Slip bobber

[Hodgey1]

I haven't ever tried the slip bobber technique. I was at my local tackle shop picking up some lures for fishing lake Erie, since Canada is off limits to me and I saw these



I bought a couple of them in different weights. I assumed incorrectly that the stop would be part of what I bought. Do you just use a tiny split shot? Also, when using this technique for eyes, is it good for drifting it off a shoal/ledge, where there might be a fairly drastic change in water depth, or is it better suited for fairly consistent water depth? I am hoping to give this a try next time I'm able to be in Kipawa.

[Ozzy30]

I am no expert at slip bobbering at all but what I have read and experienced this year trying it is, I use the rubber bobber stops, small split shot may sink bobber.  For location I was just fishing where I was jigging for the walleye and marking a lot of baitfish suspended in that area.  I was doing this in July but I bet it would be a lot better technique earlier in the year.  It is fun though watching that bobber go down lol.  I'm sure john will give alot more info on this.

[Hodgey1]

It is fun though watching that bobber go down lol.

I think that would definitely be fun! 

[puckster_guy]

 The only experience I have with bobbers is the red and white balls I used to set the kids rods with. A piece of worm and they were landing millions of sunfish, rock bass and perch. They loved it. instead of a weight can you hang a small jig off the line under said float? Inquiring minds want to know...

[Greg]

Hey @Hodgey1 ,

Here is a decent article and a picture of exactly how I rig mine...

https://wawangresort.wordpress.com/tag/slip-bobbers/

You need a few more little items than just the float (a stop knot, a bead, a split shot and a hook... and a leach or worm).

Greg

[limacharley]

I've seen them used by 3 boats from Kipawa Lodge. Not sure where these guys were from but they were casting practically on shore at dusk and hawlin' in 3 and 4 pounders. We were fishing in 16 feet of water nearby.
I've tried using them but if there's no fish, there's no fish.

Point I'm trying make is: there's a right time and a right place to use. I don't know either.

Care to elaborate Rhybak?

[BigChief]

@Hodgey1 we switched from jigging to slip bobbers about 7-8 years ago and have never looked back. We use a normal jig on them with a leech. I buy kits that have the knots and beads in them to use with the bobber. I like the bobbers with the small weight on the bottom as it helps it go down easier. We normally use early in the year in about 10-12 FOW with the depth of the bobber about 9ft. What is nice is if you move to a different depth it is easy to adjust. Also you are not constantly losing jigs. Sometimes the rod holder even sets the hook for me. Only time we add a split shot is when we decide to drift fish and it is rather windy.
I've even read some posts where guys use them late in the year in 30FOW. That would have to be a little harder but I guess it works. 

[smitty55]

Hodgey the best slip floats have a brass ferrule at each end. Also I prefer this type of stop over the knots. It never slips, is easy to adjust and goes through line guides quite well. https://www.amazon.ca/Bobber-Stops-Three-Hole-Beads/dp/B00QXFF25Y
Cheers

[RHYBAK]

O.K.
Here I go
There are a lot of discussions about this topic in past threads.

That is a good Bobber to use.
I fish it primarily in June and July when the walleye are shallow.
I use a single hook.
About a foot above the hook I put on my splitshots.
You have to play with the size and quantity of splitshots because you want the bobber to sit properly in the water .
to much weight and it sinks the bobber.
Not enough weight and the bobber sits on it's side.
In June, i set my bobber stop anywhere from 3 feet to seven feet.
Avoid the six foot mark because that is the Pike setting.

In August and September, our fellow campers use the Bobbers even if the fish are deep.
You have to play with your bobber stop until your bait sits about two feet off bottom.

Hope this helps.
We have converted many a fisherman from trolling and jigging to Bobber stoppers in the spring.

[Oarin]

Jon and I use them all the time and they work any where from 3 to 20 feet very well. We can anchor at 15 feet and set the bobbers for any depth and cast to different areas.  What RHYBAK said is right on. ( He's the one who got me to try them many years ago. Thanks!)

[Hodgey1]

Thanks for all of the tips everyone. I’ll probably need a refresher next year if I’m allowed back into Canada.

I bought these stops to go along with the thrill bobbers I bought that I thought would come complete, yesterday.

https://www.fishusa.com/Eagle-Claw-String-Bobber-Stops

[GregL]

I bought a few those to try. One thing I didn't realize is the weight marked on them is the weight that they can hold not how much they weight. I got the 1/4 & 1/2 oz models. I was trying to find the 3/8 model because I think the 1/2 is a little large for wallyee but as usual nobody had stock here in my neck of the woods!

I bought a small pack of the Thill Bobber stops but I feel like a fool, you can just tie them your self when you need one with mono! I'm going to return them.

https://youtu.be/xxedoNs1-0Y


Man, I can't even find a spool of Berkley flourocarbon right now!

[reelpro]

Try the rubber bobber stops, they come in a little plastic ring with 8 or 10

Slide line through wire loop and pull bead and rubber stop onto your line.

I find the rubber ones much easier to rig and they don’t get hung up in rod guides as much as the thread style.

Seem to cling to braid ok a well.

The small size will work on a spinning reel so you can slip bobber a any depth, a bait cast reel works even better

Sometimes a slip float rig set at 30 feet can be deadly on negative walleye suspending off structure.

For the shallows I use the floats with the brass inserts and a big plastic bead below then a real heavy split shot. Louisiana ocean flats guys have perfected this technique for shallow Redfish. Cast float out with bait of choice , let it sit for 30 seconds, if a fish is nearby the splash will have alerted it, no bite, then reel an snap rod hard enough to slam split shot and bead into brass, it gives a real audible hard clicking noise.
Move the float 6-10 feet then let it sit for 30 seconds again.
Repeat to boat and cast to new spot, , 9 times out of 10 float goes down within seconds of it coming to rest, after cast noise, or clicking clunking of sinkers beads and brass insert in float.

Deadly with bass,

GL

GL

[Ira]

I've fished using slip bobbers for a while and have had decent success. I watched Tom Boley's youtube videos recently and may try rigging like he does - bobber stop knot, bead, bobber, slip weight, swivel, leader, hook or jig head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKgdi_lGCI0

I've started tying a uni knot as a stopper knot instead of the pre-tied ones. Seems to works just as well.

[GregL]

I used the uni-knot with thicker mono worked well for me but I am looking for a better stop solution because it still moved most of the time for me.