Made in Michigan: New Church Stern Planer should appeal to wide range of trollers.

[Dave Mull]

I had a hard time figuring out what a “Stern Planer” could be used for when I first saw the press release about this new product from Church Tackle, probably because I couldn’t wrap my mind around a product called a planer that apparently just follows along behind the boat.

Church Tackle's 007 Stern Planer

Then I talked to Capt. Coho Bob Lausman, who is on the Church Pro Staff, and it all got clear why many of us Michigan trollers will add these devices to the salmon, steelhead and walleye arsenal in the coming season.

Basically, they just attach ahead of your lure, then trail on the water’s surface in a nice straight line behind the boat. When I saw Coho Bob using a pair of them behind his vintage Starcraft on the St. Joe River a week ago, their usefulness became crystal clear.

To explain:

Say you want to run a high-action, deep-diving crankbait in the shallow river to provoke a strike from a lethargic steelhead. Well, you just put the Stern Planer six feet or so in front of the lure, let it behind the boat as far as you want, and you’ve got a hard-wiggling lure diving just three feet deep—and way behind the boat where the boat isn’t spooking fish. Coho, who was fishing Bill Church, the product’s designer, said a lure behind the Stern Planer was the hot deal of the day, responsible for 4 out of 5 fish.

Now, think about this for the big lake. Say you want to run a couple of wiggly Lindy River Rockers or a deep-diving Reef Runner for spring coho in shallow or for offshore steelhead that are high in the water column. The Stern Planer makes it easy as pie.

Two prototype 007 Stern Planers trail behind Coho Bob Lausman's vintage Starcraft on Michigan's St. Joseph River.

Bill Church says the Stern Planer will be able to float and tow heavy copper and leadcore lines, which will let you run these weighted lines down the chute. Get a fish on another line, and you can drop the Stern Planer behind the fish-fighting area. Some guys on Lake Ontario tow copper line behind big muskie bobbers suitable for floating big suckers. When they get a fish on another line, they can let out the bobber so it stays behind where they fight the fish. This 10-inch-long, 3-ounce-heavy Stern Planer ought to do that job better.

Church’s biggest name walleye pro Mark Martin, a walleye champ from Muskegon, Michigan, outlined some other cool things about how these things can be used:

• The TX-007 Stern Planer can be staggered, allowing for more lines to be run out the back of the boat.

• You don’t have to retrieve or reposition the TX-007 Stern Planer when retrieving your side planers, giving you added fishing time.

• It’s great for trolling in congested areas and for more effective contour trolling along drop offs, contour lines, reef edges and weed lines in rivers, lakes or the ocean.

• It takes advantage of the prop wash, which moves disoriented bait-fish, sediment and bugs around that attract fish.

• Although its primary use is as a stern planer, it can also run off of outriggers or be used as a buoy marker.

•Â You can even use it to take the memory out of mono line that has been spooled a long time on a reel.

Stern Planers will allow you to add lines to a trolling spread while avoiding tangles.

I really think a lot of different troller-types are going to like this. I can see it being used by Lake St. Clair muskie anglers, who can set a high-action muskie plug behind the boat so it runs just behind the prop wash—which at times brings muskies in. Crappie anglers will even like it for dropping a little crankbait high in the water column behind the boat.

The Stern Planer attaches to the line with a clip on the nose and a snap swivel in back for simple attachment or removal.

I’m looking forward to running these deals myself in the spring on Lake Michigan, along sandbars with a goby-colored Shad Rap for brown trout. According to Lausman, the TX-007 Stern planer has so little drag you can still see the action of the lure at the rod tip.

The price of this 007 Stern Planer hasn’t been established yet, as the tooling is still under construction, but the folks at Church say they’ll be on the market in time for spring fishing—probably in mid-February. For more info, check out www.churchtackle.com.

Every once in awhile, a new product comes along that all sorts of anglers are going to like and use. I really think that the Michigan-made Stern Planer is one of them.

Edited December 21, 2012 by Dave Mull

[Consummate Sportsman]

Very nice write up Dave! I like the concept.

[tbromund]

Hi Dave,

sounds very similar in application to the "Pike Ball Rig" I had in a Basics and Beyond a couple years ago. That application was for copper down the chute, but we have also used if for many years for a tail gunner with a stickbait when trolling the shoreline for browns in the spring.

I really like Church's setup.

Tim

[Nailer]

I like the idea for deep cranks run way behind the boat.

[Dave Mull]

Yep, you were the Lake Ontario angler to whom I was referring, Tim! I think this has a lot of potential to get used a lot behind my boat throughout the year. Something I didn't work into the article and should have is the efficiency with which it hooks fish. Bill Church said they first tested it on bluegills, trailing spinners with worms, and these things had the highest catch rate compared to the little TX-6 boards and even compared to flat lines. It must help set the hook when the lure is close. Lausman said the same thing about hooking up with steelhead--they seem to get hooked better.

Hi Dave,

sounds very similar in application to the "Pike Ball Rig" I had in a Basics and Beyond a couple years ago. That application was for copper down the chute, but we have also used if for many years for a tail gunner with a stickbait when trolling the shoreline for browns in the spring.

I really like Church's setup.

Tim

[Dave Mull]

I'm already envisioning hooking up with those offshore steelhead that are high in the water column early in the year, using a Deep Little Ripper set like 12 feet behind and run well back of the boat. I think it will be a good part of a lot of different spreads.

I like the idea for deep cranks run way behind the boat.

[Yankee Troller]

I really like this planer. I was explaining this to a few buddies who plug on the Salmon River. It would allow them to get a few more rods out if they wanted. I think it will be nice for those high steelhead too. The one tip I took from your thread was the Spring BT Tailgunner! I will definitely have one in the water this April!

[lubbco]

are they available yet ,where?