Marker Buoys And Roadrunners

[Tugaloo]

Here I go with more questions. If I get too obnoxious with all these questions, let me know & I'll chill for awhile.

First, marker buoys. Does anyone have any ideas for making some. All I can think of is some string with a sinker on one end and a plastic soft drink bottle on the other. About a 16 oz job. But if the weight goes to the bottom & the bottle still has string wrapped around it, what will keep the string from unwinding and drifting off to the full length of the string? Or is that not a problem?

Next, Roadrunners. I see them on the BPS website, but I won't have a chance to get some before Thursday. Do they sell them at Wally World?

Thanks

Randall

[gracie1goose]

Take 2 3" sestions o an water noodle the kids play with and a 6" piece of wooden broom stick or dowel rod. Insert the stick into the section of water noodle leaving a 2-3" gap in the center for twine and weight to wrapped. The string will not unwind when weight his bottom.

[duane]

Here I go with more questions. If I get too obnoxious with all these questions, let me know & I'll chill for awhile.

First, marker buoys. Does anyone have any ideas for making some. All I can think of is some string with a sinker on one end and a plastic soft drink bottle on the other. About a 16 oz job. But if the weight goes to the bottom & the bottle still has string wrapped around it, what will keep the string from unwinding and drifting off to the full length of the string? Or is that not a problem?

Next, Roadrunners. I see them on the BPS website, but I won't have a chance to get some before Thursday. Do they sell them at Wally World?

Thanks

Randall

Randell the soda bottle will work but place some small rocks or lead shot inside the bottle.

[KARL]

Here I go with more questions. If I get too obnoxious with all these questions, let me know & I'll chill for awhile.

First, marker buoys. Does anyone have any ideas for making some. All I can think of is some string with a sinker on one end and a plastic soft drink bottle on the other. About a 16 oz job. But if the weight goes to the bottom & the bottle still has string wrapped around it, what will keep the string from unwinding and drifting off to the full length of the string? Or is that not a problem?

Next, Roadrunners. I see them on the BPS website, but I won't have a chance to get some before Thursday. Do they sell them at Wally World?

Thanks

Randall

...any closed cell (hard stuff,but flexible) foam will work, if it doesn't absorb water it'll work.... cut to your size and shape...roadrunners, some WW carry them just got to check....I got several near me....some 1 aisle of stuff others about 8 aisles... :D

[TAE73]

I have also heard of this method, take a 6" piece of the fun noodle, place a large nail in one end towards the outside of the noodle. Then wrap you line around it, place some heavy sinkers on it and then throw it out. It will unwind the line till it reaches the bottom. The nail will keep it from rolling over anymore, in return not letting out any more line. Or you can just go to walmart and buy the marker bouys there. I think they are 2 for 5 bucks, they are cheap and they work also.

[CrappiePappy]

funny you should mention "markers" .... just got a 2pk of Mann's Marker Buoys at my local Wally World, for $4.00 (found in discount aisle). But - if you can't find a bargain like that ..... then a piece of styrofoam will work. Cut a piece about 1.5" thick and 5" long by 3.5" wide - then cut that into a "bowtie" shape by whittling the center portion of the width, tapering down to about 2.5" width at center -- then tie a nylon cord around it, and tie a couple of ounces of weight on the end of the cord ........ and you have a marker buoy. OK - it may not last as long as a plastic one, or a "closed cell foam" one - but it will work, and it's cheap. Heck - a rectangular piece of wood will work - if you have enough weight on the cord
But - whatever you use ... color/paint it blaze orange or chartreuse ... so passing boats can see it and avoid running over it !! A floating plastic pop bottle doesn't register as a "hazard", to many boaters ... and some may even "try" and run over it "for kicks" (knowing that the plastic bottle won't damage their prop, or mistakenly thinking they are doing a favor by sinking a piece of floating "trash"). Blaze orange or Chartreuse "objects" in the water, can be markers or "catfish bottles" or "trot-line markers/floats" ... all usually containing some type of "line" attached to them ... so most people will avoid them, not wanting to get the "line" tangled up in their prop.
As for the Roadrunners .... most Wally Worlds carry them, and certainly any tackle shop, worth walking into, should have "some". I prefer the "brand name" Roadrunners, over the knockoff versions ... I've tried some of the knockoff's, and the blades don't seem to want to spin on some of them. And, if the blade ain't spinning, you're just fishing with a high priced marabou jig !! ............ luck2ya .......cp

ps ... the mailman cometh - knowhatimean !!

[Jerry Blake]

Here’s a simple and inexpensive way to make a set of buoy markers for marking brush piles or other structure you are going to fish around.

Get a “Swim Noodle” (the swimming floats that are about 4-feet long and 2 ½-inches in diameter). They’re about $2 at Wal-Mart but you can find them in the summer along the shores of any lake frequented by Lake Lice or even on the side of the road going to the lake. They come in a variety of colors but any color will do.

Cut the noodle into pieces about 7-inches long – one for each float you want to make. Tie about 30-feet (or more if you fish in deeper water than that) of braided nylon twine (much better than twisted twine) around the center of each piece and tie a 2-ounce sinker (about 25-cents each) to the free end. Then insert a 60-penny galvanized spike (11-cents each at Lowe’s) in one side of each float to stop it from unrolling after the weight hits the bottom. Wrap the line around the center of the float. To keep the lines from coming loose and getting tangle when not in use, make a cut about ½” deep on one end and slip the line just above the sinker into this slot. Just be sure and pull the line out of the slot before deployment.

Now you have a set of markers that will last for years, can be deployed almost silently, won’t make a racket when they bang against the side of your boat and are inexpensive to replace if you forget where you left one or sink one with a brush pile (I’ve done both). When the foam starts wearing out after years of service just keep your eye out for a new swim noodle. The nail, twine and weight can be transferred to a new float in jiffy.

I keep mine under a bungee cord on the deck of my boat for quick and easy access.

[Moose1am]

I made a bunch of floats from those Fun Noodles. I had to use Two big Nails to make line stay on the floats after the weight hit the bottom. One nail was not heavy enough to keep my round fun noodles from rolling after the weight hits bottom. Try them with one big nail and if they don't say where you drop them and the string unrolls then add another nail right next to the first one. I used pretty darn big nails too. They were 4" long pole barn type nails. Maybe a 6" long nail will work better and you can get by using only one nail per fun noodle float.

[Jerry Blake]

You're right Moose. That was a reprint of instructions I wrote a couple years ago and I should have updated it.

For rough conditions (windy or lots of boat rollers) I have a couple floats made using two 60-penny common nails (the fat ones) - on the same side but coming in from opposite ends - and a 4-ounce bank sinker on the end of the line.

Those stay in place in some pretty rough water. I've also been making them a bit shorter - probably 6-inches long - so they are a little less buoyant. I cut them just a little bit longer than the nails now.

[Kokanee King]

I have made some out of styrofome, I cut it in am H shape and wrap the line on it.