Planer Boards Let You Fish More of the Strike Zone for King Salmon
by Hunter Engel -Best Chance Charter Fishing
When trolling for king salmon, finding the right depth is only half the battle. The real challenge is keeping as many productive presentations as possible in that strike zone.
That's where inline planer boards earn their place in the spread.
Imagine you're fishing over 150 feet of water and your electronics show kings holding around 80 feet down. Your downriggers might be set at 70, 80 and 90 feet. Your wire divers are also adjusted to work that same zone, giving you seven rods covering the depth where the fish are most likely to bite.
That's an effective spread—but it still leaves opportunities on the table.
Add More Productive Rods
Inline planer boards allow you to run additional copper presentations that simply wouldn't be possible otherwise.
For example, when targeting fish around 80 feet down, you might pull:
- 225-foot copper
- 300-foot copper
- 450-foot copper
Each line fishes a different portion of the water column while the planer boards spread them safely away from the boat, preventing tangles and allowing every rod to work effectively.
Without planer boards, you could only fish one of those copper setups at a time.
Instead of competing for the same space, every presentation has room to work.
Why the TX-44 Excels
Heavy copper requires a planer board built to handle the load.
The TX-44 was designed specifically for these demanding applications, allowing anglers to confidently pull long copper setups while maintaining excellent board performance.
Depending on your boat and conditions, you may even have room to run additional boards. That creates opportunities to:
- Pull a 150-foot copper higher in the water column for steelhead and coho.
- Run a 600-foot copper deep for lake trout when conditions allow.
- Cover multiple depth zones without sacrificing your king salmon program.
The result is more lures in productive water—and more chances to hook fish.
More Coverage Equals More Opportunities
Inline planer boards aren't usually the first rods deployed, but they're often the difference between a decent spread and one that consistently produces.
By moving presentations away from the boat and allowing anglers to fish multiple copper lengths simultaneously, they dramatically increase the amount of water you're effectively covering.
For charter captains and weekend fishermen alike, that translates into more opportunities, more bites and, ultimately, more king salmon in the net.
-Best Chance Charters is a premier charter established in 1983. Hunter Engel is a third-generation charter captain. Contact them here: Best Chance Outdoors
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