Slip Bobber Knots - how tight and how much 'tail' left on?

[BLACKJACK]

Was fishing crappies last night with a slip bobber knot and the ice buster bobber and every time I caught a fish, the knot would catch on the rod eye-let and slide all the way up to the sinker. I'd had to reset my depth every time. When I tried to tighten it some more, I had cut the strings off too short. So the question is, how do you know you have the knot tight enough, yet not too tight to where it won't slide? And how short do you cut the ends? Do you leave enough on to where you can get ahold of them and tighten some more?

[Dave]

I'm no expert but when I tighten my slip knots, I TIGHTEN them from the start. I clip off the ends short. And,, try to tip the rod tip down when the knot comes up.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I too go tight from the start, then trim short, if you leave to much a tag end the line doesn' t come off the spool as well.

I also usually slip the knot off the straw quite a ways up my line in the area I think I will be using it.. that way I dont have to slide the knot as far on the line ...

Just my opinion

[SpikeRoberts]

I too tighten them TIGHT right away and have found that it helps if they're wet when you tighten them.

[Jarrod32]

I have also 'doubled up' on the knots (use two right up against each other) at times. That seems to help hold them in place a bit better.

[The Chemist]

Tight right away here, but I leave them long enough to get a holf for tightening if need be. Maybe 1/4" on each side. Just carry 2 small needle nose or use your teeth and a forceps.

[Guest]

One thing that I have found to help this is to get your knots wet when you are putting them on the first time. It seems to help get them tight and keep them tight, then I trim them short.

[Guest]

tight and as short as possible,i could never tighted it so tight that i could not move the not it i wanted to change the dept u want the end short so the lin e can come off the spool without hand feeding it down

[Surface Tension]

Tight and short if Im going to fish just the bottom and wont be changeing depth often.
If Im fishing crappies over deep water I dont tie tight and I leave ends in my bobber stop. Im always changing depth and we all know what 2" test looks like after sliding a tight bobber stop over it a few times. I tie my own bobber stops directly to my line instead of making them ahead of time on a straw. Its cheaper and faster this way but how many times have you rigged up and then find out you forgot the bodder stop. I use bobber stops without bobbers as an indicator or referance point using differant applications. So knowing how to tie one on directly is the way to go for me.

[avrg.joe]

I tighten them up as well, but this can cause the line to snap when making adjustments. Is there a line less apt to breaking? This drives me nuts! The fish are biting and I'm retieing. HELP!

[HOGEYE]

I haven't tried it, but I've been thinking about marking my line with a perm. marker so I know where to reposition the slip. Does anyone know if this would deteriorate my line?

[Guest]

Ah ha!

I have had alot of problems with the slip knot fraying my line and causing breaks. I use Trilene XL.

I have tried many high quality brands of slip-knots with no differing results. This results in vertical jigging almost 100% of the time unless in shallower water.

Any ideas?

PCG

[Matt D]

Hogeye,

I've used Sharpies to mark my mono line in the past and have not had a problem with it deteriorating line strength at all. Of course I typically don't need to anymore with the rubber stops I now use (see above).

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Best FISHES,
Matt

[slick2526]

Mono, Tight with the tag lines trimmed down very short.
Braided- I like to leave enought tag line out to be albe to still grab them and tighten the bobber stop. I noticed they come loose much easier using fireline, or other briads.

[avrg.joe]

PCG
I use trilene xl as well. One thing I do (especially if I know I will be fishing multiple depths) I put one knot very tight at the deepest depth I will be fishing. Trim this one close. Then place a second on the line and tighten to the point that it won't fray the line and leave 1/2" of string for tightening. If my deepest depth is 26' and I go to 23', I simply hold the deep knot away from my body and place the second at the center of my chest this takes off 3'. Or for 20' pull the knots as far away as I can pull them, this takes off 6'.
I almost always use two kots, this allows me to know if one has moved.
There has to be a line out there that can hold a knot as well as not fray!?!

GOOD LUCK!!

[shefland]

Funny in all the articles written about slip bobber fishing it is never mentioned the problems with knots slipping and how hard it can be at times to cast without the knot catching and screwing up your cast. I've tried them all. As far as slipping knot goes, i slide mine down to the approximate depth and wet, and pull as tight as i can, then trim short, much changing of the depth will weaken your line.

[Steve Foss]

I tighten right away, hard. If it doesn't want to slide to adjust, wet the line and it'll do it. I don't trim the tag ends flush, though, if I'm ice fishing, because it's pretty easy to get line off the spool. If I'm in open water and casting a slip bobber, however, I trim them flush, because otherwise the cast gets screwed up.

[Skeets]

Anyone here try the bobber with a brain? They are available on the home page.
I think I want to try them next spring.

For now, I set the approx. depth, pull tight, trim short, and hope it dosen't move.

I have never had much luck with the rubber stops, they have dust on them in the bottom of my tackle box. They really seem to move too easy when reeling fish in.

95% of the time I am vertical jigging with my FL-18, so no stops are needed.

[vern]

It's never really been an issue for me. You should be able to tighten them down so they do not slip so easily. Just leave enough tag to get your teeth or pliers on it. Like Skeets, I'm almost always jigging without a bobber & watching the Vex, but I do use slip bobbers when I'm dead sticking with an extra rod. It's tough to use a bobber rig with a flasher & then have to constantly make adjustments when fish move through at different depths. I get more frustrated with the slip bobber freezing up and not sliding all the way to the stop, especially after jigging it a little bit. Vern

[Matt D]

I'm gonna throw in a changeup. I quit messing with knots as bobber stops several years ago after I tried some of the rubber ones. They usually are packaged with about 5-6 on a ring with fine wire running through the hole in the rubber stopper, which is kinda football shaped. They're made in different sizes for different line diameters. They're fairly small and I've never had a problem with them slipping on the line or catching on my rod tip eye. One trick I've found when using them is that when putting them on or sliding them to different depths, a good healthy spit with it between my fingers lubricates the line a little and allows it to slide easier. This also prevents the line from cutting into the rubber and making the hole bigger.

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Best FISHES,
Matt

[Ruegs23]

I tighten mine tight and also try to bring the tube and knot to about the spot I think i'll be fishing at so I don't need to move very far. I do leave the ends about a half an inch long so I can tighten when needed.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the responses guys. Guess I'll try to pull them tighter, but slide them down to the depth that I think that I'll be at before I tighten (which isn't always possible because some lakes I fish are 10 feet and some are 30 feet deep).

Vern, try the ice buster bobbers, they do work. I was having the same problem that you describe, the line wouldn't go thru the slip bobber. Then when I retied, I ****canned the slipbobber and used the ice buster - problem solved.

To the guys that like to jig without a bobber using the Vex, I do the same thing, but I like to have one dead stick out too.