How to Fish with an Inline Planer
If you troll for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, wahoo, or dolphin and you're not running inline planers, you're missing one of the simplest ways to get lures down in the water column without expensive downrigger equipment. A planer does two things: it pulls your lure deeper than it would run on its own, and it pulls it to the side of the boat, spreading your trolling pattern wider. That combination puts your bait in front of more fish.
Planers have been a staple of the king mackerel tournament circuit for decades. They're cheap, they're effective, and once you understand the rigging they take about 30 seconds to deploy. Here's how to set them up and fish them right.
What Is an Inline Planer and How Does It Work?
An inline planer is a weighted, angled metal or plastic diving device that clips onto your fishing line between the rod and the lure. The planer's flat, angled surface acts like an underwater wing - as water flows over it during trolling, it pushes the planer (and your lure behind it) down and away from the boat.
When a fish strikes your lure, the force of the hit trips the planer. It flips over or releases from its diving angle, which eliminates the water resistance and lets you fight the fish without dragging a planer through the water. That trip mechanism is what makes inline planers so effective - heavy diving force going out, clean fight coming back.
The most common inline planers used in the Southeast are the Old Salty Fishing Planer and the Sea Striker Planer. Both follow the same basic design and come in numbered sizes (typically No. 1 through No. 4) that control how deep the planer dives.
Planer Sizes and Depth
Planer size determines how deep your lure runs. Here's the general breakdown:
| Planer Size | Approximate Depth | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| No. 1 (smallest) | 5-10 ft | Spanish mackerel, small kings near the surface |
| No. 2 | 10-20 ft | King mackerel, dolphin working mid-column |
| No. 3 | 15-30 ft | Kings and wahoo holding deeper |
| No. 4 (largest) | 25-40 ft | Deep wahoo, tuna under thermoclines |
These depths are approximate and vary with trolling speed, line diameter, and how much line you have out behind the boat. More line out means more depth. Faster speed means less depth. A No. 2 planer at 5 knots with 100 feet of line behind the boat might run 15 feet down. The same planer at 7 knots might only hit 10 feet.
For most king mackerel trolling, a No. 2 or No. 3 planer covers the sweet spot. Kings often hold between 10 and 25 feet, especially around nearshore structure, live bottom, and temperature breaks off the Carolina coast.
Rigging an Inline Planer: Step by Step
The rigging sequence matters. Get this wrong and you'll spend more time untangling than fishing.
Step 1: Set up your main line. Spool your reel with 30-50lb Diamond Braid Gen III 8X braided line. Braid's thin diameter cuts through water better than mono, giving your planer more consistent depth. It also transmits strikes better so you can see the rod tip react when the planer trips.
Step 2: Attach the planer to the main line. The planer clips directly onto your main line via its snap mechanism. Most planers have a top clip (main line in) and a bottom eye (leader out). Thread your main line through the top clip and secure it according to the planer's instructions. The planer should slide freely on the main line until it locks into diving position.
Step 3: Attach the leader. From the bottom eye of the planer, tie or snap on a 15-25 foot leader. Use 30-60lb AFW Tooth Proof wire leader for toothy species like kings and wahoo, or heavy fluorocarbon if you're targeting dolphin or cobia. Connect the leader to the planer using a ball bearing snap swivel - this prevents line twist from the planer's movement and makes leader changes fast.
Step 4: Tie on your lure. At the end of the leader, attach your lure or bait rig. Clarkspoons are the classic choice for kings and Spanish behind planers. Larger Clarkspoon Flashspoons in No. 1-3 size work great, along with skirted ballyhoo, cigar minnows, or swimming plugs. For more on lure selection behind planers, our trolling lures for beginners guide covers the basics of building a spread.
Step 5: Deploy. Let your lure out first, then let the planer pull it down as you let out line. Once you have 75-150 feet of total line behind the boat (planer plus leader), set the rod in a holder and engage the reel. You should see the rod tip load up as the planer dives - that's your signal it's working.
The Bridle System
A planer bridle is a two-legged harness that connects the planer to the main line. Instead of the main line threading directly through a clip, the bridle distributes the pull across two attachment points on the planer. This gives the planer a more stable dive angle, reduces the chance of the main line chafing on the planer body, and provides a cleaner trip when a fish strikes.
The Epic Fishing Co. Planer Bridle comes pre-made and ready to attach. If you want to rig your own, the Planer Bridle Kit includes the hardware and cable you need. For a complete package with the bridle and all rigging components, the Planer Bridle Rigging Kit gives you everything from the rod tip to the lure connection. For a deeper look at the bridle system and how to tune it, check our inline planer bridle system guide.
