With the increasing popularity of Spring Bobber systems and rods, anglers all over have flocked to pick up the newest and greatest tool to add to their arsenal. Quite a bit of chatter has taken place over these great inventions. And while the spring bobber is certainly a great addition, it should be noted that, like all other baits and lures, use of them is limited to what the mood of the fish dictates.
Spring Bobbers provide a jigging action that really can’t be duplicated by a strong (springless) graphite rod. Jigs can be manipulated to bob and swim with quite a bit of forgiveness provided by the spring. These slower presentations are deadly at finessing in the finicky eaters. This is evident in the surge in popularity of spring bobbers. Previously, noodle rods did much the same. But the Spring Bobbers go a step further in providing a better bite detection with less “noticability” by the pending catch. This presentation is always my go-to when I find the fish passing with little notice of my jig. Matching the Spring Bobber with the correct lure presentation will provide a more life-like action that can trigger more strikes.
Spring bobbers are a great addition. But, as I stated above, they still only have their place among the anglers aresenal of equipment. Spring Bobbers cannot take place of a good strong graphite rod on days where aggressive jigging is the key. Stronger graphite rods provide the needed ripping and jigging motion required when you need to call the fish in. When finesse jigging with a spring bobber goes un-noticed, a Rattling or buckshot lure pounded off the bottom can do as well for calling fish in for a closer look as well as triggering many reaction bites. Ripping a lure of bottom will also stir up mud that contains native forage that the fish feed off of. The visual attraction of a spoon ripping and jigging as well as the scent and site of the forage stirred up will sometimes be enough to lure those fish in for a closer look.
The mood of the fish will dictate which rod should be used at any given point in the day or night. When the fish are not inclinded to bite on a dancing jig, the Spring Bobber could cost you fish. At the same time, however, ripping and jigging could spook the fish as well causing the marks of your flasher to disappear quickly. To determine the best rod/presentation to use, you can do the same thing you would with your lure selection. A good flasher and/or camera will help you determine what the fish want. Watch how the fish react to a rapid or strong jigging motion off of a non-spring graphite rod. If the fish avoid your bait, switch to the spring bobber. And vice versa… if using a spring bobber rod does not entice the fish to flare their gills and bite, maybe a more aggressive approach warrants a try.
Most importantly, practice with both styles and have fun. Half the battle is figuring them out. The other half is trying to figure out how to tell the better half that you just spend a bunch more money on rods!
Good Fishing!