slip bobber setup

[Slipped mind]

Can anyone help me set up a slip bobber system on my line. I am told it is the way to catch crappie without having 8 feet of line in front of me. I read hear how you catch walleye as well, so I would greatly appreciate some advice on the subject............thanks.

Doc

[bountyhunters]

go to the shop buy slip bobber ,and stops ,I like the thread/knot type. slip on knot/stop /pull off the plastic liner .pull knot tight ,i wet mine . trim left over line close. slip on bead .slip on bobber tie on 1/16 jig green , now you can slide the knot to the depth you want ,some times you gotta use a split shot if the jig won;t set the bobber up .or use a smaller bobber . now take me to your crappie hole and I:LL show you how to reel them in LOL. good luck .

[Indiana Lou]

As Bountyhunter said in the previous post except I prefer the little plastic stops. It has a series of holes you thread your line through that will slide to the various depth you wish to fish. Then you put a small bead (comes with the stops) then the slip bobber and finally your terminal tackle. It's important that your terminal tackle is not too heavy for the bobber you're using. It tends to pull it down below the serface. I prefer the bobber to be as sleek as possible so it has less resistance when being pulled under. Hope this helps. Lou

[RSH8]

Dear Lou,

I also like the plastic stops, I find it is easirer to change depth with them than with the tie-on stops. Where can you buy the plastic stops? I can't find them in Cabela's catalog this year.

Regards,

RSH


Cabela's does not have them >
>As Bountyhunter said in the previous post except I prefer the
>little plastic stops. It has a series of holes you thread your
>line through that will slide to the various depth you wish to
>fish. Then you put a small bead (comes with the stops) then
>the slip bobber and finally your terminal tackle. It's
>important that your terminal tackle is not too heavy for the
>bobber you're using. It tends to pull it down below the
>serface. I prefer the bobber to be as sleek as possible so it
>has less resistance when being pulled under. Hope this helps.
>Lou

[Indiana Lou]

RSH8, I think the last container I purchased was from Walmart or Gander Mt. They include the red beads and the stops. I found these work real well for ice fishimg too. Depth, especially for suspended crappies is really critical. And yes my fishibg partner proved you can use these with a leadhead jig for walleye too!

[Mike W1]

Page 119 of Cabelas Walleye catalog has the Dogbone Bobber stops in the lower left corner. I can't make them stay put on mono and prefer the pretied string one as per to the right. Never tried a little split shot which might be easiest of all.

[Indiana Lou]

Mike, Did you try twisting the line around the dog bone after you pass it through the one end? That makes it tougher to slide up your line. I still find they tend to catch the line easier than the small ones with the four holes. lou

[Mike W1]

Never occurred to me to try twisting the line around it. Does one turn do the trick?

[Bor]

I have tried both the plastic and string stops, and if crappie fishing with 4 lb test, I would use the string. The plastic I have used slip too much on the thinner line.

[RSH8]

>Never occurred to me to try twisting the line around it.
>Does one turn do the trick?
>


When I tried the dog-bone stops I had the same problems with the line slipping. Then I tried one twist on the dog-bone. Got big-time line twist below the stop when I changed the depth setting by sliding line up/down thru the dog-bone. This line twsit was bad even if I let the jig at the bottom turn freely.

Bottom line is I prefer the stops with 4 holes, usually stringing the line thru 3 is enough. If the line is kept on the same side in and out of adjacent holes, there is no subsequent twist. These are the ones I have not seen in this year's Cabela's catalog.

Regards,

RSH

[VMS]

One little trick that I do is to make sure to weight your rig just enough to keep the slip bobber afloat. This will create the least amount of resistance if a fish bites and goes... It may take an extra split shot or so to get the weight correct. If in waves, the bobber may ride the waves, or go through the wave depending on the weight. I also like the sleek slip bobbers as well..

For walleyes (noticed nobody mentioned them), I usually do the slip bobber thing, but then thread on a 1/4 - 3/8 oz egg sinker, then tie off with a snap swivel. From there, I will use a snell to a basic plain baithook..whatever color you choose.

[perchjerker]

I have always used the thin rubber stops Thill makes. Much better than any the others in my opinion.

[TimBob]

I slip bobber about everything. I like the string type knot doesn't kink line, holds well and easy to change when worn. They will move and will need to be adjusted. I carry a good selection of floats already matched to baits I use. Sit down with a pail of water to do this. You want the float set to be pulled under with the slightest tug. I tie a swivel 18" or so above bait so there's only 1 knot to tie to change floats. To really fine tune small floats for light biting panfish get a pack of the tiny soft splitshot thrill puts out. Neutrally bouyant is what your looking for. In deeper water I'll use fireline W/leader because I'm usually using heavier weight and bigger floats. In shallow it's mono, I've found that mono slides thru floats better with no or light weights. Hope this helps. Tim

[Bill Krejca]

I second the pail process. I also mark with a permanent marker the size of weight for use on the bobber.

[slyolfox]

On thing to look out for using the knot type stops is with the soft mono lines, they fray when you move the settings. To get away from this I only use fireline on my slip bobber poles. Fire line tangles easier and don't slip through the bobbers as easy as mono but it don't fray from the heat produced by slidding the knot to change depths. Hope this helps.

[rebs]

do the dog bone type pass through the eyes of your rod ok ?

rebs

[Bruce Watson]

I've found if I just use a short piece of mono tied with a uniknot on my line, with the excess trimmed off, will work just fine. If one doesn't change postion often, it'll stay well placed. Or just leave enough tag ends to tighten when necessary. My eyesight (and patience) just won't work with those commercial bobber stops. This method works best with mono for your main line. Fireline tends to allow the mono uniknot to slip too easily.

