Ice buster bobbers

[HoleHopper]

kevfish, I have had this problem in the summer for crappies.

They fly off during the cast or on the hookset. Its hard to watch $'s drift away in the waves. But there is worse things to spend your money on.

On ice I like to dip the ends of the bobbers in floresent pink jig paint. It tends to be more visible against the ice than the yellow.

I never had one come off while fishing hard water. But then again I probably dont catch fish like you do!

[Note from Editor: You can see the Ice Buster Bobbers by CLICKING HERE.]

[fishin789]

I picked up a couple of these when they first came out.It's the only bobber I use for ice fishing now.I love them. line doesn't get hung up sliding through. and if they get ice on them you just give them a squeeze and they are good to go.

[psegriz]

Picked some up about 5 yrs ago to try out and don't even carry the rest with me anymore. Casting in summer and when fish are on ice I've lost some bobbers but not under the ice. Here's some thaughts. Just mold them with the gap a little tighter or with a little overlap built right in. I would also like to see a couple bigger sizes ones that could hold a 8" sucker up. I agree with woever mention the fly line. the slot could be bigger to allow flyline through.

[Poutmaster]

Yes, I've had them fall off. Yes, they seem of bit pricey for the materials used. No, they are not pretty. But - They are awesome. The ability to cut them to size is great. Also the fact that you can pop them right off is great for getting your line back down quickly. You can just run your line freely back dow the hole, and put the bobber back on when you see the b-stop come through the eyelets. This is a big plus at getting back down in the zone. I'll never use anything else on ice again. They are still a lot cheaper than the Thills I was using before....

[Bruce Mosher]

Kevfish, If your Ice Buster Bobber does come off your line just give the very bottom open red gap a 1/4 twist to the left and then bend it foward. When you put it back in place it will stay tight(where the line snaps through). I hope this makes sense. Once in a while the gap gets bent out of shape and you'll just have to bend it back past center.

Here is a little Ice Buster Trick for you guys! When you are fishing Crappies, Trim an Ice Buster Bobbber down far enough so that it almost floats. Meaning that it will ever so slowly sink(with your bait and jig) right through some suspended Crappies! When you look down your hole you will see the Ice Buster slowly sink and then it will suddenly Stop. That is the time to set the hook! FUN FUN!!! Thanks for all the posts guys! Bruce Mosher

All the Features you ever dreamed about wanting in a bobber - the ICE BUSTER BOBBER!!

[Bruce Mosher]

One more thing. You can use the Ice Buster Bobber for summer but eventually it will come off. That is why I made a better bobber called the Wave Buster Bobber. It has a solid bottom. IF you want to snap it on and off the line then you make an incision through the side of the plastic bottom cap.It is also weighted for further casts and has a bright Orange plastic sleeve(for better visibility)at the top which can be slid downward so the bobber can be trimmed down for more sesitivity. IF you use the Wave Buster for winter you still have one of the best ice fishing bobbers made!!! Bruce Mosher

[Jeremy airjer W]

Hey bruce, did you come up with that technique yourself or did somebody show you?

[Corey Heiser]

I've personally used Ice Busters for about 5 years and have nothing but good things to say. One thing I didn't see posted is that they work well with the Northland Firelight Glow Stick at night.

[whitetips]

Bruce one improvement I would like to see is Glow in the dark added to the coloring agent, I dont want to add tape or paint to them because of the weighting factor, I also don't trim them like you where talking about because larger crappie minnows if trimmed to far and a split shot will make them sink, I had few seperate though. Does crazy glue work the best to glue them together? What works best with the foam after it gets squeezed down?

[icehousebob]

A couple of tricks with the ice buster. On a neutral panfish bite, I like to trim one down so the lure and bait sink verrry slowly. Many times, that will trigger a bite when a stationary or jigged lure won't work.When the bobber stops sinking or moves to the side, set the hook.

