Slip Bobber fishing tactics

[ryanmitchell]

Couple questions. What do you guys use on the business end of the slip bobber?

Regular gold or red hook, or a little jig? i saw a jig on a video that looked like a flattened regaular jig. It looked like a good one. Cant find it.

If you do go with a regular hook, no jig, what kind of weight do you use to get the bait down efficeintly. Though effective, split shots do tend to fray or damage line, but what other techniques are ued to present the bait naturally, but keep it down in the zone.

Thanks

[basssmasher*]

My personal preference is a small jighead as you mentioned. It eliminates the splitshot use and the bait acts more naturally in the water this way. Of course depth of the water you are fishing is a factor also because if you are in 25 ft of water it will take a long time for a 1/16 oz jighead with bait ti get to the desired depth. The point being go as small as you can get away with, heck they even make jigheads with red hooks if you like

[NCLaker]

I tyically use a jig head, if I need more weight do to depth, current, drift, etc .. I will add appropriate amount of split shot weight about 12+ inches above the jig head/hook.

Size jig varies depending on the circumstances/bait I'm using.

[ANYFISH2]

I use medium sized(not sure of weight, a guess would be 1/4oz) bullet sinker above a swivel. Then a 24-30" leader 6lb floro with a 1/32 or 1/16oz flu-flu or plain jig. I will use the same thing with a plain hook also, for some reason I use a jig 90% of the time.

[tunrevir]

I vary my presentation by what the fish want. Sometimes a small 1/16th oz jig to other times a larger split shot with a colored hook or a black/bronze hook with a small bead above the hook. I like to experiment and find what the fish are after, sometimes a small feather or hair jig turns fish like no tomorrow and other times they want a plain hook with a split shot 12-18" above it. A small wire hook will allow the bait to move freely like a leech or smaller minnow and may get you up out of the strike zone while a small jighead lets you drop into relatively rocky areas and keep the bait near bottom. I find jigs can be a bit more snag prone when fishing larger rocks drifting into crevices versus a smaller whire hook with the lead up higher on the line. I tried threading a gul maggot onto the hook this past weekend and then putting on the leech with some rather impressive results. Was it the extra scent or the color I have no idea but the fish seemed to like it.

Tunrevir~

[younggun]

I use a simalar method to one mentioned above. 8 lb xl mono then I use a properly sized egg sinker that fits the size of bobber (usually 1/4oz). Then a swivel with about 2 ft of flouro carbon leader with a red hook ( usually a size 8 octopus gamakatsu). This works flawlessly 98% of the time, occasionally the hook will tangle with the bobber if you are casting far or in the wind. To avoid this, as the rig hits the water I quickly close the bail or grab the line and, with a swinging motion, I pull the rod tip a few feet to the side to insure the weight is tight to the swivel and the hook/leech is behind the swivel (and not wrapped on bobber) then I let it drop.

This gets bait down fast without compromising the strength of line as much as split shot and gives a leech or minnow more life like movement. I also think a plain hook with live bait will prevent walleyes from spitting the hook as with a jig head. To me this is important when slip bobbering as you don't have the "feel" you would have when jigging or rigging etc.

[ryanmitchell]

Good stuff guys. Thanks for the responses. A friend and I are going to mille lacs in a few weeks, and will deploying the bobbers at night. Will have to try a few diff approaches. I like the plain hook with the bead approach. Gonna give that one a whirl.

[solbes]

After years of frustration on our lake fishing for Walleyes in May/June, I finally came back to the humble slip bobber last season. For our clear lake it just flat out works. One of the only presentations that doesn't spook them. I have a hard time going back to jigging/rigging/spinners when slip bobbers produce so well.

Since our lake is so clear I use a 25 foot piece of 10 lb fluoro. Std bobber stop and bead. I use a rubber core sinker about 2 feet above the hook. Can't remember if they are 1/4 or 3/8 oz. You want enough to sink 75% of the bobber so it is less noticeable to the walleyes. Gamakatsu hook (red or nickel catches equal numbes of fish) with two small beads above it. I wait about 4-6 seconds before setting the hook and get em' right in the lip.

I find mornings outproduce evenings for some reason. 6-8 am is best, or well into the morning on really cloudy days. I've tried it after the sun sets completely and have nothing to show for it. Casting/trolling crank baits works better for me at that time.

[james_walleye]

I guess im confused on how the live bait can move more naturally on a jighead vs having the plain hook with split shot above it?? I strictly use different colored gamagatzus with a colored bead. Get yourself some chartruese hooks n beads if your heading to ML. You will be completely amazed at how one colored hook will dominate over another. I find myself changing colors on my bobbers and lindys both. It has totally amazed me the difference on some days. This goes for every body of water I fish, not just ML.

[headcheese]

I guess im confused on how the live bait can move more naturally on a jighead vs having the plain hook with split shot above it?? I strictly use different colored gamagatzus with a colored bead. Get yourself some chartruese hooks n beads if your heading to ML. You will be completely amazed at how one colored hook will dominate over another. I find myself changing colors on my bobbers and lindys both. It has totally amazed me the difference on some days. This goes for every body of water I fish, not just ML.

i dont know man... i fail to see how a crawler or leech would actually pull a hook and split shot around enough to make a difference vs a small jig. it just hangs there and "undulates". a big minnow yeah. not saying that your technique or logic is wrong i just dont think it matters much.

color maybe matters some but i think a lot of times its more coincidence or your location.

just my opinion.

from the pic in your avatar you obviously have something figured out.

