Three way rigging!

I was reading the article in walleye insider about three way rigging! Do any of you out there use it and is it pretty successful? Do you mostly use it on the river or does it work for lakes also?
Thanks ya’ll!

3-way rigging and bottom bouncing can both be very effective tools. I don’t do alot of river fishing but I do fish alot of deep clear lakes.
I use it mainly for walleyes when they are spead out along the bottom, particularly in big basins or flats.

As gunflint stated, it very effective both on rivers and lakes. Threeway rigs give you very good control of the baits, both live and artifical. If I am running 4 or more lines I like to use it in combination with leadcore, to avoid tangled lines. it is also a effective method to run cranks and spinners at the same time to see which presentation the fish prefer.

3-way rigs are what I use most of the time on the river for walleye fishing. I do fish jigs and crankbaits as well but a 3-way rig puts the most fish in my boat over the course of a year. I use a jig for my drop line unless I am pulling double rapalas or I am in heavy current where a jig won’t get you down. I catch around 1/3 of the fish on the drop jig. On my 3-way long line I usually will have a single plastic bead and a hook for live bait. 3-way rigs are great for working the faces and tops of wingdams. I have also used 3-ways for fishing lakes but I use them primarily for river fishing. If I am pulling rapalas on a 3-way rig I will use a 2 to 3 oz pencil sinker as my drop weight. Heavy sinkers are also needed to fish 3-ways in heavy current. 3-way rigs are very versatile as you can fish many bait/lure combinations. I like fishing them with the drop jig as it gives the fish a second offering.

Eyehunter

Would some of the more seasoned 3 wayers care to share their philosophy/theory on how they decide the length of the dropper line versus the trailer line? I’ve caught a few fish on 3 ways but I think the potential to improve the bite ratio is there. At times I’m never overly comfortable or confident when deciding how long of dropper line vs trailer. Thanks, Kurt

If you do a search for 3-ways here on the site you will find a ton of info, here are just a few.

question on 3-ways

Here in Jarrad Fluekiger’s artical “Up at the Crack of Dawn!” is also some good info on 3-ways

3 ways or Bottom bouncers

When do you determine using three-ways vs. bottom bouncers vs. lindy rigging?

Kurt, The length of my drop line is almost always the same around a foot +/- an inch or two. I have caught fish on a drop jig with less than an 8″ drop line. The longer the drop line, the higher off of the bottom your long line begins.

The length of my long line varies depending on conditions and location. Most of the time I fish with 5′ to 6′ long line. This way my long line will wash up on top of the wingdams while your drop jig stays down in the trough at the front base of the dam. Some of the shorter dams will require a shorter long line and some of the taller dams may require longer long lines. I wouldn’t get much longer than the length of the pole you are fishing as you have to be able to reel the fish to the surface.

Eyehunter

Thanks for all the help guys! I may be trying that this weekend on P4.

1800 Fisherman,
I generally will go to a three way or bottom bouncer when the fish are deep and spread out. It’s a good way to cover alot of water fairly quickly. If I happen to find a hot spot, I’ll try and finess them with a rig or a jig.

I have a couple more questions!
I love fishing with fireline, so that’s what I have on my spools. Can I still use the fireline for my lead line and then use mono for the drop and trailer? If so, what lb test we be good?