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Using A Mast to Your Advantage:
An Offshore Approach to Inland Water Planner Board Fishing
By: Steven James Rusteberg

I have discovered a new and different approach to trolling inland waters for muskie. Like most Esox Anglers I have tried every style of smaller planner board systems on the market from Yellow Birds, to Gary Roach specials. Many of you have probably tried these tools in your muskie angling ventures. While most “on line” boards are extremely effective for walleye fishing, they usually fall short on performance for muksie anglers.

Some of the downfalls of these smaller planner boards are that muskie anglers usually use much larger baits than fellow walleye anglers do. This tends to put much more drag on these boards than they were designed for. This defeats the purpose of the system, which is to get the lures as far away from the boat as possible. The smaller boards usually fall short of performing properly, simply because they were not designed for this use. Another downfall is that an angler must remove this board from the line while fighting the fish. This causes slack line and often times chaos in the boat. Even boards designed to “pop free”, allowing the angler to fight the fish unemcombered by a planner board on the line, fail at times.

I have taken a new approach to trolling planner boards. I have built an offshore mast system for inland water trolling. Usually you see Great Lakes Fisherman using this system, but I have found it to be very effective on inland waters. Many anglers have observed my success on lakes such as the Fox Chain, Shelbyville, and even Evergreen, and are following along in my footsteps.

The offshore mast and outrigger system allows an inland water angler to cover much more water and run planner boards much more effectively than it’s smaller cousin the “on line walleye board”. This system was better designed for the bigger baits muskie anglers typically use. The mast allows me to run several more lines, tangle free, and allows me to fight the fish unemcombered by anything on my line that must be removed. The system was originally designed for ocean fisherman, but works extremely well on Illinois smaller lakes.

Because the planner boards are larger, less drag from the lure is experienced even in the roughest water. Getting the lures further away from the boat is as easy as letting out more line on the mast. “Quick clips” allow you to run your line as far away from the boat as you choose. You also can set up quicker, and start fishing faster after a strike or a snag. Having multiple “quick clips” make the system as easy as one, two, three.

I have been getting some strange looks out on the water lately. Many people have never seen a system like this used for muskie. It seems that the strange looks subside when anglers realize how effective this system is. Many have bought or built their own offshore mast Multiple fish days can be expected if the angler is on the pattern and effectively stagger both lure and offshore boards. Used with Diawa Line Counter reel series a muskie angler can revolutionize his trolling effectiveness. The reel allows you to put out exactly the same amount of line that just caught a fish, taking the guess work out of just how deep the lure was running. Using this reel in tandem with the offshore boards, it becomes almost impossible not to cover water and catch fish.

You will find that after using this system, it pays off big time on your “per hour” catch ratio. The offshore boards effectively get the bigger muskie lures away from the boat where more fish tend to be. Covering a wider expanse of water can only be more productive. It is as simple as “more fish see your lure”. High-speed trollers will love this system. Speeds of ten miles an hour can be reached with the bigger boards and no drag will occur decreasing your lure spread. This is almost impossible speed with the smaller walleye planner boards.

I purchased my materials for under $30 from Fleet Farm to make my offshore mast; however, professional offshore masts can be purchased through Bass Pro Shop Catalog, or Cabela’s Outdoors usually for around $200. The offshore planner boards can also be purchased for under $100. Many people choose to make their own offshore boards, which should not be very complex with minimal woodworking skills.

The taller your mast, and the more forward you mount it in the boat, will increase the spreading of your lines. A tall mast allows you to spread more lines over a larger distance. The more forward the mounting of the mast pole will allow you to drive and set out lines at the same time. I have learned to master letting out lines and maintaining control of the boat, even when I am fishing on my own. Orange offshore planer board line is available through many angling equipment catalogs and will increase your safety on the water. The orange planner board line is very visible to other boats and to the operator of the mast. It is a must on busy bodies of water such as the Fox Chain O’ Lakes that can get extremely congested at times.

Build an offshore mast this winter, and reap the benefits of multiple muskie on fishing days this spring. This system is sure to put more fish in the boat for you next year. The more tools you have in your arsenal to catch fish, the more fish you will catch. Building or buying a mast will keep you one step ahead of the competition on the water and enviably put more fish in your boat in 2002.