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By: Jason Mitchell
Using slip bobbers to catch walleye is
nothing new. Using a piece of balsa wood
or foam to suspend a lively morsal of bait
is something that works. This simple
combination works so well in fact that
slip bobbers continue to increase in
popularity and this popularity is
expanding far from the rock reefs in
northern Minnesota where slip bobbering
first caught on with walleye anglers.
While slip bobbering might have sat in
the shadow of some other live bait
presentations, it is safe to say that the slip bobber has floated itself into the
main stream. Anglers discovered that slip bobbering works on a wide variety
of lakes and river systems and there are times when a slip bobber rig works
better than anything else in the tackle box.
Fishing the Zone
By setting the bobber stop, an angler can suspend the bait anywhere in the
water column. This in itself is a huge advantage when fishing weed beds,
flooded timber or rock reefs that would snag conventional tackle. By fishing
above the snags, we are able to maximize our time spent actually fishing.
While conventional thinking might tell us that we still need to keep our bait at
least close to the bottom, there are scenarios where using a slip bobber to
hang the bait higher in the water column can in fact be more productive.
There have been many instances on Devils Lake for example where we make
our living as fishing guides where the fish will actually be cruising up off the
bottom following bug hatches. Slip bobbers shine whenever an angler has to
fish the whole water column or get above weeds, flooded timber or rocks
that can either foul a hook or reduce a walleyes field of vision.
Picking the Spot
When targeting walleyes in flooded timber, large rocks, or weed beds, you
can often see the spot. The spot is often an opening and slip bobbers are a
perfect way to get bait into this opening and keep it there. This precision
placement is often crucuial for pulling walleye out of cover. While the boat
itself is usually stationary while slip bobber fishing, slip bobbers can be used
to find the spot as well by using wind or current to push the float across a
broader area until a productive location is found. A slip bobber allows an
angler to disect a location into little pieces, enabling you to find and stay in
the most productive pockets on any piece of structure. When looking at the
big picture, anchoring with slip bobbers might not be an effective way to find
which parts of a lake are holding walleyes but when you narrow down the
scope, a slip bobber is an excellent tool for dialing into a specific location that
you all ready know holds fish.
Waiting for the Fun
In today’s fast paced world, patience is no longer considered a virtue it
seems. Even on the water when the topic is fishing, many anglers like the
idea of constantly moving. Yea you have to move to find fish but there are
times when anglers get too impatient and move right past fish. Slip
bobbering requires some patience. Requires some commitment in the form of
time. This patience can often be rewarded with walleye however. When
walleyes are binge feeding or turned off, patience with a slip bobber can
often be the hottest combination on the lake. When fishing gets tough, lively
bait tethered to a plain hook is usually the last line of defense. When you can
no longer catch fish with good bait on a plain hook, you are in trouble. Good
bait squirming or wiggling below a slipbobber in a good spot often means a
walleye in just a matter of time. The waiting might not appeal to some
anglers but it seems like a float dissapearing under the water appeals to
every angler. A bobber going under is almost a cliche image of fishing but it is
an image that just never loses its appeal.
The Rigging
Slip bobbers are often used on spinning tackle with many anglers preferring a
longer medium action rod for casting and hook sets. I myself prefer ceramic
guides just because the ceramic guides don’t seem to catch or move the
bobber stop as much while reeling in a fish.Monofilament is often used just
because most bobber stops grip well on mono but I recently started using
Berkely’s Iron Silk for slip bobber fishing and have found that it performs
exceptional. There are a wide variety of floats available made from several
different materials. Generally, an angler wants to use a float that can be
pulled under the water with minimal effort from a fish. Thin balsa floats have
long been popular amongst walleye anglers but more and more anglers are
discovering the advantages of soft foam. Soft foam is what we refer to as
“guide proof.” The disadvantage of balsa has been that the floats are often
fragile, breaking when stepped on or with heavy use. Balsa is also often hard
to cast. Soft foam floats like the Wave Buster eliminate many of the
conventional hassles of a slip bobber. The Wave Buster is a tall foam float
that can be balanced by trimming the foam or adjusting a sliding balance
ballast. This particular float is weighted so an angler can cast far with the rig
but the rig can be adjusted so that it either sits low or high in the water
without having to use a heavier jig or split shot. The sesitivity an angler can
acheive by finely tuning these floats is awesome. Below the slip bobber,
anglers traditionally weighted the rig with split shot topping off the business
end with a plain hook or small jig. When encountering snags, some anglers
actually put a small barrel swivel about a foot up from the hook and use a
lighter snell than the main line so that the snell breaks. This type of rigging
allows you to get the float and some of your hardware back after breaking
off.
The Big Picture
A slip bobber isn’t magic. Walleyes aren’t just going to jump in the boat just
because you decide to use a slip bobber. A slip bobber is just a tool that
effectively enables you to place bait in front of a walleye in a wide variety of
places. So often, catching walleyes is merely placing good bait right in front of
their face. Sounds simple enough. Just so happens that more and more
anglers are discovering what a productive tool a slip bobber can be for this
often not so simple task.
