Of all the live bait rigs for striped bass, the three-way swivel rig is the simplest to set up. All that is needed is a three-way swivel that is attached directly to your main line, a sinker snap that is attached to the three-way swivel to hold your sinker, and a hook snelled on a length of leader line.

For this type of rig you will want a longer leader (1 to 3 feet long), which will allow your baits to drift slightly off the bottom with a lot of action. The use of stiffer leader material is also recommenced, since the faster currents and deeper water can cause the leader to get twisted and tangled.

The use of a stiffer leader will help keep the rig working properly.

Since eels are prime forage in the deeper waters of the channels, they also make excellent baits for spring stripers that are moving through these areas. A three-way swivel rig is an excellent way of getting the eels down to the bottom in a channel and keeping them there in the swifter currents.

When using eels, a good many seasoned anglers prefer to rig them with two hooks, so a hook can be set as soon as a bass takes the bait. This quick hook set allows for fewer gut-hooked bass.

Eels can be rigged through the use of an eel needle, which is a tool used to sew a length of leader line and a hook through the body of the eel. This hook is placed about three-quarters of the way down the length of the eel and out through the eel's mouth. A second hook is attached to the line and hooked through the eel's head or across its eyes. This allows the angler to drift the eel headfirst.

One last thought on the use of bait for stripers during the early season. Different stretches of the coast become active at different times in the spring. How soon a particular area comes into its prime is determined by where you are fishing and what the current weather patterns are during any given year.

The majority of the striped bass migrate up and down the Atlantic Coast; however, some areas along the coast have healthy resident bass populations. These stripers arrive at the upper reaches of their range a lot sooner than the migrating fish. So get out there and wet a line. You might be one of the first anglers in your area to land a big bass in the new season.