No planners are not a must I hate them for shallow lakes but some love them try just long lining out side of boat run longer rods 9' or better then 5' to 6' to give yourself spacing between lines, and sometimes running your inside lines in the prop wash helps you to get bit

 

Seems that in shallow water the wash from the motor scares them away.

For Indian lake saugeye,it's the opposite.I've pulled quite a few eyes out of people's boat wakes when they plow by me.Even if you're on the bank and a boat cruises by,you can still pull saugeye out of their boat wakes.

If I can only troll 3 rods between 2 of us,then the propwash rod gets lots of action.When they're really hitting,I'll try to get 2 rods in the propwash area.

Inline planers or big boards? I pull the big boards and the slowness of the bite and heavy wave action restricted me from using them.I haven't messed in inline yellowbird type of planers.

 

I catch fish on short leads / propwash, too BUT I do better running in-line boards. I suspect many people run baits too deep off the boards and don't realize it whereas long-lining is easier to make adjustments and tell that you're plowing bottom.

I just bought two sets of TX-6 mini boards and can't wait to experiment...

 

About how much line should I let out? And is it best to keep lure near bottom? Or suspend a little off bottom? I'm new to fishing inland lakes have always fished lake Erie. I have realized there is a big difference. Especially between walleye and saugeye.