What kind of Bobber stops

[Iowa Eye]

I was just wondering what everyone prefers for bobber stops for mono and fire line? Easy to put on? Easy to adjust? Stays on?

[TLY]

Same question. I have not had good luck with WASP on fireline or any thin lines. Especialy when outside a house. They tend to collect ice fast and by the time the eye (or 'pout) is beached the stopper has crept to the terminal gear or close to it. The plastic wrap-around stopper seems to be better but is still very sensitive to line weight, but not quite so bad.

A couple of years ago or so there was an 'innovation' on a bobber that solved all these problems. I still have a bunch of them. They relied on more of a you got the depth, set the hook and the bobber becomes an invisible passenger on your line, allowing you to land the fish. The down side is you need to recalculate your depth. All in all it was an OK idea, my graph tells me where I am and the bobber when set is an indicator of a less than enthusiatic bite. The downside is that they are a permanent attachment, you need to rerig in order to remove them.

This also doesn't care what the line is. My biggest problem lies in the use of 'summer' twist on/off slip bobbers that get this crazy idea that they can quit slipping just cuz ice builds up in them. Also, see above, it is a philosophical thing about being able to swap between bobber/cast/troll without rerigging. For winter not so bad, can get cheappie stuff but summer = Penn & St Croix (USA) and do not have a boat full of them.

Anyway, after all this, the net is that the use of these bobbers is not a bad deal once you can find the depth but you are captive to the rig.

TLY

[Dutchman]

I use the neoprene or rubber stops, size them according to line diameter. With bobber stops on Fireline I'll adjust the stop to the right depth and them tie a small loop knot right above the stop. Keeps it from sliding up and pulls out real easy if you choose to go shallower. Gives you a marker on your line if the stop slides while reeling those big ones. Save's time for readjustments instead of using a drop weight.. :)

[NPAA265]

Stick with the Float Hi Glows and Lumin coated bobbers. Use light line and make the openings into the bobbers larger (the top end) so the line slides through freely, even if curled. Flash the lumin with a camera flash before dark.