Trick 2, When baitfishing Northerns, push the butt of the rod into the snow or slush with the bail open. Stick the butt of the icebuster into the slush beside the hole, sticking straight up. It can be seen from a ways away. When a Pike hits, the icebuster heads down the hole. If its gone, walk over, close the bail, and set the hook.

[Bruce Mosher]

Airjer, Yes I came up with all my techniques. I try to fish quite a bit. When I'm out fishing I'm usually the one trying all sorts of different things. Some of them work great and it doesn't take long to find out which techniques don't work.

You guys have some pretty good ideas! Thanks for reminding me about the Light Stick. All of my Bobbers will accomidate a 3mm light stick. Just poke a starter hole into the top of my bobbers with a toothpick, snap and shake a small(thin) light stick (Northland Tackle makes one)and then insert it into the top of the Ice Buster or Wave Buster Bobbers for a good 7hrs of night fishing. Thanks Guys, Bruce Mosher

[Scenic]

Is there any other bobber out there besides the ice-buster? This bobber is the only one I ever use in the winter. The tooth pick and light stick trick is a great way to make them a lighted bobber set up. The light stick is so lite weight that it does not hinder the action or preformance of the bobber.

For you guys trimming your bobbers, don't throw that chunck away. That excess chunk makes great floating rigs in the summer too.

[Matt Johnson]

I'm with Jeff. The Ice Buster is the only bobber I'll use in the winter. The Ice Buster has helped me ice a lot of fish in the last couple winters. Balance the bobber just enough so it barely floats, and when that light biting walleye roams by and you see that bobber "pop" and then slowly begin to decend, you got em! And the fish doesn't even know it's hooked.

Here's an Ice Buster walleye that was caught last winter on a plain hook and sinker...

The Ice Buster Bobber can make short work of light biting fish and the options of lure types you can use with it are endless. Also a very good tool for crappies!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Bruce Mosher]

Like Jeff said, Keep the small pieces of the Ice Buster Bobbers that you trim off. Next Spring I use my yellow pieces as a Floater Hook and pull them behind my Foam Walkers(standing slip sinkers). Cut off about a 3/16" piece and push it onto a plain hook. Add your leech or minnow and slowly pull them behind the Foam Walker. You can also stop and go with this techique. Works Great!! Bruce Mosher

[30 inch eyes]

Bruce you're an icefishing bobber god!

[psegriz]

Could you make them in sizes a little bit bigger like mentioned before? I could find a use for some bigger diameters.

[Note from Editor: You can see the Ice Buster Bobbers by CLICKING HERE.]

[Bruce Mosher]

Psegriz, I don't have a larger size at the moment. Eventually I'd like to come out with a Larger size Ice Buster Bobber. I've had river guys ask for a bigger one too. The current plus a larger than 1/4oz. jig will pull it down. But then I'm thinking of a Catfish/Northern bobber and 2 other products that I would like to make up. It's tough to figure out which product to make and then you have to find the funds for the Mold, Product, Patent etc.....Man, If I could just win the Lottery I'd have a whole bunch of new products on the Market Thanks for all the great comments, Bruce Mosher

[Dakota Iceman]

OK, this is a dumb question but here goes. What is a bobber slip knot? or in other words, how do you keep the bobber at a desired length. I understand the concept of tying a not so the bobber doesnt slip past that point...my question being: say im fishing in 30' of water...do i let the 28' of line out and then tie a knot at that point? Seems like a hassle and then there is the question what if i change holes ? do I end up withj a bunch of knots in my spool of line? In looking at the bobber...the red end has a pretty good size hole...im thinking it would take quite a knot to stop that bobber from sliding through. any suggestions would help, by the amount of people using this product I KNOW its a good product...just cant get a handle on the ins and outs of using it.

[packattack]

I think that you are confused a little bit. You have the general idea of the process. Near the bobbers in any store you can find bobber stops, they look like pieces of colored string tied onto a short piece of plastic straw. You slide you fishing line through the straw and slide the colored string onto you main fishing line. You then tighten the colored string onto your main fishing line. What you end up with is a knot that will slide up and down on your main line. When you move from hole to hole all you do is slide the colored string knot up or down accordingly.

