Before the November ice makes fishing from your boat’s deck a problem you may want to consider heading out for a day of bass fishing with a three way rig. These rigs can help you catch huge bass (over sixty pounds) in broad daylight or at night. Standard bait found all over New England such as porgy, hickory shad, cup and eels can help you land a striped bass that could wind up being more than forty inches. Just think of the great tales you’ll have to tell your friends and family. The East coast is rich in big stripers and the methods and tackle to land them are numerous.
Once you find a location that fish like, the rest is simple. It is the type of fishing that, with some straightforward directions, your grandmother could use to snag a fish, providing she could land it. A 3-way rig was the downfall of one of the heaviest bass ever landed, a 76-pounder caught on a reef by Captain Bob Rochetta at Montauk Point. This is the second-heaviest striper ever recorded, second only to a 78-pounder landed at a New Jersey jetty by Al McReynolds. The three-way rig has been used successfully to catch fish between 55 and 70 pounds in bass-filled waters at Plum Gut, The Sluiceway, Valiant Rock, and Sugar Reef, to name a few.
Even if it sounds a bit complex, a three way rig isn’t difficult to assemble. It’s merely a three-way swivel to get started, a leader, your main line and a dropper loop. The dropper loop is just what it sounds like – attach a sinker to this loop and it allows the running tide to create a bouncing motion. Your sinker will depend on the area you’re fishing — you may need a sinker as heavy as twenty ounces or as little as four ounces. Your second line should always be a fluorocarbon line leader that is between four and five feet in length. Balancing out your line is critical, combining strength and stealth can be a bit tricky but if you use a fifty pound fluorocarbon you will find that it works great especially if the water is very clear and the day is bright. Maintain the proper balance between strong and stealthy by using the right weight line for the weather conditions.
The measure of the leader is questionable, since some use heavier line when they fish around hazards, like lobster pots. Some prefer 50 lb., as it is a good balance between sneaky and strong. There are days of clear water that make the bass line-shy, and on days like that some use 30 lb fluoro. Terminal tackle is pricey now, and between Seaguar Fluorocarbon, Spro Swivels and Gamakatsu hooks, your rig can get rather expensive. A successful means of avoiding losing countless rigs to the bottom is to employ a lighter line for your dropper loop than the leader. This way, if you get caught, you can snap the dropper loop, losing just your sinker, and still reclaim the rig and your bait. For instance, if your main line is 55, your leader is 50, and that makes your dropper loop around 30 lb.
Choosing your lines for each part of your rig helps ensure the success of the rig. If you use a braided line (best choice) for your main line you will find that the smaller diameter allows you a lot of options. This line is great for keeping within the strike zone – you can’t catch fish if your bait isn’t in the strike zone. When compared to monofilament line, the lower stretch capacity of braided line allows you to feel exactly where you are (in terms of the surface you are on). You can easily identify sandy bottoms, rocky bottoms or even a mussel bed which of course will allow you to determine exactly what you need to do to get your hooks set into your catch. While Fireline, Stren and Power Pro all make an effective braided line, Daiwa is way ahead of their competition. Their braided line is comprised of eight strands versus the four offered by others. An added bonus is that while most complain that braided line lacks that “broken in feel”, Daiwa offers a premier, smooth line that is limp and easy to use.
Striper fishing with live bait can be an extremely fun adventure. To make it more enjoyable, you should make sure you have the right type of reels. Some of Daiwa’s most popular reels include: Saltiga 30T, Seaborg SB300FB, and Daiwa Viento.
