# Spring Bobbers - which ones and where to get them.



## jbird68 (Dec 8, 2005)

OK. I just read another article in my NAFC magazine about spring bobbers. I want to get some but don't know what to get. I've read about how the ones that shrink wrap to your rod tip don't work real well unless you tape them on. Can someone show me where to get a good spring bobber?  Cabela's has the St. Croix version, but you need ot have a St. Croix rod in order to use it. I've seen coil spring, flat spring steel, and even read about ones made from horse hair.


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## Drake (Dec 29, 2000)

I've been tryin to get my hands on a spring bobber I've seen on the Frabill icerod and reel combo, clips in the last eyelet of the rod, looks pretty slick.
Dave


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## jbird68 (Dec 8, 2005)

Let me know if you find them and if they hold on well. Have yo tried the Frabill website?







​Is this it?​http://www.stopperlures.com/dot_spring_bobber.htm​


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## Drake (Dec 29, 2000)

Gander Mtn. has the rod and reel ice combo with the spring bobber I'm thinking of, and they said they will have the bobber seperate.
No heat shrinktape, no glue. It snaps into the last eyelet of your rod.
Dave


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## tommytubular (Jan 25, 2002)

I'm sure you will get varied opinions on spring bobbers.....but I like the flat spring steel ones that come with shrink tube. However I don't use the shrink tube.....I place it on the rod tip with a dab of super glue and then use thread to wrap it in place. Then coat it with head cement or some clear finger nail polish. You can pick these up at most tacke shops.....they even have them at Meijers.

I've tried the coil springs and noticed that if you fish out in the wind, the bobber is too irratic and it is hard to detect the "lite bite"

Something else that works very good, and if you enjoy making your own stuff, take some heavy mono line.....40 or 50 lb test......make a loop in one end and wrap with thread and seal it with head cement. Use red thread or paint the loop red or a dark color for contrast against the ice. Then place the other end on the rod tip and attach as described above. Then you will have and ultra sensitive spring bobber that you made yourself. I wish I still had some 50 lb mono laying around, these were my favorite. You may want to place this set up on the rod tip with a small rubber band, this will make it "adjustable" until you figure out the proper length it should be for the weight of your favorite ice jigs.

Man I can't wait to get out and rip some lips!!


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## automan4025 (Dec 28, 2004)

sportmansguide.com


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## funebonz880 (Feb 17, 2004)

I HATE spring bobbers. I get sensitive rods instead and watch the line and tip. The most sensitive rod i've used is made by HT, its called an Ice Blue. It is blue with an orange tip, 24 inch, great panfish rod. Pick them up at gander mountain and some wal mart stores for 7 to 8 bucks.


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

i like the ones that clip to your rod and have a small eyelet on the clip part. if your rod is the right diameter they work great. like said you can epoxy them onto your rod if needed. but i like them.

whats nice about using a lite rod is you get a better hookset, but a pike can really give you a run.

to each his own. i'll use the cheap poles without reels for perch and save my nice setups for walleye fishing.

imo
mike


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## SuperHunter18 (Oct 23, 2004)

funebonz880 said:


> I HATE spring bobbers. I get sensitive rods instead and watch the line and tip. The most sensitive rod i've used is made by HT, its called an Ice Blue. It is blue with an orange tip, 24 inch, great panfish rod. Pick them up at gander mountain and some wal mart stores for 7 to 8 bucks.


I have a couple of these and they are great. I just saw them at Gander for $8. They also have a combo if you need a reel.


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## funebonz880 (Feb 17, 2004)

limige said:


> whats nice about using a lite rod is you get a better hookset, but a pike can really give you a run.


I agree about the pike giving you a run. A caught an ok pike on one of those with 2 pound test, man was it fun. broke the line at the top but still got em. Also caught a three pound bass on one last year. it was crazy. :yikes: but like you said, to each his own.


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## TheApprentice (Oct 17, 2005)

funebonz880 said:


> I HATE spring bobbers. I get sensitive rods instead and watch the line and tip. The most sensitive rod i've used is made by HT, its called an Ice Blue. It is blue with an orange tip, 24 inch, great panfish rod. Pick them up at gander mountain and some wal mart stores for 7 to 8 bucks.


