Choice in planer board rod

[newk8]

I purchased two Berkley Lightning rods last year, as was recommended to me buy a Jays employee to use with my planer boards. Now I am looking to get a couple more and apparently Berkley has discontinued the specific kind I already have. What are your opinions on a pretty good, resonably priced planer board rod, for inline planers to use for walleye fishing?

[chamookman]

newk8 - I've had good luck with Gandermountains board rods. They are the retractable (blank in to the handle) type. Great for rod lockers. Good rod for the price. Bob WC#253.

[Ted]

Some one posted this same question on the cold water forum. I use a seven foot ugly stick with penn 9m reels for the big boards. They have worked great with walleye, a bit lite for salmon. The salmon were always fun on the light rods. For in-line boards I use 7'6" walleye specialty from Bass pro Shop with Diawa line counter reels. These outfits are great for walleye, and have taken many Muskie, and large cats as well. with the 7'6" length they are easier than the 8"6' rods for setting and retrieving the boards. I also use Shamano Triton 1802, 8'6" medium action for the in-lines. They are inexpensive, durable, and have good backbone. (The Shamanos are used most often as my rigger rods.) All this talk makes me want to go shopping for some more tackle!

[double trouble]

i second that shimano vote although they don't make the triton anymore. they call it a t.d.r. same rod but bigger price.8'6" will handle a wide variety of fish and makes a good salmon casting rod too in a pinch.works well as a rigger rod too.i have used them for close to 20 years and have never broken one.i still have some of my originals but have added a few more.they get pretty whippy after a few hundred hours on the water.i paid $12.50 for the first batch and now they run 25-35 dollars.i have found that inline board rods are easy to find at flea markets. just find any old salmon rod in the 8 foot range with a medium action.daiwa eliminators,penn fish sticks, south bend black beauties, almost any ugly stick over 7 feet,eagle starfires work good too,stay away from any silstar or pinacle rod(trust me).berkley is also one to avoid just because they have stiff actions and i have broken tips off any lightning rod i own.if you can afford it ,shakespear bought all star rods. cabellas and bass pro make some fine products too ,but too many choices. keep it simple and cheap.its not like a walleye fights all that well.i caught a 10.4 pounder on an old rigger rod and a marado line counter with a broken drag (no drag at all). quality reels, good fresh line, and knots will bail you out way more than expensive rods.

[newk8]

Thanks for all of the great information. I think this will aid in my decision. I also like the idea of going to the markets to find some of the rods. I have everything I need. Thanks for everyone taking time to post here.

[fishing addict]

If you happen to get to Lansing,the Gander Mt. store still has a few of the collapsable Berkley Lightning rods on the shelf.