Slip bobbers another option for anglers
It's interesting how certain fishing tactics take on a regional popularity. So it is with the slip bobber, a versatile tool for presenting a variety of baits, but one rarely used on area waters.
The slip bobber system consists of a bobber through which the line can freely pass, a bobber stop and a plastic bead. A relatively light leadhead jig is also a common part of the process.
Typically, the bobber stop is either a rubber-neoprene snubber, or a coil of brightly colored thread. Both designs come commercially packaged in such a way that affixing one to the line is simple.
Regardless of type, a bobber stop is small enough to be wound onto the reel. As its name implies, the purpose of this adjustable component is to stop the bobber at the point where the angler sets the stop, thus determining the depth at which the bait will be suspended.
Once the bobber stop has been applied to the line, the angler threads on a small plastic bead, followed by the actual bobber. The leadhead jig, usually in the sixteenth-ounce range, is tied to the terminal end of the line. Once this rig is cast, the weight of the baited leadhead jig pulls the line through the bobber. When the bobber reaches the stop, the plastic bead prevents the tiny stop from being pulled through the bobber.
If additional weight is needed to pull the bait efficiently through the bobber, it is done by applying a split shot a couple of feet above the jig, rather than using a heavier jighead.
Last week, I received an intensive lesson on using slip bobbers. The setting was Minnesota's Lake Mille Lacs, popularly known as the state's walleye factory. In addition to quality walleye fishing, the 130,000-acre lake also supports excellent numbers of smallmouth bass, yellow perch and trophy muskies.
My first Mille Lacs experience was with guide and tournament angler Jon Thelen. As we motored to our first spot, the edge of a huge midlake mudflat located in 30-some feet of water, Thelen explained that the fishing had been tough the past few days.
"We are in the midst of our third major mayfly hatch of the season," he said, easing the boat into position among thousands of shucked mayfly cases floating on the surface.
Though there is some disagreement about whether walleyes feed on the emerging nymph stage of the mayfly, or on the baitfish the nymphs attract, the result is that the fish are very well fed. It usually requires a refined approach to get such fish to bite.
In this case the method that worked was suspending medium-sized ribbon leeches right above the fish by way of a slip bobber. Thelen would motor along the edge of the flat, and, when he would spot fish on his sonar unit, he'd shift the outboard into reserve to stop its momentum. We'd then flip our rigs out behind the boat.
We used soft action, 8Z\x-foot Shakespeare Agility spinning outfits. The long rod length is needed to pick up the considerable amount of line bow that can develop when fishing slip bobbers in deeper water.
This electronic spot-and-stalk tactic produced good numbers of fish, ones that couldn't resist a tempting bait suspended right in front of them.
A couple of days later, Paul Fournier showed me how effective slip bobbers are on both smallmouth bass and walleyes when working shallow, rocky reefs, of which the lake has plenty.
On Western Pennsylvania lakes, slip bobbers would be appropriate in a variety of situations. Stump fields like those found in Pymatuning Lake are one example.
How about targeting crappies suspended off the deep edges of weeds on Keystone Lake or Conneaut Lake?
Porcupine cribs found in 15- to 20-foot depths in Lake Arthur are yet another instance for a slip bobber.
The system also has many applications for those who fish from shore.
