spring bobbers?

[kdawg]

OK. This is my first year ice fishing. I've been out a dozen times in the last 5 weeks catching some and then not catching some. I've seen one episode on TV of a guy using a rod with a spring bobber and have never used one. After reading all of the posts about spring bobbers, I'm gonna have to pick up a few myself. From what I recall with the spring bobbers it is best to use them in conjunction with a vex. or marcum and watch for fish approaching your bait, then you watch the spring bobber and when it goes down you set the hook. Am I correct here or partially correct and what else do I need to know about spring bobbers. Any input would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[Northlander]

Crappies will usually hit coming up so your spring bobber wil move up. Gills and perch will usually pull it down a tad. Of course there are always exceptions to that rule. I just recently started using a spring bobber and man to I catch way more fish. That St.Croix spring bobber rod is awesome but big bucks. I see they are 40% off at Gander now and 50% off at Marine General. Great buy at those prices.

[harvey lee]

My only suggestion would be to buy the type that has a coil type.Meaning a spring looking one instead of the flat metal piece type.I have used both and I personally think the sping coil type is much more sensitive than the other.There are a few different models on the market and some are better than the others.Some companies make them to fit there rods and you can also buy the type that attach to your rod.Both work well.

The St.Croix one is very nice along with Thorne Brothers and a few others.

[Tony Boshold]

Check out the Backwater Brawl with Spring Bobber show. The link is just above on the threads. You will see Greg "the Prowler" Inventor of the St.Croix Legend Ice Rod with Spring bobber put on a little seminar on how to catch more fish with it. Some really great info there. I would especially pay attention to the way he works the lures and explains the "be the scud" bit. Scud are freshwater shrimp and the like. Fishes favorite food in the winter.

Hope this helps.

[efgh]

I have bought most of the add on versons and found out the coiled spring ones are best, they tend to freeze up when fishing out in the open except on warmer days, the single flat spring or the single round spring always seem to get the line wound around them on me, the double loop ones seem to work better, but nothing works as good as the coiled spring ones.

[CrappieJohn]

My personal liking is for the line-thru coil type spring bobbers, but the large hoop extended arm coils have merit as well. While I have done some work with HT and Frabil coils, the Thorne Bros. Coil is by far and away more in line with what panfishermen need to look at. I just picked up three Saturday and they are on rods already and will see action tomorrow. I will be ordering more soon.

Thorne Bros currently have only the pannie strength spring on hand right now, but next year I think you'll see a couple additions to this line and will include a spring for 1/8 ounce and possibly one for 1/4 ounce so walleye anglers can get in on this hayday.

The St.Croix rod is nice yes, but for the average angler the cost will require a small loan. If the large loop, extended arm spring is what you are looking for, I say forget that $$$ non-sense that comes with the St.Croix factory rod and get some springs from YourBobbersDown. The no.2 in their on-line catalog on the spring page is just what the doctor ordered. Me being the doctor of course.

Modifying existing rods and springs to work well together is normally a simple thing. I encourage this since most people already have suitable rods, but lack the spring. Once you have both components in your hands you can almost see what has to be done to get things to work. This is especially true if you take time to look at other spring bobber rods being used by friends.

Even if you ordered four springs and went out and bought four moderately priced rods, you'd likely have far less tied up than if you purchased one of those pricey St.Croixs. Frankly I don't think the blanks in those rods are worth the expense, so if it just the spring that makes them as costly as they are, changing from gold to silver might help sell more of them.

Thorne Bros. is a far better alternative to buying a factory rod for big bucks. Thornes will make to your specs. When you hand them the money, they hand you what is truely a custom-made piece of tackle that, merit wise, will blow St.Criox"s big bucker right out of the ice house. I have had the occasion to use both Thorne and St.Croix ice rods and my assessment comes from experience, not promo hype.

Spring bobbers of all kinds have been around for years and years. Some refinements have made a few outstanding. While the Ht and Frabil products will get the job done in the coil market, Thorne's springs will do a better job. In the Extended arm, large hoop coil spring bobber, it is only the spring that makes the St.Croix, not the rod. $5-$8 per replacement spring if you can find them. The "YourBobbersDown spring of the same design.... the no.2, $2 a pop. And I think that the latter is more likely to be adaptable to the garden variety rod.

[kdawg]

WOW!!! Thank you all for the imput. Gonna head out this afternoon and put it to use.

[Bob Horn]

Crappie Tom, You say you will need a small loan to buy a St. Croix Legend but most Thorne rods cost more than a Legend?

[CrappieJohn]

Thornes are custom built. I custom build rods. I know the cost of custom made as opposed to factory. I also know the real merits of custom over factory. My suggestion Bob, was that it is the spring that makes the St.Croix a good rod to consider if someone wants to spend the money for a factory rod. But I am also making it perfectly clear that a Thorne rod (Thorne rods may be site sponsors, but I am speaking enirely on merit here), being custom made, pays attention to exacting detail as per that particular customer. St. Croix does not offer this. Since cost plays as much a part of tackle considerations, people have to know of alternatives. I just did that.

The original post was about spring bobbers. Isn't it ironic that the best spring bobber I have ever seen in all my years on the ice was home-made from a length of 120 pound salt-water monofiliment line?

But to your query about the cost of a Thorne rod. They are expensive , no doubt. So are the Croix's. If I am going to spend that much money on a rod, I will most certainly spend it where the rod built is specific to me and not genericly produced to fill the needs of anyone who can afford one.

[Bob/Mn]

I use both types of bobbers but perfer the flat ribben type. This type of bobber gives me an adjustable rod tip. The ones I use are made by HT and snap on to the rod tip.

I super glue the spring holder to the top of the rod and turn the spring 180 degrees in the holder.

For light bites I extend the spring all the way out, for more agressive bites,storage and jigging I retract the tip.

[not_nuf_time]

Any pictures of your spring bobber rigs, homemade or store bought?

[Bob/Mn]

not_nuf_time

See if this will work for you. This is the HT spring bobber.

Point your browser at:

http://img346.imageshack.us/img346/8243/img08487ft.jpg

[CrappieJohn]

I plan to show a couple of ideas here within the next day or so using a St.Croix replacement spring on a different rod and the thorne bros spring. Just hang in there.

[Bob/Mn]

Crappie Tom

The new coiled spring bobbers are a stellar inprovment over the ball point pen springs I used in the past. I am very happy with the Frabill Panfish Popper spring bobber and also have several rods fitted with them. Actually with both types of springs a wood dowel with a reel would work well.

I am always glad the see new improvments and will be looking foward to the see the pictures.

[CrappieJohn]

I am waiting on some springs from YourBobbersDown to finish a couple of prototype rods built off carbon St.Croix blanks. As soon as the springs get in my hands I'll show a couple of different bobber designs that should be adaptable to just about any rod. Just bear with me.

[augernaut]

Tom - those Your Bobbers Down spring bobbers are SWEET. I have one rigged on one of my St Croix Avids that I can fish a #12 Purist or #14 Coped jig and it will flex the spring in order to be able to see that all important "lift bite". Very, very nice springs. I'll be very interested in seeing what your setups look like! For mine, I just popped the tip off, slid the rubber holder on, and re-glued the tip back on - then slid the rubber holder on the tube section of the tip - nice snug fit.

[kdawg]

CrappieTom, Let us know as soon as you get em.