A mechanical planer board that is arranged for use on both the right and left sides of a towing boat and is further adapted to move from a boat side position to a boat rear position upon a fish strike. The planer board includes a body having a housing, a float, an internal assembly, and at least one line clip having a tow arm. The tow arm maintains the line clip in towing configuration until a fish strike pulls a trigger pin to release the tow arm thereby allowing it to swing and lock in a forward position. The board may further include an indicator device to alert the fisher of board location.