Rods for 3 ways and drop weights

I would like any info on what kind of rods people use when pulling 3 ways, especially when you have a heavy weight like a 3-4ounce weight. Also, just general info on what kind of weights people use and how fast you troll them. Info on what works now at this water level would be appreciated. Also, in the summer how fast are you pulling the lower weighted 3 ways. I have noticed some people with a heavy bend to their poles and some people pulling 3 ways with no bend and I was just curious as to why there was a difference.

labsrule

Labby,

I use 7.5 ft. heavy action graphite flippin stix to pull weights from 3 to 8 oz. Barely a bend in the pole when trolling upstream at 0.5 to 1.5 MPH.

Pop

A very nice and functional rod for trolling three ways with no stretch lines would be a 7 feet ugly stik med or med heavy action a nice slow taper to make up for the no stretch qualities of the line.Bell sinkers work very well for this application but a cheaper and I think better alternative are bank sinkers less expensive and better weight selections.When fishing in current just fast enough to make headway or even slipping every once in a while works great.Dont drag the sinker just bounce it to keep in contact with the bottom kind of like jigging but going forward.

These rods are not cheap, but we use 7-8 ft crankbait series G-loomis rods. We use these for a couple reasons. One, They are relatively slow action which allows them to bend on snags and spring forward. Can’t tell you how many fish we have had hit as soon as that pole springs forward off a snag or the bottom. Also, They still have a very sensitive, fast tip. Allows you to see the real light bites. This combo in actions is why you are spending the money on them. They do not make them in a real heavy action though so they are limited to about 2.5 ounces or so. To be honest with you, very rarely do we need to use a heavier weight than that. If we do use heavier weights then we use heavier poles. Its hard to have a stick that does everything. The slower you can move and still progress forward, the better.

labsrule

I use two different rods to handle the various weights I run when fishing 3-ways.

For the heavy stuff, the weights in the 3+ ounce range, I use 9′ telescopic board rods. Plenty of backbone… but not a super fast, stiff tip. I like the rod to bend and give a bit. As webstj stated, that extra action provided by a slower rod tip propelling the weight and bait forward off of a snag or hang-up can be a real strike inducer. I’ve used very fast tipped, stiff action rods for this appication, and I don’t care for them one bit.

For the lighter stuff, rigging with .5 – 2 ounces of lead I use 7′ 6″ rods that also have a fair amount of give in the tip section… but they’re just no where near as heavy an action. These rods perform poorly when used to run 5 ounce weights as the tips darn near drag in the water under the extra weight… and that’s just overworking a rod beyond its intended capabilities. But they perform beautifully with the lighter weights and the extra sensitivity of the lighter action rod is a bonus when the bites are light.

For the heavier 3-way rods, look for something Med-Heavy to Heavy in action…. with a mod-slow tip section. And these rods can be had cheap. Plus the type of rod you’re looking for can be used as a board rod, lead core rod, etc. So it can serve double or triple duty in the boat.

For the lighter 3-way rods, look for something med-action with a mod-slow tip section. That type of casting rod can also be used for casting cranks on superlines, light catfish duty, pike fishing, etc.

Hope this answers your question….

Thanks to everyone…My next dumb question would then be..if I’m pulling a 3-way with say a 2oz weight..what am I looking for in a “bite” that is, am I getting a lead-line shad rap “slam no-brainer” or something more subtle..thanks in advance. Watch your bottom- Cranky

Seems to me like the smaller fish usually give it a pretty good rap, but the big fish are more subtle. They kind of give it a light tap and then just hold the rod tip back. I think these are the bites that are missed a lot because you have to have a constant eye on your rod tip. I would rather see a real light bite on my rod then one that looks like a white bass hit going 20 miles an hour.

All of the above. When the fish are agressive, they’ll rattle the rod in the rod holder with the hit and refuse to let go. Other days its a super light tap and subtle sensation of weight best described as feeling like you snagged half a kleenex.

Or in short, they bite like walleyes…LOL

How many of you find a “dead stick” seems to get bit most often when 3-waying, rather than the rod you are holding? 3-ways are are admittedly not my strong suit, but the dead stick outfishes me quite often.

This happens to me all the time, even to the point I try and keep both rods in the holders. No matter how hard I try, I can’t just sit there. Not holding on to 1 of the rods makes me feel funny, it does not feel like I am even fishing if I don’t hold on to one of them. It just amazes me as to why this happens more often than not. Must be the boat is a better fisherman than the person holding the rod! Who knows.