Slip Bobber Rods

[legend1]

slipbobbers are kind of new to me, but will get a real workout this spring

[grizzlyfish]

I just built a 9' slip bobber rod out of a 5/6 wt Martin fly rod I found at a garage sale for $5. I rig that way for crappie and catfish. Never tried it for walleye. Should be very serviceable.

Rg

     
    Rg-Like your idea of slip bobberin with 9' fly rod. Do you
change the handle to acomodate the spinning reel,or tape the
reel ahead of the reel seat. Also, do you replace the snake guides
with spinning rod guides. What other mods do you,or any of you
other guys make?
          Thanks,Grizz

[rgfixit]

I've built rods for a long time so I had a bunch of left overs I used to completely rebuild it into a spinning rod. It's got Fuji Hardloy guides and a Fuji handle salvaged from an old St Croix Legend that finally snapped. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

Rg

[tomturkey]

I have just used the fly rod reel seat to hold my ultra light reels. It is not that hard to use then that way. To lazy to redo them I guess.

[rgfixit]

Even though I'll be shunned by the fly fishing elite, I'll admit to packing an UL reel on certain fly fishing trips. Works just fine for tossing spinners when there not a fly in the box that will attract a fish. And that happens!

Rg

[tomturkey]

As long as you do not go over board and become one of those elitist fly guys I guess you are OK. If you do I guess I will have to squeal on you for carrying an ultra light.

I have a bunch of flys with a reel full of fly line but have never gotten into it. I just kept my ultra light on my fly rod when I used to stream fish trout.

[rgfixit]

They won't let me in their clubs if they see me cast. My technique resembles a whirling Dervish with a fly rod defending himself from a swarm of angry white faced hornets. (Ala Pat McManus)

I used to smoke a pipe. That always made me look better than I really was

Rg

[IFF]

Guess I should have kept the Orvis 99 

[slipperybob]

Love the longer rods, when I'm dedicated to that 8'6".

Otherwise for my kids, they get their 6'6" rods.

[Big Ice Hole]

I prefer a 7-7.5' fast action spinning rod with larger reel. With the longer rod and fast action I can take up more line when I set the hook. With the larger reel I think I can get a little more distance.

[slipperybob]

OK........here we go again.  Last year I was looking to buy jigging rods.  Now this year I want to put 2 rods/reels together strictly for slip bobbers.  Bring on the suggestions!!  I'm leaning towards St Croix because I've got 4 of them now and really like them.  But, am open to anything right now.  My biggest questions are what length?  and what power?  and why?  My thoughts were 7 to 7 1/2 foot for ease of casting........but don't know whether a fast tip or moderate tip is best for setting the hook.  What size reel?  2000 series? 2500 series?

To touch base on rod action - I'd say it kind of depends on what you're targeting and how twitchy you are.  To some people, they're hook setting so fast, that a fast tip may be counterproductive for them.  Some people are a tad bit slow on the hook set - so a fast action tip would be more suited for them.  Regardless, it's also a matter of slack line management.  How much slack line is there and if the line they're using is submerged or remains highly buoyant on the water surface?

For reels, it's a lot about personal preferences and also a weight issue.  Myself personally I used to strictly use Shimano 4000 size spinning reels, but am slowing coming down to the 2500/3000 size reels now - since the newer models have the same spool diameter as my old 4000.  If I remember correctly, my old 4000 reels were weighing in just shy of 15 oz.  That's basically one pound of weight there.  I dropped a lot of weight to the newer 2500/3000 size reels of around 11 oz.  I do run a few of 1000 size reels as well.

In terms of rod power - it kind of goes with how finesse are you looking for.  Typical medium power does it.  The more finesse you want, the lighter the power you may want to consider.  I'd say a slip bobber rig of 1/4 oz weight for a ML power rod is golden.

If you're looking merely to just pitch your slip bobber rig - six feet rods are awesome.  If you're looking to casting your slip bobber rig, longer rods is better.  7-7 1/2 feet is a good start.

[panfishman13]

i'd go long, 7' at least, but 8' would be better. it'll give you much longer casts than even a 6' 6" rod. the difference is astounding, and the length will also allow you to take up slack much faster on the hookset.

for power, it really depends on what you're fishing for. personally, medium light is as heavy as i need to go. even the catfish i fish for seldom go more than 3 pounds.

action is also dependent on what i'm gonna be doing with the rod. since it's specific to slip-bobbers, i'd go for a medium-fast or medium action, allowing me to take up slack faster and hook the fish better.

i build my own rods, but if i were to buy one, the Fenwick EliteTech series is where i'd go looking. they've got a huge variety in all the right shapes and sizes, and the color isn't bad either.

for reels, i like Shimano and Daiwa, though i couldn't tell you models off the top of my head. balance the size of the reel to the size of the rod, not the fish. it'll make your rod much easier to handle for a long day of casting if your rod and reel are balanced with each other.

[Skipper]

A a flagrant user of slip bobbers for mille lacs walleyes, and a person who is picky picky picky about gear, I'll share my two cents.

This is one department where you can get by with cheaper rods and really not sacrifice much. Slower, softer rods in the medium/med-light 7' range work well. Stiff fast action rods work against you for many reasons. First, softer rods are nicer to your live bait. The lob cast is only half of it, a long soft rod will send far fewer baits flying. Two, when reeling up your slack, especially at night when you can't see your line, you will often bump the fish before you set. a softer rod offers more forgiveness. Third, with big, long, slow, sweeping hooksets, you'll get more hookups and fewer fish that drop it just in time to swim away.

7-8 foot, or like RG's 9 footer, you can take up allot more slack by sweeping the rod. this is huge.

My bobber rod is a St Croix Premier PS70MLF 7' Med-light power, Fast Action (not really fast at all), SC2 graphite, 4-10lb line, 1/8-1/2 oz jig. I consider this an ideal slip bobber rod. It handles 28-30 inch walleyes no sweat but it's not overkill.

line is big too. I use 6lb trilene XT because it FLOATS. Sinking lines like flurocarbon will sabotage you badly on the hookest. All your slack sinks and causes a big underwater loop you cant pull out without the fish feeling you.

If you're deep, use a bobber with a brass grommet and a big hole. you'll need to use a bead but not taking 10 min to get down there is worth it.

[UFCreel]

If you really want a great walleye rod that just does it all. Check out Limit Creek Fishing Rod Company- The Smoothie at 6'9" it does it all. Great rod great price.