bobber set-ups for walleye

just want to see what you all think are the best bobber setups for walleye is…..what are the best bobbers out there for the ice?

Ice buster bobbers are ideal for eye presentations. They sell them everywhere. They are not prone to freeze up on ya and can be cut down to achieve just enough buoyancy to keep your bait afloat, allowing for as little resistance as possible when the fish inhales your bait. Give them a shot. Good fishing

As far as ice fishing goes, I use a regular ice buster (those yellow foam things). Reason being, you can cut it as short as you want… I think cutting it short to the point it just sits to the edge of the water provides the least resistance when the fish bite. I find on other bobber sets, ice can and sometimes does built up around the bobber. Sometimes it is a pain to get it off while on the ice buster, one squeeze and the ice is gone. I think ice buildup gives the bobber more resistance… improving the chance of the fish “feeling” the line and spitting the bait back out.

Summer fishing, when I set up for bobber… I use the “stealth” bobber. I think, again, this bobber provides some of the least resistance when trying to land them finicky walleyes.

Musky fishing, on the other hand, I just tie my line up to a empty/sealed 50 gal drum barrel.

Nice post, Ranger! You musta posted while I was typing.

Musta, great minds think alike- How do I post a daily topic? Was wondering about The Red Lake report for last weekend? I am heading up Thursday night thru the weekend.

Best bet is to go to the red lake forum here: Upper Red Lake . Once in the forum, at the top of the page, click the link that says “POST”.

I have about 20 different sizes of the Gapen’s balsa floats. They are excellent in that you can clip them on and off your line without rethreading your setup. That way you can keep your bobber as neutrally boyant as you want it to be. They can get spendy if you order them, but if you can wait until just about any fishing or outdoor show, most often someone has them for significantly less.

Check them out at http://www.gapen.com and click on the flaot link.

just classic split shot and a hook work well with those things?? looking for a very light bite set-up idea

I know lots of guys are partial to the ice buster for ice fishing in general. They do have advantages including having the line go through the hole under the water, they are easy to change out, etc.. If its not freezing up and functional while ice fishing, it cant be a bad thing right?

I use all kinds of bobbers while ice fishing. When fishing in heated house, the sky is really the limit. Any flot that remains functional and has the proper amount of buoyancy for your presentation will usually treat you well. I like the generic styrofoam bobbers myself, some of the pencil type/specialty(long and skinny) balsa bobbers can really stand out in light bite detection for panfish.. and then there is the lighted bobbers which are worth their weight in gold on the ice. When I am scouting a structure, I always run a bobber line, and a jig line if the temperatures arent too excessively cold. A ligted bobber will often let you keep an eye on a subtle presentation from a distance, and is not as labor intense as moving a tip up every 10-15 minutes. The thill typle lighted bobber is a pretty good all around bobber, ut the line is subject to freeze up in the bobber, tolerable if its not too cold. The Gamakatsu bobbers have the eye under the water which keeps the line from freezing and pegging the bobber. One company came out with a new, long, pencil type lighted bobber(lindy?) this year that I am really looking forward to for use ice fishing. The long, small diameter bobbers don hang up too bad in skim ice and that less resistence can be the difference in capitolizing on a bite when you cant clear the hole every 2 minutes.

I’m not huge into bobbers on ice, but given the weather at hand, I may have to resort to the house and heater method
I hardly ever use bobbers but if and when I do, I’ll use the ice busters.
Over the past few years I’ve found something that works even better while fishing in the house. I use those rattle reels that have the pincher clips on them. I can easily clip them to the poles inside my house. This allows me to be able to hop a few holes and return to the house to warm up. Anyone who’s fished with me knows I don’t sit in the house unless my hands are turning black Its makes for a great system and keeps you moving instead of warming your bucket lid and watching and waiting.

In terms of the other end of the line,…A plain hook works marvelous(6 or 8). Stick a split shot up 18 inches or so. I like to put a bead above the hook. Red, orange or blue has made a difference for me. Its your choice of bait that matters. Don’t ever hesitate to put a 5 inch minnow of your choice on there. Although strictly Hypothesizing here,..I’m a beleiver in that the big baits bring in more fish. The big baits are easier to see, and they create more motion for a fish to sense in its lateral line. I do know for a fact that a 15 inch walleye will not hesitate to hit a struggling 5 inch minnow.

If you use a typical slip bobber like this it is a good idea to use a paper clip to melt a hole in the side of the tube near the bottom then run your line through that hole. That way the line goes through the bobber underwater and will not freeze up.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really like dem red and white plastic clip-on ones

Quote:

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If you use a typical slip bobber like this it is a good idea to use a paper clip to melt a hole in the side of the tube near the bottom then run your line through that hole. That way the line goes through the bobber underwater and will not freeze up.

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Absolutely Brilliant!!!

Or you can use the “stealth ” approach and use a tiny snap swivel. Here, you thread your line through the eye of the swivel and you can choose the size of the float you need to snap on. I use the TG wagglers in the summer for those neutral to negative bites… http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/tackleshop2/product.php?productid=17632&cat=490&page=4<img src=”http://www.in-depthangling.com/forum/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif&#8221; alt=”” />

Summer “waggler”: http://www.lindyfishingtackle.com/tackleshop2/product.php?productid=17647&cat=490&page=8

Lenny,

I use a similar approach with those bobbers. I like to stick a hook through the bottom, creating a hole, and then put a small swivel through it. That way I can change the size of the bobber by opening the clasp on the swivel. This setup has never froze up on my because of the size of the hole in the swivel that the line runs though.

– You beat me to it 500.

Lars

That is a very good idea. I’ll have to try that.