Using slip bobbers to catch walleye is
nothing new. Using a piece of balsa wood
or foam to suspend a lively morsal of bait
is something that works. This simple
combination works so well in fact that
slip bobbers continue to increase in
popularity and this popularity is
expanding far from the rock reefs in
northern Minnesota where slip bobbering
first caught on with walleye anglers.
While slip bobbering might have sat in
the shadow of some other live bait
presentations, it is safe to say that the slip bobber has floated itself into the
main stream. Anglers discovered that slip bobbering works on a wide variety
of lakes and river systems and there are times when a slip bobber rig works
better than anything else in the tackle box.
Fishing the Zone
By setting the bobber stop, an angler can suspend the bait anywhere in the
water column. This in itself is a huge advantage when fishing weed beds,
flooded timber or rock reefs that would snag conventional tackle. By fishing
above the snags, we are able to maximize our time spent actually fishing.
While conventional thinking might tell us that we still need to keep our bait at
least close to the bottom, there are scenarios where using a slip bobber to
hang the bait higher in the water column can in fact be more productive.
There have been many instances on Devils Lake for example where we make
our living as fishing guides where the fish will actually be cruising up off the
bottom following bug hatches. Slip bobbers shine whenever an angler has to
fish the whole water column or get above weeds, flooded timber or rocks
that can either foul a hook or reduce a walleyes field of vision.
Picking the Spot
When targeting walleyes in flooded timber, large rocks, or weed beds, you
can often see the spot. The spot is often an opening and slip bobbers are a
perfect way to get bait into this opening and keep it there. This precision
placement is often crucuial for pulling walleye out of cover. While the boat
itself is usually stationary while slip bobber fishing, slip bobbers can be used
to find the spot as well by using wind or current to push the float across a
broader area until a productive location is found. A slip bobber allows an
angler to disect a location into little pieces, enabling you to find and stay in
the most productive pockets on any piece of structure. When looking at the
big picture, anchoring with slip bobbers might not be an effective way to find
which parts of a lake are holding walleyes but when you narrow down the
scope, a slip bobber is an excellent tool for dialing into a specific location that
you all ready know holds fish.
Waiting for the Fun
In today’s fast paced world, patience is no longer considered a virtue it
seems. Even on the water when the topic is fishing, many anglers like the
idea of constantly moving. Yea you have to move to find fish but there are
times when anglers get too impatient and move right past fish. Slip
bobbering requires some patience. Requires some commitment in the form of
time. This patience can often be rewarded with walleye however. When
walleyes are binge feeding or turned off, patience with a slip bobber can
often be the hottest combination on the lake. When fishing gets tough, lively
bait tethered to a plain hook is usually the last line of defense. When you can
no longer catch fish with good bait on a plain hook, you are in trouble. Good
bait squirming or wiggling below a slipbobber in a good spot often means a
walleye in just a matter of time. The waiting might not appeal to some
anglers but it seems like a float dissapearing under the water appeals to
every angler. A bobber going under is almost a cliche image of fishing but it is
an image that just never loses its appeal.
The Rigging
Slip bobbers are often used on spinning tackle with many anglers preferring a
longer medium action rod for casting and hook sets. I myself prefer ceramic
guides just because the ceramic guides don’t seem to catch or move the
bobber stop as much while reeling in a fish.Monofilament is often used just
because most bobber stops grip well on mono but I recently started using
Berkely’s Iron Silk for slip bobber fishing and have found that it performs
exceptional. There are a wide variety of floats available made from several
different materials. Generally, an angler wants to use a float that can be
pulled under the water with minimal effort from a fish. Thin balsa floats have
long been popular amongst walleye anglers but more and more anglers are
discovering the advantages of soft foam. Soft foam is what we refer to as
“guide proof.” The disadvantage of balsa has been that the floats are often
fragile, breaking when stepped on or with heavy use. Balsa is also often hard
to cast. Soft foam floats like the Wave Buster eliminate many of the
conventional hassles of a slip bobber. The Wave Buster is a tall foam float
that can be balanced by trimming the foam or adjusting a sliding balance
ballast. This particular float is weighted so an angler can cast far with the rig
but the rig can be adjusted so that it either sits low or high in the water
without having to use a heavier jig or split shot. The sesitivity an angler can
acheive by finely tuning these floats is awesome. Below the slip bobber,
anglers traditionally weighted the rig with split shot topping off the business
end with a plain hook or small jig. When encountering snags, some anglers
actually put a small barrel swivel about a foot up from the hook and use a
lighter snell than the main line so that the snell breaks. This type of rigging
allows you to get the float and some of your hardware back after breaking
off.
The Big Picture
A slip bobber isn’t magic. Walleyes aren’t just going to jump in the boat just
because you decide to use a slip bobber. A slip bobber is just a tool that
effectively enables you to place bait in front of a walleye in a wide variety of
places. So often, catching walleyes is merely placing good bait right in front of
their face. Sounds simple enough. Just so happens that more and more
anglers are discovering what a productive tool a slip bobber can be for this
often not so simple task.
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Walleyes Down Under - Slip Bobbering for Walleyes
