Deadstick vs. Bobber

[toughguy]

Does anyone prefer a deadstick over a bobber for pannies or walleyes? Personally I use a jigging rod with a flasher for my first line and a bobber for my second line about 95% of the time. I've never really gotten into using deadsticks. Are there any advantages over bobbers other than the fact that you can be further away and still see the bite? It seems to me like an ice buster bobber has less resistance than the deadstick.

[PerchJerker]

I am the opposite, I use a deadstick over a bobber 95% of the time.

I like the flexibility of easily being able to change where I have the deadstick set (ie. on the bottom, few inches above the bottom, foot or two above the bottom, or even higher). And I like the convenience of how simple it is to use a deadstick vs. a bobber and bobber stop and having to make sure they're always at the right depth. Nothing there that you can't do with a bobber, I just like it better with a deadstick.

And I think at times a deadstick will out-produce a bobber --- with a good deadstick rod it is super-easy to detect those light bites, and hook them. I'm not sure if there's any times a bobber would out-produce a deadstick?????

[goblueM]

i switched over to totally deadstick after years of using a bobber... i catch way more fish now (panfish anyways)

[toughguy]

So do you rest them on a bucket, a rod holder of on the ice?

[goblueM]

i go with a bucket usually

[silverbulletguy]

I like the deadstick with a spring bobber on the rod tip for my 2nd rod with a jiggin rod and flasher for my other. Deadstick usually sits on a bucket almost touching my leg so its within close reach.

[polarsusd81]

I really enjoy using the true deadstick rods. The Thorne Bros Deadstick is absolutely amazing. You can watch a fathead minnow kick on the bottom in 30' of water with how sensitive the tip is. If you are looking to do the same with crappie minnows for panfish and perch, try out a Power Noodle. That is the little brother to the original deadstick. Both work excellent. When I want to hunker down and not move (which is very rare) I will set one Power Noodle with a small minnow profile ice plastic and just let it sit absolutely still, and another will be working a jig to draw attention. Often times when the fish are reluctant to hit the jig, they will make their way to the dead stick and whammo. Fun stuff.

[Rippinlip]

Normally I don't run too many 2 rod sets, but when I do, I really like to use a dead stick over a bobber.

Rod over a pail works for me.

[TruthWalleyes]

I will typically jig with one rod and use a venom bobber for a fathead/crappie minnow. The venom bobber can be set to near neutral boyancy so the fish feel no resistance when taking the minnow. Sometimes the bobber is replaced with a rattle reel on a pail if i'm hole hopping or just not paying attention.

[PerchJerker]

I like using the cheap fold-out rodholders from HT to hold my deadstick rod tip right over the hole. I really like how they fold up when not using them so they don't take up hardly any space in the portable or the rod bag. If I'm outside on the ice I just set my reel on the ice, no rod holder.

[fishwater]

I prefer to use a deadstick over bobber. For rod holders I use the Today's Tackle rod rocker 2, a bucket, or the otter brand rod holders for traps.

[toughguy]

Now that I think about it I have done this in the past using a spring bobber. Just rested it on the ice and watched for movement. I'm thinking I'll try this more often this winter.

[Jim Uran]

I prefer a float, they work with ANY rod, it's not that BIG of a deal to reach down and adjust your bobber stop, and there are many makes and models of floats that will get you the correct buoyancy.

I prefer the Venom float, as I've preached in the past. The Bouyancy is adjustable for whatever you are using and it's a great company.

[polarsusd81]

I guess I just prefer not having to mess around with bobber stops at all. Or the chance that the bobber might ice up a bit, or even the stop icing up. I think I use a heater in a house maybe 1% of the time that I am on the ice. Straight up and down, with nothing between your rod tip and the jig equates to a lot less obstructions to worry about when reeling in a fish.

[Northlander]

I go back and forth with this. With certain lures I like a deadstick and with others I like a good bobber that I can adjust to get to a neutral position. Outside I tend to go more with a deadstick.

[EBass]

I like the bobber but with my luck I'd loose a rod down the hole deadsticking - wait bail open?

I haven't tried the venom but use the ice buster bobbers and have a few that are cut for certain lures, so they barely float.

Two holes like everyone else. 1 to jig with the flasher and the other a bobber.

[reinhard1]

i dead stick for panfish pretty much. jig for trout and walleys. but on tough bites bobbers [ice breakers] adjusted for the fish that i'm after. i love using the spring bobbers on panfish. good luck.

[quijibo]

I find myself using a bobber most of the time. I like that I can pick the rod up without the bait moving, that way I can have the rod in my hand when I get the strike.I can see a bobber way better than a rod tip too, especially when they lift the bait. We can't use live bait on too many icefishable lakes here, so that's not a concern.

AdamT

[Religion_Of_Fish]

Dead stick if I'm outside and it's really cold, but there isn't anything much better than if walleye fishing seeing that bobber slowly slip beneath the ice, other than working it up and down on your electronics and finally getting it to bite on your jigging rod of course.

[DTro]

Then venom bobber works great for this type of fishing.

I also think it's easier to detect the "upward" biters on a bobber than not.

[marine_man]

To add another level of sensitivity I run a Thorne Bros Deadstick rod on a Rock N Reel... it allows me to see the really sensitive bites on the rod, and allows me to see the lift bites on the Rock N Reel. Pretty tough to beat in my opinion.

marine_man

[iffwalleyes]

Then venom bobber works great for this type of fishing.

I also think it's easier to detect the "upward" biters on a bobber than not.

I disagree with this the real ticket to makeing a dead stick shine is having a balance type rod holder. Todays Tackle answers this with the Rod Rockers.

A lift bit and the tip will pop right up. No more froze bobber when setting the hook and reeling. I have been fishing with Thorne Bros deadstick and this type of set up for near 9 or 10 years these are one of my favorite Thorne Bros rod. I don't hardly own a bobber anymore. The other thing about the balance type rod holder is you can use any rod in them and they work great. In ND I can fish 4 lines I run 3 dead stick and my one jigging line from any where in the fish house or on the ice I can see the tip of my rods and what they are doing. With a bobber they always seem to be on the side of hole that has some kind of obstruction so you can't see it. But that is just me. If you are luckey enough to have a rockn reel than you have the best balance holder ever created.

[TylerS]

I find the concept of dead sticking fascinating. I'd really like to watch someone do it in person. It's really tough to wrap my head around, simply because I compare it to bobber fishing. Do you have the drag set light in case of hard takes? Do you have to let the fish take it with a deadstick like you do when bobber fishing? I feel like I have more questions, but I can't think of them right now. I have a Power Noodle at home that didn't get much use the last couple of years. I may have to set that up as a panfish deadstick and see what happens... Think it would be tough enough for walters?

[fishwater]

The power noodle will handle a fairly big walleye, especially if the rod is a little longer than the standard 24" model.

The beauty of deadsticking is when you see the rod tip bent, the fish has the bait in its mouth. You don't let it take it like a bobber, you (usually) set the hook right away. You want to leave the drag set how you want the drag while landing a fish. Your over-thinking it, it's much simpler than bobber fishing and usually works as good or better.

While fishing, my deadstick line is most often showing on my flasher, so you usually know when it's going to be hit. I jig my deadstick as needed too, just to confuse matters.

[Duffman]

It's been about ten years since I used a bobber icefishing, I even enjoy using a deadstick like a tip-up;

My drag is set a little light in these situations, it might take me more than a couple seconds to get to the rod.