Getting back to basics .... it’s a path that all versatile anglers will chose eventually. After experimenting with all the trend setting items and equipment, most anglers realize that there are a couple of presentations, that consistently produce fish! 3 - way rigging ... especially riggin’ in the rocks can be both productive and challenging. As the beauty of summer surrounds us, what better time ... and in what better conditions can we apply our rigging skills. All fish, especially the predators. . Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass are on the prowl for LARGE MEALS ... meals we can best offer through the basics of live bait rigging. Here’s a few factors to consider. As summer time patterns start to develop more walleyes are starting to spread out over flats. Walleyes frequent flats, particularly those with gravel or sand spawning habitat. The edges of the flats are a regular fish attractant. The difficulty lies in the question of how to get live bait rigs down to where the fish are located and still present the bait naturally to them. The answer is simple, yet effective, 3-way rig. 3-Way rigs are among the oldest yet least refined rigging concepts in walleye fishing. They’re chiefly used with livebait snells in rivers, lakes and reservoirs during summer months when walleyes move out on deep flats. Three-way rigs cover the water quickly when active walleyes spread across flats, but they also excel with slow presentations more subtle to neutral fish. The basic rig features a three-way swivel with two attached lines a 12 to 24 inch drop line with a 1 to 3 ounce bell sinker and a 30 to 40 inch leader tied to your bait or lure. The drop line positions your offering a set distance above the bottom, while the leader provides an invisible connection between the swivel and lure. Use a 1 2/3 to 3 ounce weight to maintain trolling drifting speeds of 1 ½ to 2.5 miles per hour with spinners or crankbaits, or to hold live bait steady in current. Lighter weights ½ to I ounce work better with subtle livebait rigs or floating jigheads fished slower with frequent pauses. The 3-way is a good rig to use when the walleyes are spread out, and it’s easy to put together. Simply tie the line from your reel to one eye of a 3-way swivel. The dropper holding a bell sinker is tied to another eye, and the line for the bait or lure is tied to the third eye. A large area can be covered quickly and effectively with 3-ways. In water 20 to 40 feet deep, it might be necessary to go with up to 4 ounces of weight, while in shallow water only a half-ounce sinker is necessary. The key is, enough weight should be used maintain contact with the bottom at whatever speed you’re moving. Sometimes, when the wind is low and the fish are finicky about the offering I will downsize to a ¼ ounce sinker, or I will trim off a hook on a ¼ ounce jig, to replace the dropper weight. This also is the weight that I would use on a Storm Thunderstick pulled on a long snell to make these walleyes more aggressive. Experiment with dropper and snell length. The dropper is the line going from the swivel to the sinker. When the walleyes are tight to the bottom, use a short dropper, sometimes as short as 8 inches. Other times, when the fish are riding high, go with a dropper that is about as long as the distance of the fish from the bottom. The snell is the line extending from the swivel to the bait or lure. In clear water, a long snell is usually more productive. Start with a 6-foot snell and experiment from there. There it is, simple and yet very practical technique that will allow you to fish where the walleyes are. 3-ways make summer time a little easier.