[arcticm1000]

I guess im confused on how the live bait can move more naturally on a jighead vs having the plain hook with split shot above it?? I strictly use different colored gamagatzus with a colored bead. Get yourself some chartruese hooks n beads if your heading to ML. You will be completely amazed at how one colored hook will dominate over another. I find myself changing colors on my bobbers and lindys both. It has totally amazed me the difference on some days. This goes for every body of water I fish, not just ML.

The theory I have heard hook verse jig is a hook tends to keep the bait vertical and a jig tends to keep the bait more horizontal thus it looks more natural.

[james_walleye]

I dont think it does make a difference is kind of my point.

As far as color, ill cite 2 recent excursions. 3 guys on ML. Fish all over the lowrance but the plain hook and the red hook red bead get no results. I switch to chartruese and have 3 fish in 15 minutes. The second guy switches and we trade fish, about a dozen in an hour. The 3rd with red hook red bead not a tap. Finally he switches and then all 3 trade fish with about 40 fish as the result.

This past memorial weekend on Vermilion. Saturday morning I take my 7 year old son and 6 year old daughter out. Again I start with a plain hook, red hook, and I start my daughter out rigging with chartruese. In the first half hour she has 4 eyes. We dont have a tap. I switch my son over and they get the next 3. Finally I change my own and get bit and we end up with 15 eyes in 2.5 hours. Sunday morning I again go with the original lineup but give my son the chartruese. He has 3 immediately. So again I switch my daughter, but I stayed with red. 14 total eyes, I finally got 1 on red and it was 10".

You can take it however you want, im not out anything if you think its coincidence. But I have seen it waaaay to many times to write it off. I could give you all kinds of stories where chartruese, red, orange, and white hooks and beads far outproduced the others.

[james_walleye]

I guess I only slip cork with leeches and a good fresh leech swims very naturally on a plain hook. And from watching a fathead on a plain hook in winter on an aqua view I can tell you if hooked properly they stay upright. But ill often play with how I hook them because sometimes a tail hooked minnow that doesnt stay totally upright is the ticket. I guess along those same lines, the way you put the leech on could make a difference on how vertical the leech is or isnt. And after seeing what a crawler looks like on a slow death rig and how good that can be, maybe natural on a slip bobber isn't always the ticket.

[GFNER]

I use medium sized(not sure of weight, a guess would be 1/4oz) bullet sinker above a swivel. Then a 24-30" leader 6lb floro with a 1/32 or 1/16oz flu-flu or plain jig. I will use the same thing with a plain hook also, for some reason I use a jig 90% of the time.

I have used this same method, whats nice about it is you can pre tie alot of different jigs, hooks, etc. and switch very easy.

[bwa]

When a plain colored hook is used what size is recommended? I'm used to bass tackle & those little octopus hooks seem so small to me. I imagine I will be using redtails &/or jumbo leeches.

[ryanmitchell]

Chart hooks on the bobber you mean, and also on the rigs? What color blade you have best luck on at ML? We have had some good luck with pink and silver beads. Caught a couple tanks.

[james_walleye]

Yes on both. I havent done much spinner fishing there....

[ryanmitchell]

How long are you lindy leaders normally? I hear ML leaders tend to be longer, which makes landing fish more diff, but whatever works. I would think you would want mono on the longer ones.

[tunrevir]

Go wih florocarbon for your leaders on Mille, nearly invisible underwater.

Tunrevir~

[TruthWalleyes]

6# Fouro will give you the most natural movement, and won't drag your line down at all. I used to use 10#, but i like the results with 6# much better.

[ANYFISH2]

Bwa, I use a #6 most of the time. Seem to have the best hooking percentage with this size.

A #8 sometimes works better for finicky biters. I think this is because the #8 is lighter and the leech "floats" and swims easier.

#8's work for rigging too, I have seen numerous times, fish being marked on the sonar but won't bite, switch to a #8 and they turn into biter's. Try it on those tough days!

[james_walleye]

Ive found the same thing any. Hard to believe that little thing can make a difference.....

[whippingpost]

I use medium sized(not sure of weight, a guess would be 1/4oz) bullet sinker above a swivel. Then a 24-30" leader 6lb floro with a 1/32 or 1/16oz flu-flu or plain jig. I will use the same thing with a plain hook also, for some reason I use a jig 90% of the time.

I use a similar setup, but instead of a bullet weight above the swivel, just use a quick clip teardrop weight, than can be replaced with a lighter or heavier weight if needed. Gets the bait down to depth quickly when fishing in 20+ ft.

[upnorthozzy]

I use bobbers a lot. I use an egg sinker above a swivel. Then a two foot lead down to hook of various types. Seems to work the best for me especially in deeper water gets down quick and the swivel in the line helps prevent line twist. I also use a 7foot 6 inch rod and seems to cast better, I often judge how far down i am by measuring against the rod length works good if fishing in 10-12 of water.