I like runnin boards but have never done it in canoe country although I have kicked it around some.

One of the main reasons for running a board seems absent though......and that is spooking fish. I can't help but wonder just how put off are fish with a canoe going over. Good fodder for discussion I suppose but one thing is probably sure, they are likely less put off with a canoe than an 18ft boat with it's kicker running. When walleye trolling in Lake Erie or Lake St. Clair a running boat pushes the fish right to your boards every time.

And then there is the physics involved. You have to be trolling fast enough and at a steady speed to get a hook set. And then of course there are all the reefs and points to contend with. Picture getting hung up all the time.

Don't get me wrong........your talking my language and a board is just another tool and I love tools. I actually like the idea of using a board in open water when the fish might be spread out a bit more perhaps a bit later in the year. Could work very nicely.

I suppose I will just stick with the rod in the rod holder flat lining because I like to see the rod go over so much. Plus I can tell exactly how my lure is working by looking at my rod tip. Can't do that so much with a board.

What I really would of liked to do is use a board along with live bait......crawler harness or a small bluegill or perch. That would of been cool .

But my suggestion is you take one in and let us know how it goes.

I've never been tempted.  I run them sometimes on my Bayliner but that's on pressured waters.  Seems like an unnecessary hindrance in a canoe.  A planer board will create a ton of drag.  IMHO it's far more of a hassle than it would be worth.

But if you try it, I'd be interested to hear how it goes.

Ranger- I have used Dipsy's before while canoeing and they do work well and pack light. Not too much drag at all. I used them back in the early 90's chasing big suspended walleyes on large water when deep trolling was the tactic.

I pretty much gave up on using Dipsy's and went to using snap weights for trollong deep.

With the advent of better deep diving cranks I now have abandoned using Dipsy's and snap weights for deep trolling. On underfished Quetico Lakes,  deep diving cranks are easier to use and very efficient. I think that on lakes that do recieve some fishing pressure from motorized watercaft that putting crankbaits away from the boat to catch fish makes sense.