post you were looking for some advice and seemed to have received some early on before negativity took over. No matter where you try to use it extend the same courtesy's to your fellow anglers that are near by as you would expect from them.
I suspect that once you master the side planer you will have learned where the fish lay in the river and will want to try other methods of fishing as well, drift, jigs, etc.
See you on the river.....Pearl

P.S. Met my wife on the Deschutes 20 years ago while she was fishing a sideplaner. Glad she wasn't looking or fishing the manly way! I may have never asked her out. Not into Manly chicks!!!

Jennie@ifish · 12-31-2002, 08:28 AM

Thank you, Pearl....

Jen

12-31-2002, 08:33 AM

:shocked: Think SS must have met his mate drift fishing? I only drift for steelhead but that's my problem. If others want to do something else that's ok by me.

There is no reason to have that kind of an atitude.

Jennie@ifish · 12-31-2002, 08:36 AM

Oct. 21st 2001 I wrote this about planers. :smile:

Never mind that I have a whole stretch of river bank to fish. I need to fish the other side!
My bobber floats down the current, mid stream, and my arm is suspended high. I am trying to avoid a large belly in my line. I mend it, but am unable to reach that pocket that must hold thousands of big lunker chinook. They are just out of my reach. Plans run through my head... the canoe! I could put the canoe in, run over there, sit on that rock and then I would be into these fish!
The fish may not even be there, but my imagination insists they are.
They are there, therefore I am not.
The canoe might be dangerous, I tell myself... I have kids who care, ("My Mommy drowned trying to get those fish") and besides, how would I haul that 50 lb chinook back to home base? My mind races with possibilities, scenarios.
Back to the garage to get the side planer. This is my canoe, my poor mans drift boat. Thirty minutes at my kitchen table, reading and building my weapon of choice, I head out to experiment.
It's like learning to fly a kite. Constant maneuvering, constant attention paid to which currents are swift enough to carry my lure, and yet deep enough to hold the weight off the bottom. I will get to that magic fish producer over there. I am an addict desperate for a fix.
Two hours, and two aching arms later, I know. I must get the canoe. Yeah, sure, the side planer got me over there, but the fish need bait. Eggs and shrimp, not a wobbler. (A spinner, not a herring. Eggs, not shrimp. The Wilson, not the Trask...A drift rig, not a bobber...) Those fish are still there, those magic, invisible fish that are eluding me. They eluded me the whole of Chinook season on the Kilchis last year. This year I cannot let that happen. My fish ego will die.
My fitful sleep was full of ideas last night. I did trouble shooting in my mind.
Bill could get out the drift boat and give me a ride. "Please, Bill.... to the other side". He will comply, but will he remember I am there? Will he begin mowing the lawn, the last of the late summer growth, become absorbed in his chore list and forget me? Would darkness come and I would be lost in the forest? The fish I caught become bait for the bears to come get me? Or would he see me catch those fish, become green with envy and purposely leave me there? Would some friendly drift boat-passer by have mercy on me and let me hitch a ride?
"Let's give that poor girl with those big fish a ride home." I don't think so. It's hard to play innocent girl on the other side of the river when you have a limit of fresh, chrome chinook.
I do know, if I could only get to the other side of the river, life would be good again. Salmon would be dancing on my line, cast after cast. Dream upon dreams will be made.
From my standing place on the bank, I stare past the waters that hold me back as effectively as a bull in a meadow. That moss covered rock over there, where I would lay out my tackle and bask in the dim winter sun. The dark, green, depths of chinook holding water, so close to me that I could reach out and touch the backs of those silver flashes in the water.
The grass is always greener, the river always more full of fish... if I could only get to the other side.

RogueFishr · 12-31-2002, 08:54 AM

Dorryboy,
I don't run one much, but they are fairly popular down here. One thing I have noticed they do is to paint the bottom flat black. One guy told me he seems to do better when the water is clear if he paints over the pink bottom with black. Might be worth trying.

RF

David Johnson · 12-31-2002, 10:33 AM

Use heavy line as the wrapping of the line around the fromt of the planer weakens it. The first time I used one I had 12#, I hooked up onlt to have the fish break off everything right at the planer :depressed:

People I know that use them use 15-20#

20 to 30 feet of line between the plug and the planer seems to work good.

Tie a swivel and four or five foot leader at the end, then your plug. This will keep the planer from sliding right down onto the head of the fish once it's hooked.

I've only used them on the Deschutes but know of people that have had good luck on the Sandy and Trask.

RiverDog · 12-31-2002, 02:01 PM

Anyone ever tried this method with wiggle warts instead of hot shots? I know they troll wiggle warts outside the mouth of the Deschutes in the Columbia, but do they side plane wiggle warts up in the river? Also, I read Dave Johnson say people have had success with this on the Sandy... anyone tried this in the Dodge park area?

Just wonderin.

jzell · 12-31-2002, 02:10 PM

Doryboy,

Getting back to your question. I've used a sideplaner on a number of guided trips to the Deschutes. They are tricky to learn...Jen's description of flying a kite is good. The guide I've used sets up and sends out the planer and then hands the rod off to his customer.