[nywilly1]

OK, that all helps with the rig setup, but I am interested in different situations of how to fish the bobbers. Is this something that will be casted out? Or is it just sitting right in front of you in the boat as if you were vertical jigging...letting the bobber do the jig? So, with walleye, you can use a jig or just plain worm, and I suppose you just wait till the bobber goes down, and immediately set? Thanks for info!!

[dockehr]

nywilly1 and others: Greg Bohn has a new book just out titled "Master the Art of Slip Bobbering". It has a lot of useful information on the many different applications for which slip bobbering can be applied. Do a Google search to locate a source for the book.

dockehr
Dr. Roland E. Kehr, Jr.

[Seaguar]

Slip bobbers are a great way to work cover thoroughly albeit slowly. Most walleye fishermen think leeches when they think slip bobbers. Makes sense because walleyes love leeches. But minnows when its cold or jig and worm both will work also. SLip bobbering on a break or rock pile is a great way to spend a lazy evening and catch a fish dinner. I use leeches when its warm. I hang a #4 Gamakatsu octopus with a leech below a bobber and work structure on my favorite lakes. Some guys like bigger hooks, I just happen to always have #4s around so I use them. good luck

[Juls_OH]

>For walleyes (noticed nobody mentioned them), I usually do the
>slip bobber thing, but then thread on a 1/4 - 3/8 oz egg
>sinker, then tie off with a snap swivel. From there, I will
>use a snell to a basic plain baithook..whatever color you
>choose.
>
>
On a tip from my hubby....I tried this same set up for walleye on Devils Lake last month, and took it one step further. I was fishing in the trees, so it wasn't unusual to break off a lot.
I used the small Lindy Rigger Kit, to hold 3 dozen snells that I made all the same length, but with a few different colored hooks. That way, when I broke off, I could just attach a new snell, and I wouldn't have to reset my bobber stop to depth over and over. I could also check to see if one color hook was out producing another. The best part was, it only took a few seconds to change leads.
I was using 10/4 Fireline as the mainline, and the leads were made with 8# mono. I never lost a bobber in the two weeks we were there this year. Compare that to about the dozen and 1/2 Thills I lost last year, by not using this set up, and I think you'll see that this set up is a much better way to go.

Juls

[Juls_OH]

>OK, that all helps with the rig setup, but I am interested
>in different situations of how to fish the bobbers. Is this
>something that will be casted out? Or is it just sitting
>right in front of you in the boat as if you were vertical
>jigging...letting the bobber do the jig? So, with walleye,
>you can use a jig or just plain worm, and I suppose you just
>wait till the bobber goes down, and immediately set? Thanks
>for info!!

Yes, it can be casted out. Just let the bobber stop catch up to the bobber before closing the bail on your reel, or the bobber will not stay where you casted it.
Keep an eye on the bobber when it stands up after you cast it too, because the depth might be different than where your boat is. If the bobber tilts or lays over after the cast, it's on the bottom, or hungup on a piece of structure. Just move the stop, so the bait is just off the bottom, and can move.
Leeches, Helgrmites, Minnows, and Crawlers all work on slip bobbers for walleye and other species. I prefer minnows in the cold water months and leeches, crawlers, and helgramites in the warmer months.
Jigs or plain hooks both work.
I will usually let the fish take it down and when I see it start to move away underwater, that is when I will set the hook.

Slip bobbers can just sit where you cast them, while you work a jig, or something else, or you can work the slip bobber back to you...slowly giving the bait some added action...and covering more area.

Hope this helps some...

Juls

[Skis]

That is a great setup Juls! I am going to get a rod/reel combo strictly for slip bobbering and I will set it up the way you did at DL!

Works awesome!!

[Johnnie Candle]

I second Juls' application, except I use heavier FireLine. I like the 14/6 on DL. The fish are not line shy at all here, and the leader will help with that any way. I also use the flame green line. This really helps when you aren't paying a lot of attention to your bobber. It is very easy to tell where the fish has drug it off to.

My bobber of choice is the Wave Buster. It is the big brother of the ice buster. They are weighted so they cast like a yard dart, yet they will lie ontheir side if your jig is on the bottom or if a fish bites and comes up. Great feature.

However you do it, bobbers are a great way to catch eyes and the best way to feel like a kid again.

[Juls_OH]

Good tip on the line color Johnny. I will be switching the smoke for the green next time. That happened several times to me. I was jigging with one rod and using a bobber with the other. I would glance at the bobber every so often, and every now and then I would see the bobber was down. It would take me a little bit of time to try and figure out which way the bugger swam off to before I tried to set the hook. lol

Thanks for the tip! It would be an improvment.

Juls

[Mr.Seaguar]

Hellgramites. I havent heard of anyone using them in years. Can you buy them? Or do you have to seine them. I got pinched like a 20# lobster once and decided that leeches worked good enuff.

[Juls_OH]

I haven't seen them down here in Ohio, but I used to be able to buy them in Wisconsin. The baitshop I used to work for part time had them, and a lot of the baitshops near Winnebago have them.
They weren't my favorite bait either, for the same reason you mentioned, and also because they just plain give me the creeps!
They worked great on Bago though!

Juls

[asu72]

Easy way is to tie a small rubber band on the line above the bead and trim the ends. Will pass thru guides .

[asu72]

Easy way is to tie a small rubber band on the line above the bead and trim the ends. Will pass thru guides .

[go with stop knots]

I prefer the stop knots. Those perforated plastic tabs while wound on the spool have a way grabbing the line as the line flies out during a cast.
It's a good idea to moisten the knot when your sliding it and it's best not to tighten it to the max. Forget sliding knots on fluorocarbs. If you want to go fluoro, use a fluoro leader under a swivel off the main line.