Best Slip Bobber for panfishing?

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Hello everyone just wanted to get your opinions on the best slip bobber for bluegill. I consider myself an experienced fisherman and have never had good luck with slip bobbers. They always get tangled and end up not sliding up my line properly. Any information on which ones and how you set them up would be great. 

Thanks and tight lines :) 

[Allen Morgan]

Different slip-floats do different things.  The past year-plus, I find myself using Thill TG Waggler floats a lot.  They are balsa, and the line attachment is on the bottom.  It doesn't take much weight to balance that float, so I don't get as much casting range as I'd like.  That said, they do show a lot of the light bites that don't normally get indicated by styrofoam floats.

I will use styrofoam floats for bigger fish.  Comal floats, dirt-cheap, lots of sizes, shapes, and colors.  Some even glow.  I prefer center-slider floats for the bulk of my slip-floats, which the Comal floats are built that way.  I've got a bunch of the "cigar" shaped floats, but haven't used them in awhile.  I also like pear-shaped slip-floats.  I use those for catfish.

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Thank you Allen! ill remember that 

[Tony Livingston]

I recommend using a slip float that has a metal or glass grommet for the line to slide through. Fishing line will cut a groove in plastic grommets, causing them to hang up and not slide properly.

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Thank You Tony! Any specific ones? 

[Tony Livingston]

My favorite, off the shelf float....

http://www.fishusa.com/product/Thill-Pro-Series-Slip-Floats?utm_sou...

[jim cosgrove]

thill are the best,met mick thill many times at shows and other events.wish i had hung onto some of his early floats i got when he was just starting out.

[Slip Sinker]

Great question Brandon... it seems everytime i go out slip bobbering i learn something new and i am still learning. the biggest mistake i used to make is not using enough weight to balance the float and get to the desired depths. if you have enough weight on the line and considering you are using the correct size of line for the application the bobber should slide up and down freely. Smaller bobbers = lighter weights and shallow water fishing. i generally use fixed rigs now in shallower water than 4ft.

i have effectively fished smallmouth in 20+ FOW using between 1/8 and 1/4 oz of weight and larger bobbers.

The picture below represents my favorite arsenal of slip bobbers for panfishing…i love the Thill brand

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Here is my general go to rig for the gill…

http://bigbluegill.com/group/pattern-rigging-presentation-for-blueg...

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Thank you! yeah i need to experiment with them a little more i think. I feel like i get them balanced but mid cast the line will get tangled somehow. 

[Allen Morgan]

Slip Sinker, how do you like the Thill Wobble Bobber?  I've been wanting to try one, but nobody around here carries them.

[Slip Sinker]

Puts a little more effortless action to minnow tipped marabou jigs to slam the crappie early season... and ive been experimenting with the quick strike rig along with the wobble bobber in canopied heavy vegetation for gills with some good results... but generally i prefer to cast unweighted bobbers overall. i get em locally at a tackle supply Jays Sporting Goods... expensive little buggers.

[Allen Morgan]

Thanks.  Yeah, Thills are great, excellent quality.  Also expensive.  I like the saying, "Never be afraid to pay for quality.  You will not be dissappointed."

[John Sheehan]

I like the one on the far right . I have caught using those . Recent seasons ,I usually go to the pencil or cigar shapes for Gills, Perch and Crappie .