How to rig a slip bobber

So what's a slip bobber? Well, a slip bobber is a bobber that slides freely up and down your fishing line. For any bobber to work there must be a way to hold the it at a certain spot on the fishing line. To use the old fashion clip on type, you simply clip the bobber above the hook at the depth that you want your bait to be under water. This is fine but it limits your ability to cast if you want to fish deeper than about 3 feet. Here's where the slip bobber out shines the clip on type. The slip bobber allows you to cast just about as far as you normally would. You can also fish as deep as you want. I have used slip bobbers to catch Crappie 30 feet deep in 40 feet of water.

rigging up a slip bobber takes a little more time than using a clip on type but it's well worth the little bit of extra effort. The old style clip on type have a clip to hold the line. Slip bobbers have a hole thru them so that they can slide up and down the fishing line. There is usually a small knot tied on the fishing line to stop the bobber from sliding up the line. The line used to tie the knot is usually made of string. You can buy rigged knots all ready set up to put on the line. To save money, I use dental floss. Next, a small bead with a hole thru the center is slid on to the line. The knot should be big enough to stop the bead from sliding past the knot, but small enough to pass through the rod guides easily. Now the bobber is slid on the line and the hook is tied to the end of the line. I usually place a split shot on my line between my hook and the bobber. The split shot keeps the bobber off of the hook while casting.

You'll find that you will be able to use a slip bobber in a lot more situations than you could with the clip on type. You can use slip bobbers to precisely hold you bait just off the bottom no matter how deep the water.

The next time you mark suspended fish on your depth finder, try using a slip bobber set to the depth of the fish. I use this technique a lot in the winter when are suspended deep. Good luck!

I almost forgot to tell you where to get slip bobbers. Walmart usually has a few diferent types of slip bobbers at a pretty resonable price. I have found that Basspro.com has a really good selection of slip bobbers. The last time I checked, they were a little more expensive than Walmart but they had a lot to choose from. Be warned! Shopping online is addictive and if you are like me, you will wind up buying more than slip bobbers! For more fishing tips email me at Roc@catchingcrappie.com