[Bruce Mosher]

Dakota Iceman, When you first put the tie knot onto your line, you throw away the plastic tube. Don't tighten the stop knot completely yet. Attach your jig and Drop your jig down the hole and hang onto your tie knot. When you reach your desired depth - then tighten the tie knot all the way tight and trim it with a nail clipper. If you then need to change depths put some spit on your line and then slide the tie knot (to prevent burning your line)to what ever depth is needed. The best part is that you can now snap on your Ice Buster Bobber and you are ready to go! Most other bobbers you need to be sure to place the tie knot 1st the plastic bead 2nd and the bobber 3rd. and your jig is below everything. Sometimes you can get confused and mix up the order! With the Ice Buster Bobbers it's just snap on the bobber below your tie knot and Fish! Flat out Simple. You do not need the plastic bead. They just freeze up and Slow the line down too much when it passes thru the bead. Your tie knot will reel up into the reel and when you take the fish off the hook open the bail and let your line zip thru the bobber and you will be set at the perfect depth every time. Unless you have inferior stop knots. I sell very good tie knots with my Ice Busters. They hold very well and you can still slide them up and down the line. Hope I explained everything ok to you. Have Fun, Bruce Mosher

[hanson]

I think many people can relate to this-

How many times have you forgot to put the bead on, then threaded the slip bobber on, then tie your jig on, only to find out the bobber slides right on by the knot when you drop your bait down the hole? Dohh!

There are so many reasons I like Ice Busters but I like the fact that I can just clip them on and off when I want without retying. Sometimes I like to use the bobber, sometimes I just like to deadstick. If I'm using the same lure, just clip the bobber on and off and you can change presentations.

[Rick]

You can see the Ice Buster Bobbers by CLICKING HERE.]

[Ortlo]

I use to use a small bobber that a friend had told me about. It's four sided and about 3.5 inches long. I did OK with it. But after fishing with Luckbites and switching to the ice busters, let's just say the fishing picked up quite a bit.

Good Luck!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Folks, I know they don't look like much. I was probably the most sceptical of all. I used to joke about them and my father then got me a few for X-mas 2 years ago as a joke. I tell you what, you will find no bobber on the market to match these for ice fishing.

•you can trim them to match any lure weight. The most sensitive bobber.

•you can trim them short and get a slow fall lure. Deadly on Crappie. FYI when the lure stops falling.. SET THE HOOK!

•They dont freeze up.

•You can change bobbers without re-tieing if you need to add more weight or take some off.

Sure they arent as pretty as some bobbers out there... but funtion is key to success!

[Matt Johnson]

Well put Exude! These bobbers function well in all conditions and your ability to detect more bites is the name of the game and the Ice Buster Bobber does just that. The objective is to find a method where when a fish hits, they feel almost no resistance. By trimming down the Ice Buster to a level balance, or even a slightly slow fall, you will notice that fish will take the bait without even knowing a hook is in their mouth. I watched a few times last winter when using an Ice Buster and an underwater camera, that when a fish would take the bait, they would actually sit there for a while or start to swim a bit without even knowing anything was the matter. This would go on for a couple seconds, and meanwile, the Ice Buster was beginning to slowly sink below the surface of the water. The fish felt no resistance and was just going about its daily routine until a decided to set the hook. After using the Ice Buster more and more, and after watching fish do that repeatedly on the underwater camera, I knew that the Ice Buster had a strong position in my ice tackle arsenal.

On days where fish are very finicky and negative, I don't want to make any mistakes when a fish decides to finally take the bait, and a properly rigged Ice Buster can and will detect the lightest bites. Jigging with a Power Noodle or finesse rod with a spring boober and a deadstick with a balanced Ice Buster has helped me ice more fish in recent years, no doubt about it.

Very good product Bruce!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson