The East coast is rich in big stripers and you can use a variety of tackle and a variety of methods to catch them. From May when the ice is finally out and the winter chill is gone until November when icing becomes problematic on the boat’s deck, bass in excess of sixty pounds can be had late at night or in broad daylight. If you have access to standard baits from New England such as hickory shad, cup, menhaden (porgy and bunker is another common name) or eels, you can hook your live bait to a three-way rig and wait for striped bass that can be longer than 40 inches!

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.

Heavier line in your main line (around 55lb) and a heavy leader line (50) allow you the option of using a dropper loop of about thirty pounds. This can help cut down the cost of your rig, which can add up quickly especially if you are losing them. This type of setup allows the flexibility of snapping your dropper loop and saving everything except your sinker. Spro Swivels, Gemakatsu hooks and Seaguar Fluorocarbon can quickly turn your fishing hobby into something very expensive if you’re losing them each time you fish. The ability to drop the least expensive item (the dropper) can help contain costs.

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: Daiwa Saltiga 30T, Daiwa Seaborg 300FB, and Daiwa Viento.