The author used a crankbait pulled behind an in-line planer board to fool this chinook salmon. Photo courtesy of Mike Gnatkowski

Twenty years ago, most Great Lakes anglers wouldn't have known what an in-line planer board was. Today, side-planers have become one of the most important pieces of equipment in the big-lake angler's arsenal. But not all side-planers are created equal. Some are better suited for pulling heavy lengths of lead-core line, which is a hot tactic for summer chinook salmon on Lake Michigan. Others are perfect for targeting brown trout in shallow water or steelhead cruising near offshore scumlines. Truth is, no one in-line planer board can do it all.

Credit for the first commercially made side-planer, called a Yellow Bird, dates back to 1975. Two Wisconsin-based charter captains came up with the idea of making a smaller version of the traditional planer boards they were accustomed to using. The original prototypes were made of wood, but as the mini-board's usefulness became apparent -- and the boards gained in popularity -- the partners decided to begin making them out of injection-molded plastic. Although the company has been sold several times since its inception, Yellow Birds remain one of the more popular in-line planers on the market. You can get more information by contacting Yellow Bird Products at 1-888-696-2473 or online at www.yellowbirdproducts.com.

In-line planer boards have numerous advantages over larger, more cumbersome conventional planer boards. One reason is their simplicity. Another is their size. Larger boards require a mast to run them, and plenty of room. In-line boards are smaller, take up less storage area on the boat and require only a sturdy rod holder, a 7 1/2- to 8 1/2-foot medium-action trolling rod and a quality levelwind reel to use them. There isn't a bulky mast or unwieldy boards to store when you're not using them. In-line boards really shine in tight quarters like when fishing inside harbor walls, working nearshore troughs, stitching the color line or maneuvering in traffic. Full-sized boards require a lot of room to turn. Pulling lines in closer with standard planers requires cranking in the tether line on the mast and reeling in each individual line. With the in-line planers you can just reel the boards in tight when making a turn or bring them in and quickly reset them after you've completed your turn. In traffic, you just need to reel them in closer to the boat, and once the boat passes, simply let the boards back out.

The smaller in-line boards catch more fish than the bigger boards, too. Full-sized boards tend to track smoothly, straight and in line, and trailing lures do the same. In-line boards can dart, jump, hesitate, skate forward and drop back in even the slightest chop or on a turn. This erratic action is imparted to the lures. The stop-and-go cadence imparted by side-planers triggers more strikes from following salmonids.

Once a fish strikes, in-line boards also produce more positive hookups. When a fish hits a line trailed off a traditional planer board, the line snaps out of the release on the tether line. Even if the fish is hooked solidly, there is a lot of slack in the line that needs to be quickly taken up before the angler is tight to the fish. With the smaller in-line boards the instant a fish hits the lure and begins to drop back with the lure the board drops back with it, keeping constant tension on the fish. Hookups are more consistent and your landing rate will skyrocket when using in-line boards versus the larger planer boards.

About the only disadvantage of using in-line planer boards is the fact that they stay attached to your line while you're fighting a fish. But when a chrome steelhead is tailwalking across the surface or a husky king salmon streaks off on one of those patented 100-yard runs, you hardly notice it. When running shorter 50- to 75-foot leads behind the smaller boards, the trick is to let the board trip or release and slide down to a stop positioned on your line 6 to 8 feet above the fish. Run a 10mm bead up your main line and then attach a barrel swivel before tying on a 6- to 8-foot leader to your lure. You can also use a stop called a Speedo Bead. When running long lengths of lead core behind larger in-line boards, it's easy to reel in the board and take it off while fighting the fish because the fish is way behind the boat and isn't likely to get tangled in other lines.