Slip Bobber Fishing
It amazes me how confusing the technique of slip bobber
fishing is to so many people, even life long fishermen. In a nutshell, slip bobber fishing allows you to
suspend and/or drift natural or artificial bait at any depth which you control by a small knot on your
line. Of all fishing techniques for fishing with live or other natural bait, this one has been the
most valuable to me over decades of using it. Yet it seems to remain a mystery. After all, bobber fishing is
associated with shallow water and kids fishing for perch from docks. But the kind of bobber fishing described
here is sophisticated and a serious addition to any fishing arsenal.
No one that I have fished with for the last two decades has been familiar with
slip bobber fishing until I showed it to them. I've used it below locks and dams in over 30 feet of
water, having experienced catfishermen come up in boats and ask me if the fish were that shallow. When I tell
them I'm fishing 28 feet deep with a bobber.......the look on their face says it all. So, I figured putting it
here would be helpful with the illustrations included.
Here is what it does. It allows you to cast a bobber, hook,
and sinker without feeling like you're throwing bolas at a fleeing antelope. The whole rig hanging on the end
of your line is no longer than about 12 - 14 inches long and can be cast as far as your rod and reel and your
ability allows. And it allows you to fish as deep or shallow as you need to without your bait lying on the
bottom. It also allows you to do a controlled drift with your bait when placed where wind or current will carry
it downstream. For occassions when the bait needs to be on bottom, the bobber can be used as a bite indicator
when it moves on the surface. Slip bobber fishing can be used to effectively fish jigs or other artificial
baits that need to be suspended. Fishing from the bank or from a small boat without a depth finder, it is also
useful for determining depth in the area you're fishing. Pretty wide range of uses for a "simple" bobber
rig. The technique is simply unequaled in
versatility using live or natural bait. So here is the technique of slip bobber fishing.
Click the pictures for a
large view
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The picture to the left illustrates how slip bobber
fishing works. The slip bobber
has a tubular slot cut through it. The line goes through a bead and the bobber and out the
bottom. A knot is tied on the line with fishing line, thread or pre-made nylon knots. The knot
slides up and down the line to the depth you need to fish your bait. Hook and sinker are
attached to the end of the line. When the rig is cast and lands in the water, the line slides
through the bead and bobber and stops at the depth at which you have fixed the
knot. When you reel
it in, the bobber slides back down to the weight, enabling you to cast the rig without a bunch
of line out.
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There are a lot of different brands,
sizes, colors and styles of slip bobbers at tackle stores everywhere. The ones I
most commonly used are the type at the left. They are white on one end, red on the other and
have hard, round plastic inserts in each end. The large hole and inserts allows the line to
travel freely through the bobber. However, this kind does require a bead to stop the bobber at
the knot (bobber stop). Some have small holes in the end of the bobber
and don't require a bead, but have a tendency to wear with use and eventually the line cuts a
groove in the bobber causing it to stick on the line. The kind at the left has turned out to be
the best overall >
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<To improve the line flow through the slip bobber, I glue a
glass bead with a larger hole than the stopping bead into the end of the plastic insert (one
end only). This increases durability and dependability of the rig working the way it should.A
smaller bead with smaller hole is actually used as the stopping bead.
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I use a bi-cone shaped bead  so
it
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slips in the hole and stops at the center of the bead, centering well in the round plastic insert.
Then any smaller round, bi-cone, or other smaller bead will work for the actual slip bobber
stop.
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<These are finished slip bobbers, ready to be
slipped on the line.
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This is a picture of the knot
(yellow) tied on the line, the. bead under it, and the bobber. The hook and sinker would be put on
under the bobber. When you slide the bobber up the line, the bead stops at the knot, stopping the
bobber, allowing you to fish at whatever depth you have set the
knot.
>
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<Not a very good picture, but good enough for you to see what it
looks like in the water. Here I was fishing in about nine feet of water with the bait suspended
under the bobber at about 7.5 feet.
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So, in a nutshell, that's slip bobber fishing. Simple,
sophisticated, not your grandaddy's bobber fishing. Slip bobbers come in all shapes and sizes from bluegill
and trout bobbers to some big enough to float an 8 ounce weight under them. If you fish any type of natural
or live bait, I can guarantee this technique will open up a whole world of new fishing opportunities when
you master it. Still fish it, drift it, suspend bait, or let it lie on bottom with the slip bobber as a
bite indicator. I promise this will add lots of fish to your stringer if you use
it.
Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark
Rogers
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