Neutral Buoyant Bobbers ( slip )

[hays47]

While I prefer jigging plastic or my own ties. At 70 years of age still have enough kid in me to enjoy the plunge of a bobber.

Most fisherman use too big of a bobber to be truly deadly at it. Here is what I have come up with over the years of piscatorial pursuit. I use slip bobber with brass inserts. They hold up best. I use slip sinkers for weight. Split shot is handier but just too prone to tangle.

My main line is braided so slipknot bead and bobber plus the slip sinker go on it. A # 10 barrel swivel at end of braid. The bullet shaped weight cups over the end of the swivel. Lastly a hook with a mono leader of about 12 inches. When I snag all I lose is the hook. Since I never lose a bobber. I can use the more expensive, better ones. I prefer short stemmed ( easier to thread with braided line) the brass in the top stem. All the ones with out the brass seem to get a groove in the top of the stem. Then the line does not flow smoothly and might catch only part way down.

About 90% of my bobbers are 5/8 inch or under in diameter. Right now my favorite is the Thill Pro Series. Next big thing for me is to balance them. What I mean by that is discovering how much weight is needed to float the bobber with about 90% of it already under water.

To do this I fill a five gallon bucket of water. Tie a short piece of mono at end of swivel stick thru bobber. At bottom thread slip sinker on cup facing where the hook would go. Tie some thing like a bead to prevent slip sinker from falling off. What you are looking for is to get the body of the bobber under water. With only the top stem sticking out.

I usually pick a day at beginning of open water season. To do this usually a day that the weather is preventing something better to do. Why go to all this bother ?

Fish feel almost no resistance when bobbers are set this way. In ice fishing if you are standing close to holes being fished you can go to true neutral. Top of stem even with surface of water. For open water fishing I prefer the top stem sticking up above. Makes it easier to see if
distance involved.

Since fish feel almost no resistance more initial strikes are turned into fish.Go with the smallest size bobber you feel to get the distance you need for casting. Remember the slip sinker is going to aid the cast too.

[Atimm693]

What stops do you like to use? I have yet to find one that does not snag in the spool and ruin your cast with 4lb mono.

I've used the plastic tab type and the thread style. Maybe I'm cutting the thread too short.

[tlefire]

What stops do you like to use? I have yet to find one that does not snag in the spool and ruin your cast with 4lb mono.

I've used the plastic tab type and the thread style. Maybe I'm cutting the thread too short.

Try the little rubber ones from bass pro shop. Best one I've found so far.

[funfishers]

My wife and I are bobber fishers, your system sounds fine and we will give the idea a try.

Alan

[Jamesdean]

I use a bobber quite a bit lately. I also like the idea of the stem type bobbers that are slip bobbers. work great when set up properly like you are saying, where the body of the bobber is just under the surface. I been playing with the porcupine quill floats also which don't have a thicker body, but rather a hollow slim body. Don't use the short skinny us porcupine quills but the African porcupine quills.

[hays47]

I prefer the slip knots for the stop. I really cinch down as tight as I can. I wet the knot just like when tying mono.. All types of other stops tend to wear out on the braided line. Cut the tails as close as you can to knot. I avoid the knot catching by using longer rods. So that stop knot does not have to be in spool. Example water I expect to fish if @ 15' . I use an 8 foot rod. 12 foot rods are the longest I have which can enable me to fish @ 24 '.

The longer rods enable you to fish with very few hassles. Also act as a cushion if tying into something larger than crappie. Like stripers , catfish , walleye etc etc,. The hook sets are easier with the longer rods also.

If you have to settle on one length of rod. I suggest a 10'. Not too hard to get used to and will handle easily up to 20 ' of water.

[Crestliner08]

Great read! Thanks for posting your observations.

[deltarat]

hays 47, what brand bobber do you use?

[akaslyguy]

Right now my favorite is the Thill Pro Series.

Here ya go

[Potatoe]

great info, I just made up some slip bobber for walleye. Have not caught a fish yet but plan to try this with crappie also. I like the idea of your weight. I also added a red bead and a very small blade on a clevis just above the hook.