This guide I've gone with uses BRAIDED main line and then X amount of monofilament as a leader. The X amount is how many feet out from the planer you want to run your plug. "I think" the braided line wraps and holds better around the little tab on the planer. It would wear better and may not break as in David's one experience.

Also reading the planer to see that you plug is doin' it's thing is something you've gotta learn through experience. Also watching that the plug stays down is another thing. If your plug comes up, you can get it to go back down with a gentle steering...pulling. But don't pull or steer so hard that you trip it.

Side planers are FUN. I've caught fish on the Deschutes with planers when flies or spinners weren't. They have their place and learning them adds to your tackle box of tools to catch fish.

Have fun.

Hogmaster · 12-31-2002, 02:26 PM

RiverDog -

Wherever you use them, remember that you are fishing a lot of water. You're basically fishing a sideways "L" configuration and you want to cover some ground. So unless there is a fair amount of space below you of the type of water to keep the plug working in current you won't fish a sideplaner in tight spots or around crowds.

Mr4AM, a good quality thin line like Magna Thin in 17lb will not have so much resistance and line bow, yet be tough enough to keep from breaking. Always check the line where wrapping it after it trips though...

Just ZaQ, I haven't been able to find the right water to get a diver and bait set to work effectively though. Do you shorten up the distance between the sideplaner and the diver when you do that? Seems I always end up with the bait in an eddy, at my feet, in brush or generally not out fishing...

ssteelheadsteve -

Glad you are happy, but I am not sure you are in a position to comment on any form of fishing others take when you admit to taking 2 or 3K worth of steelhead on plugs!!! Whether it is called "fishing" or "angling", it is not easy for most. Surprised you even allow your "anglers" to reel up the fish you hook.

You don't hesitate to say that you use bait instead of flies when conditions warrant, and you certainly use plugs from your boats. Why is an angler who has no boat out of line when using an alternate method from the bank? Sheesh!

Oh, and by the way, have you looked at who makes the transmission in the Ford you may drive? Global economy is unavoidable. You can buy local, and I salute you as a vet, but do not understand your "Not So Humble Opinions"...

Steelie Ben · 12-31-2002, 02:31 PM

Can you use these things to run a diver/bait setup or even better a diver and pink worm setup? You got the wheels in my head turning and now they won't stop.
SB

Flatfish · 12-31-2002, 02:45 PM

Dory,

so sorry I did not comment in my first post. I got sidetracked.

DJ is right. I use 50 tuf main and a 4' Maxima( is there another brand?) leaders.Remember to always keep tension on the plug as you let it out. If you don't keep things tight, a huge tangle will result and make you cry. It's just easier to take your time in letting the plug out in the first place. If you are bankbound, make sure the current is pretty close to the bank where you let the thing go, so it does not get pulled into an eddy,and tangle and make you cry.

For what it's worth, casting plugs is very productive for summers on the D. If you want to try it in the winter, just put on some lead a couple feet above the plug and fling it out there. Let it swing all the way to the bank before reeling up though, as fish will follow for quite a while before striking-which is something I learned while fly fishing for summers. Tadpollies work well for casting the regular areas steelies hold in. Wiggle warts( Now Brads Wigglers) work well in deeper water. Keep it in mind that steelhead like to follow the bank, if they can, so start short before sending the sideplaner over to Jennies side of the river. :smile:

Have a great new year, and be safe too.

Mark and the designated dog.

jzell · 12-31-2002, 02:47 PM

Doryboy,

Getting back to your question. I've used a sideplaner on a number of guided trips to the Deschutes. They are tricky to learn...Jen's description of flying a kite is good. The guide I've used sets up and sends out the planer and then hands the rod off to his customer.

This guide I've gone with uses BRAIDED main line and then X amount of monofilament as a leader. The X amount is how many feet out from the planer you want to run your plug. "I think" the braided line wraps and holds better around the little tab on the planer. It would wear better and may not break as in David's one experience.

Also reading the planer to see that you plug is doin' it's thing is something you've gotta learn through experience. Also watching that the plug stays down is another thing. If your plug comes up, you can get it to go back down with a gentle steering...pulling. But don't pull or steer so hard that you trip it.

Side planers are FUN. I've caught fish on the Deschutes with planers when flies or spinners weren't. They have their place and learning them adds to your tackle box of tools to catch fish.

Have fun.

doryboy22 · 12-31-2002, 04:08 PM

Thanks for all the input.

David Johnson · 12-31-2002, 04:43 PM

RiverDog,

I've only used them on the Deschutes and I've almost always used Wiggle Warts behind the planer.

Also, they guy I know that has caught fish on the Sandy with them caught them in the Dodge Park area.

Boedy · 12-31-2002, 04:51 PM

[ 01-01-2003, 12:51 AM: Message edited by: Boedy ]

Mr4am · 12-31-2002, 11:15 PM

When I've tried heaver main line. The weight of the main line will pull the side planner and cause a large bow in the line, making it harder to get the planner to the other side of the river and having to lift the pole higher in the air to keep the bow out of the water. However I've experimented with letting the bow pull the side planner back into the slower curent, then lifting the line and have the plug work back into the faster curent. Also some people put a bobber stopper at the end of the main line to keep the side planner from floating away if something happens at the swivel. I've also experimented with using tuff line to keep the weight of main line low.

