Planer boards right of way clarification....

[Digitroll Fishing]

Ran across this on "At the Oak" Copied and pasted.

This is a subject we have discussed in the past I will bring it up again, plainer boards with coppers, since this has become a hot topic I called my insurance agent to discuss this issue. Bottom line, you are responsible for the equipment you run on your vessel. The same as if you were driving down the road and something fell off your car or out of your boat and caused damage to the the car behind you would be responsible for the damage to that vehicle. So if you are going to run coppers on boards don't expect the other boat to give way to you, protect your own equipment and move it!

[ssminnow]

very good to know! thanks

[Trackertroller]

Thanks Ron,
very helpful info, hopefully this post gets many views.

[WildFisherWoman]

Very interesting indeed....

[karl]

It's also naive to think that pleasure boaters have any knowledge about planers and how wide they can disperse. The boards don't give the fisherman a right to a 300' channel (or even wider) and if gear gets lost, it gets lost.

But, interesting to see about a claim from someone who does damage to a prop seal or something else from fouling your copper lines which were nowhere even close to your boat.

With the number of hooks per line or per fisherman fairly limited in Lake Champlain, I wouldn't expect the huge abuses that happen in other waters.

Do you guys run flags on your planer boards?

[Gray Ghost]

Do you guys run flags on your planer boards?

I've seen on Champ; homemade boards that appear to be using motor oil as a waterproofing agent, least to say, they were very dark and extremely hard to see. Don't remember seen any body using flags. Flags are easy to see from a perpendicular approach, not from head on or an overtaken aspect, this is where they need to have the most visibility. I have been using for many years, swimming noodles in bright orange, which gives maximum visibility form all directions.

[Digitroll Fishing]

Good stuff Gus!

Here is a couple shots of my favorite planer boards by the defunct Super Ski's that used to come out of Prince Mastercraft plastic company out of Syracuse NY up until 2000 or so.

Bill Saiff of Rod n Reel fame began running them around 1984. I have always used the bright orange courtesy flags that came with them. I would often see people running them without the flags and they were very hard to see on the water. I could never understand why someone wouldn't run the courtesy flags. That was the best part of running these.

[ssminnow]

we used to use tennis balls painted bright orange...helped in visibility from a 360 degree view. i like the pool noodle idea!