Quinte Fishing

A few questions.

Does anybody use the planner board masts that fit into your seat base. I noticed that http://www.offshoretackle.com/ sells them for their masts.
It would be great if I didn't have to drill anymore holes in my boat

Do the reels on the mast count how much you let out. They all seem to hold 150'+ of line.

I always see people saying we had our boards 100' from the mast or 50' from the boat. But I don't see any indication from the manufacture that there are line counters on the mast reels.

Most of us are using in-line planners and reels with counters.

Thats the case in our boat anyway.

With the mast time you can also use your reel counters but the line hooks up to this system in a different configuration.

Safe Fishing First,
Jack

oh yeh LOL! I guess that was a silly question. You snap your line to the board then release it. The reel on your rod tells you how far out you are DOH!

Maybe I shouldn't be asking these questions while I am at work and my mind is trying not to concentrate on fishing LOL!

I'm just curious to see how much stress those mast put on the seat base

I have for a few years used the planer board mast in my seat base. I use in my starcraft 14' and used it in my smoker 17'6". No I haven't seen counters on the mast. They are for the most part very good at holding the mast. If your just fishing in small water like picton harbour, you could get away with an line $20 board. Less trouble to turn around in a group of boats.

Thanks cottager

That's great to hear I was hoping they were pretty good.

Yeh I am mostly smaller water. I want the mast so that I get the same effect as a downrigger when the fish hits the line comes off the board all together.

We had a few light hits on saturday that we lost. I'm thinking maybe we could have gotten them if we could have made a hook set.

I have been using a home-made mast system built on a seat base in my Crestliner for a few years now. I also made a board from the plans on this site and it works as well as a $200.00 commercial system, it just doesn't fold up. Make sure to lubricate the seat base before installing as a couple of days of pulling boards in waves, rain, snow can make it harder to remove than one would like.

Yeh I was thinking of trying to make my own mast and boards. Maybe I'll try that first. It's gotta be cheaper

I'll post a pic of them when there done

Ranger Guy,

I don't know what material you intend to use to make your mast, but I made mine out of hollow, stainless steel pipe (3" I think). The best place to find it (and least expensive) was from Speedy Muffler King (or some other exhaust garage). They even cut it to my exact dimensions. I added the accessories to it on my own at home.

My original design was for it to fit in the seat base at the front of the boat, but I found that it would come loose or fall out frequently. To overcome this I am going to weld a flat, stainless steel plate to the base of the mast, drill holes through the plate, and then screw it into the boat floor (another stainless steel base) - the same way some removal downriggers are attached. That way it will be easy to set up and remove.

Captain Hank

I bolted my store bought mass inside a seat spindle bought at a marine store. Bass pro has all different sizes that snap into your pedestal base. Just for info.

I just purchased the seat mount holder from Big-Jon. I'll let you know next year

For the simple reason, I feel I have enough holes already too in my boat

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WIG

Ranger Guy

I have the Offshore mast and use it only for musky fishing. I use the Offhshore inline boards for walleyes. Shimano Tekota linecounters for reels and Shimano Clarus 7'10" rods.

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Get in, sit down, shut up and hold on !

Bob Devine
www.chartertalk.com

I agree Wall-I-Guy, my ranger is a 1990. While she looks pretty much brand new. I am a little nervous to put more holes in her than I have to. I worry that if I don't seal them up good enough I'll rot out the fiberglass.

I'd like to put a little kicker on the back as well but I am nervous because the age of the boat it might be to much strain on the transom. Although I don't know why i worry. She's a solid boat LOL! This was proven when I got rear ended last year. The truck that hit me snapped my skeg, 2 blades on my prop and folded my transom support bracket. The boat didn't even have a crack in the gel coat

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Rangerguy

I know what you meen about holes...my new legend as way to many that i have put in ...buy adding Equipment and taking it off when i up graded, as far as your kicker on the transum....you should have no problems with strain on your transum.....first of all you will only be trolling between 1.0 and 2.5 MPH that will not produce any strain...WIG.... there is still open water...let check it out next weekend

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BIG-O(Phil)<!!!!!><
SO MUCH WATER .....SO LITTLE TIME

Hey Phil,

If it weren't for the fact it's the weekend, I'd be there in a heart beat. Too close to Christmas now, family needs and all that you know

If you want to go during the week, I'm your man ...

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WIG

Sorry Big-) I'm in the same boat as Wall-I-Guy. Family stuff and christmas LOL! My boating is done for the season