If you are just getting started planer fishing, one of the first questions you may have is what tackle will be required. What we do with this fishing video is provide a few well thought out suggestion for the rods and reels that will serve your planer fishing endeavors well. The fishing rods and reels we discuss can easily be used for other types of fishing. Our approach with the information shared is to assume you are just getting started and do not have tackle that is suitable for planer fishing. Pulling planers and cranking in fish from the rod holder puts a lot of pressure on your gear. So, the tackle we feature can handle all the beating you are going to give it. You will learn about why medium action rods with good flexibility in the tip is ideal. We will share insights on the type of line guides you find on rods and why some are better than others. Even something like the type of reel seat you should consider for your planer rod is so important. Like the fishing rods, there are a a pile of good reels on the market, but we wanted to stick with our premise of recommending something that will serve you well across multiple types of fishing. We focus on durability and how much life you can get out of the reel. Obviously, how well you take care of your gear determines how long it works well. For planer fishing, you don't need a high speed reel. You need one that will crank in fish over and over again. Remember, what we discuss are basic setups. There are so many different rod and reel manufacturers out there and we like many of them. For this video, we discuss tackle that you will find in our everyday gear. We discuss these outfits because we fish with them and know how well they stand the test of planer fishing and time.
Planer Fishing Rods and Reels
(00:13:36)This In The Spread video covers basic rod and reel setups for planer fishing. Big game tackle shop owner and long time commercial fisherman RJ Boyle is going to share his thoughts on setups that work well for beginners or long time anglers. We know that a lot of fishermen struggle with what tackle to use for planer fishing. We some answers for you. The premise for this video is that you have no tackle and you want to go planer fishing. You probably want to know what will you need? The answers depend on how much fishing experience you have and what else, if anything, are you going to want to do with the rods and reels. The idea here is to get you situated with tackle that you can use for multiple purposes, not just planer fishing. So, that is the context of RJ's demonstration. When we talk about fishing tackle in our videos, it is always with the understanding that there are a multitude of good rod and reel manufacturers out there. What we recommend or use are the products we have used and know work well. We are not trying to push anything rods or reels. You are more than welcome to use whatever you like or take our recommendations. Our goal is just to point you in the right direction. For the fishing rods that work well for planer fishing, our suggestion is to use a stick with flexibility in the tip. Nothing is uniform and the action is different in every rod. So, a medium action rod (30-50 lb) with a flexible upper half is ideal. You don't want a rod that is too stiff. Uhhh. If you can't see the bite, you will have problems. You will see in the video precisely that type of action your tip should have. The rod should be able to pull from size 3-8 planers. Ideal length is 6-7 feet. It is strongly suggested that your reel seats be metal. With the amount of pressure generated on the reel seat from cranking on a reel in the gunnel, plastic reel seats can fail. Just sayin'. There is an incredible variety of reels that you can use for planer fishing. The reel we feel makes a nice addition to any anglers arsenal is the old school classic Penn Senator. This reel is super reliable, durable and heavy duty enough to handle a wide variety of different game fish. It is really good for planer fishing. It may have a slow retrieve, but that is good for this type of fishing. Whatever reel you decide to use, make sure it is taken care of. Clean and lube it, so that it will last a lifetime. The Senator certainly will last that log, if cared for. You will see a few different rods and reels in the video. What we highlight are basic setup recommendations. Take the information we share and assimilate the bits that you find helpful into your fishing program. If you want to watch of planer fishing video, check out our [Saltwater Fishing Techniques](https://inthespread.com/saltwater-fishing-techniques) library.
