Spring bobber rods....(Pictures Included)

[CrappieJohn]

A bit later tonight Tyler Holm will be posting some pictures of spring bobber applications. Three different springs will be shown attached to three different rods so that people can get a better idea of some of the options that are out there. This little photo spread will show the Thorne Bros. panfish spring, the YourBobbersDown #2 spring and the St.Crois after market spring. The latter two use an additional eye attached to the top of the rod's tip and the springs being mounted in neoprene tubing. The Thorne spring is a line-thru bobber and is very effective in warmer weather or while in a heated house. This spring too utilizes the tubing to hold it in place.

The rods that will be shown are custom numbers made with carbon blanks, specie cork Tennessee handles, and quality guides.

Bear with Tyler and I here and we'll get the pics in here as soon as possible.

[PierBridge]

Sweet!!!!!

Thanks Tom/Tyler.....

[CrappieJohn]

love the avitar

[Tyler Holm]

The top rod shows Thorne Bros spring bobber system.

The bottom rod shows a YourBobbersDown spring bobber.

I wish the imaging was cleaner but this will have to do.

Basically these rods are built off carbon blanks and come with three guides plus the tip.

Rods built for the Thorne type spring will be of this design exclusively and will be available on a "order to length" basis for those who might want rods as long as 30 inches or as short as, say, 20". These are excellent "warm days" or "shack" rods. People need to be mindful that during cold outdoor fishing these springs will freeze closed. Warmer weather and heated shancks pose no problems.

The rods designed for the large eye-loop spring will come with an additional eye inverted and at the rod's tip to carry the spring stem. These rods will not carry the Croix springs, but they can be fitted to a rod, however. The rod shown in the bottom of the photo has a YourBobbersDown spring installed to show how the finished product will look. The following pic shows a factory Croix rod and spring and the other one of the other rods fitted with a Croix spring to give yet another perspective. The length of these rods is also be variable.

Details around these are being hammered out now and information regarding these will be givin as allowed.

[Tyler Holm]

This next photo shows the traditional St. Criox rod and spring bobber attachment on the left. On the right is a retrofitted St. Croix spring bobber attached to a custom made rod as described by Tom above.

We are currently in the early stages of prototyping each design until perfection is achieved.

[augernaut]

Tyler - did you wrap that top guide onto the rod end - or is it shrink wrapped on - hard to tell from the pic? Other similar systems I've seen will use 2 #6 ceramic fly rod guides wrapped 180 degrees opposite of each other - one takes the line, the other takes the spring bobber. Typically, the ceramic insert is knocked out of the top guide to make insertion of a rubber grommet easier. Go to the hardware store and get the smallest rubber grommets you can find - they should fit a #6 guide well, then the St. Croix spring should fit nicely into the center of the grommet. How did you attach the YBD springs? I've just been using the rubber mounting block they come with, and have been very pleased with the results.

[Tyler Holm]

The rods you see above are completely custom rods. All guides are epoxied directly to the rod in a professional manner. We decided to go with neoprene grommets/tubing as there have been several concerns that the rubber held the spring bobber a bit too snug.

[metrojoe]

Thanks for the info Tyler. Does the line have to be fed through the spring before tying on a jig?

[Tyler Holm]

The Thorne Bros spring bobber would need to be threaded prior to tying on the jig.

[augernaut]

Tyler/Tom - did you build the rods yourself? I'm just curious, because I'm a custom rod builder myself and it's always interesting and fun to see what other guys are doing. Are you using the St. Croix carbon blanks or other? What brand/sizes of guides? I've turned out some very nice rods built with custom hand turned burl cork handles, Forecast guides, and the St. Croix blanks. I believe the Croix's to be far and away the best performing ice rod blank on the market today. Thanks for the awesome pics!

[perchking]

This by far is the best Spring Bobber I have ever used. The only problem I have using conventionl spring bobbers is when the temp hits -10+ when you are using your protable even with a heater that darn thing freezes up all the time. I have never had this happen with this spring bobber called the "Teeter Pig". Try one I will bet you will like it.

[IceJohn]

Perchking,Where can you get Teeter Pigs? Never heard of them.ICE JOHN TEAM ICEHEAD

[Jim Hudson]

The Teeter Pig is a spring bobber that was developed in the UP of Michigan, specifically in the Lake Gogebic region for the monster perch found there.

Do a search for "teeter pig spring bobber" and you should get the link for where you can buy one. Maple Ridge Motel and Bait Shop in Bergland MI is the place that sells em for three bucks a piece.

[metrojoe]

I'm surpised those "tweeter pigs" haven't become a hot item.

[Gadgetman]

JKH431, how do you attach them to your rod? Looks like it is just a piece of wire?

[perchking]

It comes with string. The best way to put them on is to wrap masking tape around the tip of your rod (1 time around) then tie on the Teeter Pig with the string that is included and then I use superglue or Fletch tite to secure the string. If you do it this way you will not get any superglue or fletch tite on your rod, if you want to remove it.

[augernaut]

The Teeter Pig is a good spring - Gus and his wife came up with a nice design there! Best feature is the nice large loop at the end, but IMHO, the St. Croix and Your Bobber's Down springs are a better overall design. I really think the YBD springs are the best of the bunch - better than the St. Croix. But, it's whatever you like that counts!