Planer/dredge rod

[Marie Maddie]

How long should a planer/dredge rod be? I am looking to make a setup for a planer or a "Z" wing. Also will a "Z" wings take the place of a downrigger? Which is better curved or straight butt or doesn't it matter? Thanks for the info.

[Current Affair]

You want a bent butt for sure. You would snap that rod in half if not. Get a rod thats short like 5 foot.

[Glenn W]

Most planer rods are on a 42" to 45" stick (to the unibutt ferrel) 34" -38" stick for a dredge rods. Bent butt ub4 for planer UB4 or UB6 for dredge rod. most planer rods have a #24- #26 tip while dredge rods are 26 and up. Take your z-wing and use it for a decoy weight. Seeker and Pacific Bay make "planer" blanks--- maybe others as well.
Do a search on robuilding.org and you should get some ideas. Also a search here will show several planer rods.

[clt_capt]

The only positive thing I can say about the Z-Wing is that it does get DOWN and stay down. We tried it on a downrigger - Just couldn't crank the damn thing back up with the boat moving. Now it keeps the trash can from moving around when the seas are rockin.

We've been very happy with the sniper setup - just make sure to use Old Salty planers - easy to set and trip.

[Marie Maddie]

Thanks everyone for the info it has helped me make a better decision.