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 :) 

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Oh wow. Well I should really get some thill slip floats. It sounds like they can't be beat

[carl hendrix]

my biggest problem with slip bobers;; is if and when i wind the bobber stop; into  ( thru the rods guide eyes)  ok;; re - casting it that way-- the bobber stop;; just doesnt want to run thru the eyes; smoothly;; if at all.   only way i have found to use it effectivly-- is not to let it go past the rod guide eyes.  does any body else have that type of problem??   never have used the thill floats of any kind-- always found these quill floats to be so much fun-- cant think of putting them down!  

[Tony Livingston]

The current trend of putting micro-sized guides on rods does hinder a good slip float application. I finally chose a dedicated slip float rod that had larger guides. You should try it during freezing temps....the problem is much worse then!

I favor a slip float with a "through center" design, for casting accuracy. Having the float attached at only one end causes it to spiral around on long casts, which can wreak havoc when you're trying to hit a spot the size of a 55 gallon drum from 60 ft away, and you need to sidearm cast due to brush or other obstructions.

If someone figures out how to suspend a bait a foot off the bottom, in fifteen feet of water, and have this same rig be castable at 60 foot distances, I'm all ears.

[Slip Sinker]

i was just doing this the other day... measuring the distance of my fly casts... so here ive got my 5-6 ft Celilo UL with 6# braid casting a slip bobber rig close to 90 ft...

try the rocket bobber for fixed floating ... casts like an arrow... and its not thru center design... i had some great luck with it especially in the wind

[Brandon Sigurdson]

I have to agree for a fixed float you can't beat the rocket bobber! Do you use the ultra mini ones or just the panfish series?

[Joe Angelucci]

Brandon 

Good overview for fixed floats

http://www.in-fisherman.com/panfish/5-fantastic-panfish-float-rigs/

[Slip Sinker]

Nice article ... gotta love In-Fisherman

[Joe Angelucci]

Actually here is a good one. Last year I started indicator fishing . The idea is to tie three or more indicator yarns on a line spaced about 6 inches from each other. Nothing in the water so zero drag on the line. Perfect vertical fishing with zero resistance. By watching the line you see up / down but also left / right takes. Hooks ups increased by 25% and my fishing was more active.

[Brandon Sigurdson]

Thanks! that was a good read

[Slip Sinker]

the above video was shot with a balsa slip bobber style Thill float with a 5-6' Cilelo UL rod ,6-0 braid easily capable of reaching fish 20-0' down and nearly hit my target at 87 ft with a 10 mph cross breeze. it was a pretty good cast. :)

yes ... i like the rocket bobber panfish and UL models... they are heavy and cast a mile... much further than the balsa bobber at 87-0'

[Slip Sinker]

slip knots...if tied correctly and with the correct material it should go through your guides much like a knot attaching a leader on to your fishing line going through the guides. you notice it but seems not to effect your casting distance. the most efficient material that i have found to tie these stopper knots is 60lb braid or 20-0 to 30- lb dacron. the dacron is the material that is used to manufacture the pre assembled slip knot on the tubes. after a few casts the tag ends of the slip knots should feather and cause hardly any interference at all.

i love using the quill floats but i believe there is a time and a place for them. i put them away if there is any wind... period... they are tough to cast in the wind and they play havoc in the waves. i have also stopped taking the long rods with me... if the fish are any deeper than 4-0 ft i put a slip bobber on and refuse to cast a presentation now that is more than 3-0 ft long when you dont have to.

i really dont like to add a handicap to my game of fishing... unless there are those time s that you actually want to...generally if it is reducing the quantities of fish per time period ill drop the technique and go to the most efficient method.

[carl hendrix]

hey slip stinker;; your right buddy;; if a bobber stop is tied correctly it helps a lot;; the correct materail  is another big help!!  let me know when we can get together;; and i;;ll show you how to tie a bobber stop.  might be able to also show you a better way to tie a ( nail  knot;; or whip finnish)  cant remember which one of those your having the most trouble with.  LOL!!