The 3-way swivel rig is a popular rig for fishing with live bait and for trolling with artificial lures. Most anglers use this rig when they are fishing with live bait. This rig works great for fishing near the bottom for a variety of freshwater and saltwater fish.
Freshwater
In freshwater, most anglers use the 3-way swivel rig while fishing for walleye, but you can target other species of fish as well. This rig is easier to use when you are just dropping it straight down off the side of the boat. Otherwise, this can be a frustrating rig to use due to tangles. Just drop it straight down to the bottom and troll slowly to avoid tangles. Walleye may be the preferred species of fish for most anglers with this rig, but you can easily use this technique to catch northern pike, striped bass, perch, smallmouth bass, lake trout and other fish too.
Saltwater
With the tidal changes, there can be a lot of current in saltwater depending on the time you are fishing as well as the location. Anglers can drop this rig straight down over the side of the boat to get it to the bottom. Then, slowly let line out if you want to get your bait a little further away from the boat. If you use a heavy enough weight, it will hold along the bottom and your bait will float down several feet away from your sinker in the current. Many anglers will use a pyramid sinker as their weight when using this rig in saltwater.
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Slow Trolling or Drifting Live Baits
Lively minnows, leeches and nightcrawlers are awesome for slow trolling or drifting along the bottom. Depending on the body of water you are fishing, you can expect a mixed bag of species while fishing this way.
Slow Trolling Spinner Rigs
Walleye anglers love using the 3-way swivel rig while slow trolling with spinner rigs (crawler harnesses). Nightcrawlers are very popular with this technique, but you can also use lively minnows, leeches and soft plastic baits too. You can catch northern pike, a variety of bass, perch, rock bass, bluegill and many other fish species with this technique.
Trolling Hard Baits with 3-Way Swivel Rigs
Some anglers like to use the 3-way swivel rig to troll with hard baits such as crankbaits, spinners, blade baits, swimbaits and others. This technique works great for getting a variety of lures down to deeper water than they would normally run if you were fishing them on their own. This is a popular way to fish for walleye, northern pike and striped bass, but it will catch other fish as well.