If you're just getting into planer fishing, the Fishing Planer Kit includes a planer, bridle, and leader material bundled together. The Hand Line Planer Kit is another option that gives you a complete ready-to-fish setup without sourcing individual components.
Speed and Depth Control
Two things control how deep your planer fishes: trolling speed and line length.
Speed: Most planer trolling happens between 4 and 7 knots. Slower speeds (4-5 knots) let the planer reach more depth and work well for natural bait presentations. Faster speeds (6-7 knots) reduce depth but create more lure action - better for spoons and plugs targeting Spanish mackerel and wahoo. For wahoo specifically, some anglers push 8-9 knots with large planers running swimming plugs.
Line length: More line behind the boat equals more depth and more distance from the boat. For a standard king mackerel spread, 75-125 feet of total line (measured from rod tip to planer) puts the planer in the productive zone. Let out more line in clear water when fish are spooky, less in dirty water or around heavy structure where you need more control.
Fine-tuning depth: If your fish finder shows bait and fish marks at 20 feet, and your No. 2 planer is only getting to 12 feet, you have two choices - let out more line, or slow down. If that still isn't enough, step up to a No. 3 planer. Match the planer size to the depth you need instead of fighting the physics with wrong-sized equipment.
Planers vs Downriggers vs Outriggers
All three tools serve the same basic purpose - controlling where your lure runs in the water column - but they work differently and fit different budgets.
Inline planers are the cheapest and simplest option. A planer, bridle, and leader costs under $50 total. No mounting hardware, no motors, no cables. The downside is less depth precision than a downrigger, and the planer adds resistance that can mask lighter strikes until the planer trips.
Downriggers give you precise depth control using a weighted ball on a cable. You can put a lure at exactly 47 feet and keep it there regardless of speed changes. But downriggers cost $200-800 per unit, require mounting plates and rod holders, and add complexity to your setup. They're standard on dedicated charter boats but overkill for a lot of private anglers. For those interested in outrigger setups, our outrigger trolling guide covers installation and technique.
Outriggers spread your lines wider but don't add depth. They hold lines out to the side of the boat using long poles and release clips, keeping your spread separated and reducing tangles. Outriggers work well paired with planers - run planers on the flat lines for depth and outriggers for surface or near-surface lures on the outside.
For most private boat anglers trolling the nearshore waters off the Carolina coast, planers are the sweet spot. They give you enough depth control to reach kings and wahoo without the cost and complexity of downrigger setups.
Common Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
- Trolling too fast. A planer that's skipping on the surface isn't diving. If you see the planer porpoise or break the surface, slow down. The planer should load your rod tip steadily without violent jerking.
- Wrong leader length. Too short (under 10 feet) keeps the lure too close to the planer, which can spook fish. Too long (over 30 feet) creates tangles and makes landing fish difficult. Stay in the 15-25 foot range for most applications.
- Not checking for trips. Seaweed, small baitfish, and debris can trip the planer without you noticing. If your rod tip suddenly loses its loaded bend, reel in and check. A tripped planer with no fish means something fouled the line - reset it and redeploy.
- Using mono main line. Monofilament stretches, which absorbs the planer's trip signal. You might not notice a strike for several seconds. Braided main line transmits the trip instantly to the rod tip, giving you a clear visual indicator.
- Skipping the bridle. Running a planer without a bridle puts all the diving force on a single line clip point. This wears through line faster and gives less stable diving. A bridle costs a few dollars and dramatically improves performance.
- Not staggering depths. If you run two planers at the same size with the same line length, they're covering the same water. Use different planer sizes or different line lengths to cover multiple depth zones in your trolling spread.
Putting It All Together
Inline planers are one of those tools that seem complicated until you rig one and realize how straightforward the whole system is. Main line to planer, planer to leader, leader to lure. Set the speed, let out line, and troll. When the rod tip pops up and the line goes slack, a fish tripped the planer and you're hooked up.
Start with a No. 2 planer, a pre-made bridle, 20 feet of wire leader, and a Clarkspoon. Run it behind the boat at 5 knots with 100 feet of line out. That single setup has accounted for more king mackerel from Hatteras to Wrightsville Beach than most people want to admit. Once you see how it works, you'll want to run two or three in your spread. That's the depth and width advantage that turns a slow trolling day into a fish box full of smoker kings.