3 way rig with raps

[bobO]

ANybody have any luck doing this, and if so what is your setup. Any info will help

[Schnauzer]

The single best day of walleye fishing I have ever had was with 3 ways with raps. Ironically, despite that I haven't done it much since.

I was using a three way setup very similar to the more common spinner/crawler rig that is used with three ways... about a 1.5 to 2 foot dropper, and a 3-3.5 foot line out to the rap. I was using original rapalas. In general, use about an ounce of dropper weight per 10-15' feet of water.

I have used this setup quite a bit with crawlers and spinners but only a few times with rapalas. On a couple occasions with another guy in the boat, I ran one rig with a crawler and the other with a rapala. On those specific occasions, both rigs caught at the same rate.

On my best outing ever, it was straight raps with the three ways.

[bobO]

thanks for the advice, I'll have to try this soon.

[markkstanley]

Schnauzer's got it right. The leader to drop ratio is about 3:1 so if you want a 6ft leader use 2ft of drop. Use enough weight to keep the line at 45 degree angle. I usually keep the weight off the bottom about a foot or so but a lot of guys just drag it. Trolling speed is anywhere from 1.5 to 3mph. Faster speeds require a little more weight. I prefer braid to three way swivel, 15lb or so floro for leader and 6 or 8lb mono for dropper. Rather bust off the weight than lose the lure.

[Chris Haley]

I've been interested in this also. How do you determine your leader length??

[markkstanley]

I picked up the 3:1 ratio from a guide who is a walleye nut. It's worked well for me. Then again I am a firm believer the bigger eyes aren't typically hugging bottom and are willing to hit lure/bait 3 to 4ft off the bottom. I do apply it by first figuring out the leader length I want to use. Think about it though the longer the leader the more the lure/bait will drop so you would need a longer dropper everything else equal. All this assumes the magic 45 degree line angle. 3:1 is a good starting point but conditions may require some tinkering especially if you want to run right off the bottom.

[markkstanley]

I wanted to add some math. Assuming a 45 degree angle and a floating lure/rig a 2ft dropper will keep things about 1ft above the bottom. A shad rap on a 6ft leader and 2ft dropper will run just above the bottom. Use your dive curve charts. Increasing to a six ft dropper adds 3.25ft in depth to the above. To run my lures 2.5 to 3ft off the bottom I let the 2ft dropper hit bottom and reel up 1.5 to 2 turns. Most reels retrieve 2ft of line per reel turn and 4ft of line at a 45 degree angle gets me a little under 3ft of depth. And yes I do the math in my head on the water. Simple geometery.

[Norco]

When I use a 3 way I try not to use a crank bait that dives too deep. I agree 100% w/ mark on the use of a good dive chart, if you don't have one they are sometimes marked on the back of the new lures in the store.

I really like using an original floating Rap behind a 3-way or bottom bouncer as it gives a nice wobble and does not dive too deep.

I would also give a bottom bouncer a try w/ a floating crank as it works good on a hard or sand bottom w/ out weeds. I actually used this method yesterday using a big original floating rap and caught a number of walleye and pike.

Cheers!!

[Nevadafisherman]

Question....How deep would you be fishing if you use a 3 way while pulling raps??? Would you use a 3 foot to 6 foot rap and run it at a 15 to 20 foot depth???

Tim

[Mike Walerak]

You can basically fish any depth you would like.3-ways are generally used in deep water situations (20 feet of water or more).

3-ways are generally used for trolling tight breaklines with tight turns.

On gradual turns and breaks I prefer to use leadcore line to get the crank down deep. It just has less hardware 3-way and the lead line is more forgiving with speed changes.

3-ways are becoming an integral part of my tackle box.

Where legal one can use 2 cranks off of a three way. A deeper running crank is used to reach bottom and a shallow running plug is tied to a three way swivel about five feet above the deeper running lure.

mw