Dowel Wood Bobbers for Casting with A Fly Rod

[Bruce Tomaselli]

I'd like to make some bobbers for casting with my fly rod for gills, crappies, etc., panfish. Will dowel wood bobbers work? If so I need t know the size, weight, diameter length etc. of dowels I will need and how to turn them into bobbers.  I guess the 2-part video by Damon on making dowel bobbers will suffice.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Are you wanting to cast them with fly line, as "flies," or using a fly rod as a light apinnin/casting rod.
If as a fly, with fly line, just get some strike indicators (fancy fly floats).

On the other hand, I use a fly rod all the time as a spin casting rod with floats. I like the length and ability to cast light rigs,

As for dowel floats, I've made many over the years. I just drill a hole in each end and glue in a skewer. Some turning work, (or not), some sanding and paint and youre in business.
I like them because it doesn't take much weight to balance them.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Some of the dowel floats I have

[Bruce Tomaselli]

A question, then, that I hope is not too dumb. So, the mono goes through the loop on the bottom and hangs at a right angle to the water bed with a hook at the end and a shot to keep it down? This is a type of fixed float of is it a kind of slip bobber?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

That is the basic bottom fed slip float.
Others feed the line through the top of a central tube running through the float. These are top fed.
I prefer bottom fed in smaller sizes, and top fed for really big floats, and deep water.
The quill floats are bottom fed, and by adding a silicone band on the shaft to secure the line, you create a slender fixed float that casts well - but which lacks depth adjustment.

Next step - do you understand the sliding stop knot and it's function?

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Here is a link to how top fed slip floats work:
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spencepetros....

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Thanks, David. It makes it real clear. The only bobbers I ever used were those round red and white ones. We used to wind the mono around the hook that pushed through the top on a spring, and gave it a cast.

So from the top; knot, bead, float, shot and hook at the bottom.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Precisely -youve got it, my man!
Bottom feed slip floats merely bring the line in to the eyelet directly, and keep so the line is in the water at all times.
Top fed floats, by contrast, have the line out of water at the float. This makes them more affected by sailing from the wind.

Lastly, strap the line to a pencil shaped body with silicone bands, as on the quills. Now you have a streamlined, even dart-like, float that casts like an arrow. You must sacrifice the benefit of the slip-float for a fixed depth, but they are very sensitive.

PS when you use a quill or pencil float as a bottom fed unit, it's called a "waggler"

[Bruce Tomaselli]

So on the quill float, the gum band keeps the line to the quill making it more aerodynamic (less wind resistant).

[carl hendrix]

BRUCE;; IT KEEPS THE LINE TIGHT AGAINST THE QUILL; SO IT DOESNT SLIP ANY... OTHER WISE; IT WOULD SLIP UP AND DOWN CONSTANTLY....  SOME GUYS; USED  BREAD TIES;; NOT REAL GOOD; THOSE THINGS SLIPPED LIKE CRAZY;; AND SOME;; USED  ( O ) RINGS;; A LOT BETTER THAN BREAD TIES FOR SURE;; BUT THE RUBBER GUM BANDS; I FOUND SO FAR ARE THE BEST TO USE..   I GET THE ; REPLACEMENT RUBBERBANDS; FOR SLING SHOTS; CUT IN 1/2 INCH WIDTHS;; WORKS GREAT !!

[Bruce Tomaselli]

I build rods and I have 2 different size pieces of tubing I cut into small o-rings to hold the guide feet on temporarily until I wrap them. That might work.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

One way to find out...

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Exactly as Carl says.
Surgical silicone tubing is what I think of