Ice Bobber question

[Reynolds]

I have a question concerning the use of ice bobbers. How much of the ice bobber do you want to have sticking above the water? I would assume that if you have too much, the fish will feel the resistance and shy away.

[deepportage01]

I trim just enuf so the minnow won't take it down, like a 1/4 inch above the water line, more or less depending on the minnow or bug

[huntingislife]

Well, if you use a trimmable Ice Buster bobber you can trim the bobber so the top is level with the surface of the water. This is where it is most sensitive. They are very versatile. So basically with any bobber you want the smallest bobber possible that will hold your bait up so the fish feel the least amount of resistance and the bobber is more sensitive.

[Paul Waldowski]

Another trick I learned with the Ice Buster bobber is to trim it down so it s...l...o...w...l...y..........sinks your jig or minnow thru a school of suspended Crappies. It drives them nuts and they just can't seem to resist hitting your jig

[icegrogg]

Good call on that Paul, that also works great on JUMBO'S when their rutting in the muck. Tip your hook with a few waxies,larva,ect watch your camra,when they come inbulldozing the muck lift your bait up about 2 feet, let it sink slowly and watch for your bobber to stop or as it happens most of the time takes off like theres,well a 14 inch brute on. can't waite to get back on walkable water! KEEP IT TIGHT

[freezdried]

Great info on ice buster bobbers I bought some last year but never used them thanks for the infomation guy

[Deitz Dittrich]

I, much liek Paul like to have as many Ice Buster Bobbers on hand as I can. All trimmed to different lengths. Much of the time, I trim it so that as little bobber is sticking out of the hole as possible. If the snow is deep and its hard to see the bobber, a tooth pick will make it a tad taller.

also, Pauls slow fall trick is the bomb for suspended fish at times!

[Tyler Holm]

Yep, Awesome info above on the Ice Busters Bobber.

Just like anything else, it’s different for each scenario/species of interest.

For panfish I do as mentioned above. I use the smaller of the two (3.5”) sizes of Ice Buster bobbers and cut it so it’s just flush with the waterline and has zero buoyancy (with a couple waxies on).

I’ll go a little different direction here. Back in So Dak where you can use 4 lines I do things much differently. I’m speaking mostly in terms of perch fishing on Waubay (if that matters at all). I always drill my hole pattern in a square (about 12-15 (sometimes 20) feet apart) and jig one rod. For the other 3 holes I use a full length Ice buster bobber of the larger style (5”) on each. This way I can cover more water, yet still have visible bobbers.

With those taller bobbers, one can cover more water and better follow schools of moving perch.