I agree with funebonz. I don't use spring bobbers, I just use a 4 ft. very sensitive rod and watch the tip and the line. If you see the line go sideways or any deviation in the movement of the rod tip or line set the hook. Lots of times even with a very sensitive rod you won't feel the fish hit, but if you are closely watching you will know when they hit. Once you fish like this for a bit you will get the hang of it and it will be second nature to you. I went out this morning and did geat. Brought home 20 nice gills and would have easily had my limit, but I kept throwing back a lot of eaters to try and limit out on hogs. Needless to say the bite ended around 9:15 and I left without my limit, but a very respectable mess of fish. Good luck in getting your spring bobbers if that is the way you want to go.

Ryan


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## tommytubular (Jan 25, 2002)

HATE is a pretty strong word funbozes.....

I also have a 24 inch noodle rod that is typically my goto panfish rod....been fishing with it for probably 20 years

Have you tried to get a 5 to 10 year old to hold and focus at the tip of a noodle rod and detect line movement? Trust me it doesnt happen.

Spring bobbers play a very important part of my ice fishing arsenal. The spring bobber in reality is far more sensitive then is the tip of any noodle I've ever had in my hand. You can still watch the line with one and because of the sensitivity of the bobber you probably have to watch it less. I've also noticed sometimes that the action you can put on your jig will be different using a spring bobber vs. a noodle rod......sometimes that can be the difference between fish and no fish or even better..........fish and bigger fish.

I guess I was simply answering the original question that was asked on the thread and trying to be my normal helpful self.......I'm not flamming ya......even though i did just read read the tiffany scores a 170+ post in the deer hunting forum........ :lol:


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## fishindude (Jan 2, 2005)

personally I don't like spring bobbers either but the do have a time and place where I will use them. For instance, last year i bought a new ice combo that i really liked and unfortunatly the tip broke off. I thought about just buying a new one, $20 not the expensive but instead i found a spring bobber that fit the rod perfectly. As for that ice blues rod mentioned earlier, it really is a sensative rod and extremely cheap. the frabil panfish popper is another rod that comes with a spring bobber when you buy it. The other day while in Gander Mountain I saw that they are selling those spring bobbers in packs of 3 or 4. If i had to pick any spring bobber it would probably be that one.


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## Cherokee (May 24, 2004)

Piano wire style if you can find 'em. Super sensitive


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## flinch (Aug 10, 2003)

This works for the light bite. Electrical tape around the spring just tight enough for the front guide. Getting the line through this can be a challenge though.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

I like the spring one like Flinch posted but I had a problem with the line freezing in the spring so I taped it on top of the pole and bent to end coils down to make an eye. I run my line through the end eye on the pole and thru this eye and it does not freeze up anymore. I have a super light rod and never needed a spring bobber before the end got broke off the pole. I bought a new pole but after using the old one for 30 plus years the new did not feel the same so I went using the old one again.


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## gomer (Dec 30, 2000)

i like the ones like flinch has there. I like the spring ones the best, BUT they have a tendency to ice up more than other spring bobbers. Not a big deal, especially if you are in a shack.

this is my favorite panfish ripper...










30inch dead stick, yeah buddy!


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

Here's an idea I found somewhere else.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=17729.msg148665#msg148665

The G,B and E strings would work well for the lightest of bites.


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## tommytubular (Jan 25, 2002)

Great idea using the guitar string..........and a G-string at that

I wish I would have thought of that.......might have to see what I have laying around


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## jbird68 (Dec 8, 2005)

I made one out af tag wire that we use to tie identificatin tags to parts with at work. It is not spring wire and bends easily if you give it a good tug. First I made an eye on one end by twisting it and then bent it at a 90 degree angle. Then at about 5 inches at the other end I bent it back towards the eye. That makes two legs to run parallel with my rod. I set the two legs on my rod and twisted the rest of the wire over both of them and my rod until I run out of wire. It holds in place very well. For practice I just used an unfolded paper clip as my rod tip to secure the spring bobber to. It might work or it might not. I have yet to try it. I also found some South Bend brand spring bobbers at Wal-Mart. No instruction on how to attach it though. I have an idea of how to do it.


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