David Johnson · 12-31-2002, 11:17 PM

I forgot to mention that the longer the rod the better to help keep the line off the water.

A rod rates 10-20 would be a good action.

ssteelheadsteve · 12-31-2002, 11:32 PM

Shallow and Silly ? Ouch
" I may grow older but I refuse to grow up".

Don't you love it when trout will come up to take any "fly ". :smile: Generally when I am accused of being shallow it costs me a great deal of money. Yes I have caught 2 or 3K Steelhead on plugs and it is not one of the highlights of my life. If fishing takes no talent,skill or knowledge I don't see how you could get much reward from the effort. I think perhaps that is why I prefer to call it angling. I feel one should come away from each angling event with much more than just a fish. Anglers ar not born. They are made.
Yes I use bait at the proper time. I prefer fly fishing when ever possibble but with extreme flows or temps I am painfully aware that flies my not be very effective. I will leave the negative aspects of using side planners to others.
Jen IMNSHO In MY Not So Humble Opinion
With a lage grin that you can't see unless I put it here :smile:
I wish you all a Happy and Peacefull New Year
and hope that some of you find more humor along the internet trail this year. Surf and angle with a grin, it is great fun :smile:
In closing, thank GOD
You may quote me if you so desire.
" Real American Men,Veterans,and Patriots don't eat pen raised Salmon or drive Japanese or German Cars "

[ 12-31-2002, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: ssteelheadsteve ]

RichH · 12-31-2002, 11:38 PM

I'm a vet and I drive a Nissan. :smile:

Otolith · 12-31-2002, 11:52 PM

This last July 4th I tried a sideplaner and hotshot for the first time. Fifteen minutes after I started I caught a 20 pound springer. Correct that -- I hooked a 20 pound springer after 15 minutes, and after a considerable amount of more time got him to the bank :grin:

ssteelheadsteve · 01-01-2003, 12:33 AM

Some people only hear what they want to hear. Perhaps reading is the same.
But with print you can reread it. Do I need to explain what this means :smile: ? If your following this thread and not :smile: there may be a problem and I doubt I am qualified to help. Some people will never be happy no matter what happens. I am never satisfied, but thats MY problem. You should all be happy that some "Trout" will rise to any "fly". With these life and nearly death posts lately I think I will quit casting for a while. My hope was to widen the focus yet the focus becomes narrower.

ZOOM OUT FADE TO BLACK LAUGH :smile:

Lured In · 01-01-2003, 08:24 AM

Doryboy, I am speaking as one who is NOT a professional sideplaner. I bought one a few years ago after seeing it wreak havoc on steelies on the deschutes. I read the instructions, put a swivel between my leader and plug, adjusted the angle, tried the different fins, etc. I could never seem to make it work like the guys I saw on the Deschutes. :whazzup:

I attribute this more to my lack of skill with them then anything else. While I consider myself a quick learner, the planer has eluded my competence.

Maybe its time for me to put it back in my box and try again with some of the tips from here.

FYI: specifically I couldn't seem to keep the planer from tipping. Not sure if I was in too fast of current or doing something else wrong. I could also never figure out how to keep the planer up on my mainline so the plug would run deeper. I would always slide down to my swivel. :whazzup: [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

SandySteel · 01-01-2003, 08:28 AM

Steve
open mouth insert foot again. You just can't admit it. Instead it is easier to blame others for their interpretation of your post. Anytime you make a statement like "real men don't use side plainers" you are going to catch flack for it. If you are going to share your "not so humble" opinions you have to expect others to come back on your with theirs. Perhaps you could explain why plugging for steelhead is so disrespectful to steelhead. Why does putting a corky and yarn or a fly through where they are sitting mean you are treating them with so much more respect?

Doryboy....
One tip I have is to wrap the arm for the rudder with pencil lead. Once around is all you need. I haven't used them much as I usually use my driftboat but I got this tip from Gus Kriara, who uses them extensively on the Sandy for steelhead. It will keep the arm from popping up while it is in the water.

Seefood Man · 01-01-2003, 09:06 AM

Question....Is this the same steelhead steve that had that local TV show years ago? Kinda sounds like him

ssteelheadsteve · 01-01-2003, 10:21 PM

Because it takes more talent,skill and knowledge to catch fish using drift or fly gear. Therefore most people have a more satisfying experience.

Or is it just about dead fish ?

BTW Eric N.
If you never fly into challenging,funspace cyberspace,airspace,politics or the lair of those who defile our air,water and woods then you can never experience the wonder of how ineffective "flak" is. The greatest prize in this life is the Truth. Very few seek it. Most can't deal with it. Yet some seek it with unrelenting furry. Those are the men which I would choose to lead us for in their eyes there is a promsing vision of the future for our Mother Earth. Most of them seem to die young or suffer greatly while among us.
ZOOM OUT..............FADE TO BLACK

Boedy · 01-01-2003, 11:35 PM

Get over yourself SSteelheadsteve.