3-Way Rigging

I like longer rods for easier casting and much better control. The majority of my 3-way rods are 8′ to 9′, with a few 10′ & 12′ rods if I’m dead sticking 3-ways.

For rippin flies, I I have really taken a strong liking to to the Cabelas’ Fish Eagle II 8′-6″ Medium/fast. I can run 1/2oz to over 1oz weights, run about 4′ lead to the flies, and the rod is a little forgiving (soft) for how hard eyes slam the flies. I can twitch flies or rip the heck out of them and the rod responds how I need it.

Live bait on 3 ways, I like the Falcon Slab Series in 10′. Composite rod, but good sensitivity and softer tip. Besides feel, the tip gives a great visual of whats happening down below. Also a little more forgiving when fish are on a finicky bite.

Pulling sticks. I usually use more weight so i get much better control on depth/placement without having lines dragging far behind the boat. Because the weight/resistance is partially loading the rod, i like my Quantum Smokes with a X-Fast tip.

In all cases, I run braid as a main line and mono for the drop and the lead to the bait

For me the best 3-way or long line trolling rod is a St Croix 7’6″ m/m or medium & moderate.

Randy,

Can you expand on the use of flies in a 3-way setup? I’ve heard this a few times on here now and am not sure what you are referring to?

How do you rig this setup? You mention ‘rippin’ them, so it’s an active presentation, are you slow trolling into current? Casting and retrieving?

Finally, what time of year and general structure you are using this presentation?

We need to get out fishing again soon, let me know if you end up in the Twin Cities area this open water season!!

Eric

St Croix eyecon makes a really good rod for 3 ways. I believe it is their bottom bounce rod with a moderate action.

cougareye wrote:

Can you expand on the use of flies in a 3-way setup? I’ve heard this a few times on here now and am not sure what you are referring to?

How do you rig this setup? You mention ‘rippin’ them, so it’s an active presentation, are you slow trolling into current? Casting and retrieving?

Finally, what time of year and general structure you are using this presentation?

Pulling flies was very common when I was growing up on the winnebago system. We mostly used them in spring with a double fly presentation on a 3 way. Standard three way rig but run two different length leaders off the upper part. You can also run two flies in tandem on a single lead to reduce tangles. We would slowly pull them up stream with a rip and drop action, sliding up and down the breaks as we moved up stream. Really not making much forward progress, more side to side.

I now run a lot of dubuque rigs in fall with a fly on the upper and jig/plastic on the bottom. Some days I’ve seen the plastic take all saugers and the fly take all walleyes.

I also run them on as a trailer behind a stick bait on a regular three way, rigged the same way you would run a tandem stick bait rig.

I do not pitch them at all, but know that some guys do, and sounds like Randy is one of those guys.

The fun part of flies is most guys don’t use them….or assume that they are for whitebass. Like John, got hooked on them from the Bago system and just found that they work everywhere.
Also, says, you rip the hell out of them, some days you just “pop” them. Probably my favorite fly bite is a sweep. You sweep your rod 3 to 5 feet forward (upstream), reel your slack down as the weight hits the bottom, and sweep again. When they are aggressive on this, every hit feels like a 8# fish. Plus tying flies is cheap compared to cranks and you can get a billion different color combinations.
Pic below is a very select group of big walleye flies. Most are much smaller

Randy Wieland wrote:

Pulling sticks. I usually use more weight so i get much better control on depth/placement without having lines dragging far behind the boat. Because the weight/resistance is partially loading the rod, i like my Quantum Smokes with a X-Fast tip.

What power rod and length do you like to use for pullin three ways with stick baits? Also do you use just regular lead teardrop sinkers or are there sinkers that you get more sensitivity from?

My smoke medium X fast is 7’4 I think. Other guys on here do a heck of a lot more trolling than me. Ifor I’m trolling, I’m on the bow mount trolling motor working very specific structure. I just use common bell sinkers.

Here is another sample of flies

I pull flies a lot around mid April to the end of May. I use the same 7 foot rods I use for casting cranks, so medium action. I also typically only run 3/4 to 1oz weights, as I’m not in a ton of current. Sometimes I’ll run my trolling motor around .5mph and just drop the weight back to make sure I’m near bottom every 30-60 seconds. This creates that sweeping action, plus the little faster movement of the boat, keeps the hair moving.

With this three way rig., is it supposed to be fished as vertical as possible? I’ve been fishing pool 2 a lot this spring with the standard jig and a minnow, and I’ve gotten really good at feeding fish so I started trying the three way live bait and stick bait setups. The current is strong right now and unless I use a lot of weight (like and ounce or two) I am having a heck of a time staying vertical. How much weight do any of you use on a three way in strong current?

I usually use 1-2.5 oz weights if that don’t get me at a 45 degree angle there’s too much current

Kris Lindberg wrote:

With this three way rig., is it supposed to be fished as vertical as possible? I’ve been fishing pool 2 a lot this spring with the standard jig and a minnow, and I’ve gotten really good at feeding fish so I started trying the three way live bait and stick bait setups. The current is strong right now and unless I use a lot of weight (like and ounce or two) I am having a heck of a time staying vertical. How much weight do any of you use on a three way in strong current?

If im 3-waying its because I want to keep a bait in a strike zone that I cant get to with a jig (current).. vertical-never, less than 2 ounce dropper-never.

Like Andrew, I like to get to about a 45 degree angle.
I do use a 1 – 3 ounce weight.
I will use a 1/2 ounce difference in weights
on the rods on one side of the boat
to give me separation to reduce tangling the lines.
I am usually spot locked somewhere relative to a current seam.

When I am 3-waying which I do a lot of in the spring and summer I start with 3 ounce weights pulling cranks and will go up to 8 ounces if necessary. Many times I am pulling dunes on the bottom of the river where fish like to hide out from the current. With enough weight I can feel the dune and stall the boat and hover the bait over the trough or slide the boat sideways keeping the bait in the strike zone longer. Many times I am pulling 3-ways I am sliding bank to bank if I find a good area holding fish this is where my Hbird SI makes life much easier as I am pulling I am constantly watching my SI for fish holding in current breaks on the bottom.