Well! I will have to tell Eric Linde that he forgot to mention the CUT PLUG!!!
Seriously, when you are doin' the downhill troll on the Columbia its strictly a headless herring drill.
As far as the use of in-line flashers in Puget Sound? Heck yeah, I use them!
Often, the middle downrigger will sport an in-line with a herring.
However, for use with flutter spoons such as the Kingfisher or Coyote, you can't beat the rotating flasher for the addition of action to a spoon or squid and the under water "thump" that has brought salmon running for generations...