springbobber?

i was thinking of getting a st. croix premier ice rod because it had a good action and feel to me better than the others i tried. my question is do i need a spring bobber or is it sensitive enough that i dont? i would use mainly for pannies. i though i should still put one on anyways since i’ve always used one and cant see not using one. i already have a legend but i dont really have the much money to buy another plus put a reel on it. any info appreciated

I have seen days when they bite so lite that withut watching them on a camera your not catching. Even with a spring bobber they don’t move it when they suck the bait in. I use one on all my perch and panfish rods except my deadstick rod with a minnow on it.

When a panfish bite gets real tough a spring bobber can really help put fish on the ice. Given how inexpensive they are I’d rather have and not need than need and not have.

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i was thinking of getting a st. croix premier ice rod because it had a good action and feel to me better than the others i tried. my question is do i need a spring bobber or is it sensitive enough that i dont? i would use mainly for pannies. i though i should still put one on anyways since i’ve always used one and cant see not using one. i already have a legend but i dont really have the much money to buy another plus put a reel on it. any info appreciated

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Put your spring bobber on a cheap rod, the sping is the most important part of the srping bobber set up, you don’t need a high quality rod for this application. Keep the good action rod for jigging when the fish are aggressive, use the spring bobber set up for when the bite slows.

schooley’s spring bobber is my favorite

Another option would be a TB powernoodle.

The Thorne spring is one fine spring if you fish a house or portable….or the weather is above 30 degrees. If you get an aftermarket eye to mount a St.Croix spring installed on a rod, you’ll be good to go reagardless of weather or temps.

I’d definitely go with the spring bobber. Contact Mr. Dean Marshall, he has the springs and the eyelets. easy enough to put on and use if needed!

Jami

Another line of rods that are worth a look are the Jason Mitchell Elite Series rods. The 24″ panfish rod, 24″ springbobber rod, and the 28″ Meat Stick are all great panfish rods. Gotta love the price too.

I second what Bob said about putting a spring bobber on a cheap rod. I have a $30 reel on a $5 rod with a $3 spring bobber that I use more than any other rod when I’m panfishing. It works great when the fish are biting light and of course it works when they are crushing the bait too. I like the Spring Bobber on my St. Croixs and Thorne Bros rods, but those rods are so sensitive that I rarely ever use the spring bobber.

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I second what Bob said about putting a spring bobber on a cheap rod. I have a $30 reel on a $5 rod with a $3 spring bobber that I use more than any other rod when I’m panfishing. It works great when the fish are biting light and of course it works when they are crushing the bait too. I like the Spring Bobber on my St. Croixs and Thorne Bros rods, but those rods are so sensitive that I rarely ever use the spring bobber.

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Fife is right on with the higher-end rods. Esp. something like the Thorne Power Noodle, I kind of think the whole point with that is so you can do without a spring bobber. And for your cheaper rods, a good spring bobber can definitely transform them!

Joel

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Another line of rods that are worth a look are the Jason Mitchell Elite Series rods. The 24″ panfish rod, 24″ springbobber rod, and the 28″ Meat Stick are all great panfish rods. Gotta love the price too.

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I’ve only owned two JM rods, and both had issues. One had poor rod-guide alignment, and the other snapped while fishing. IMO, if you’re looking at a cheaper rod to do the job, there are other options that work the same which are cheaper yet.

Joel

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Another line of rods that are worth a look are the Jason Mitchell Elite Series rods. The 24″ panfish rod, 24″ springbobber rod, and the 28″ Meat Stick are all great panfish rods. Gotta love the price too.

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I’ve only owned two JM rods, and both had issues. One had poor rod-guide alignment, and the other snapped while fishing. IMO, if you’re looking at a cheaper rod to do the job, there are other options that work the same which are cheaper yet.

Joel

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This sums it up nicely. There are a mess of less expensive rods out there that cost much less than the J.M. rods.

If you have the coins to spend and want super quality, head straight to Thorne Bros. Period. The Power Noodle is as close to a spring bobber as you can get but it still has the backbone to land large fish….last winter I iced an 8 pound cat using mine, #2 line.

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Another line of rods that are worth a look are the Jason Mitchell Elite Series rods. The 24″ panfish rod, 24″ springbobber rod, and the 28″ Meat Stick are all great panfish rods. Gotta love the price too.

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I’ve only owned two JM rods, and both had issues. One had poor rod-guide alignment, and the other snapped while fishing. IMO, if you’re looking at a cheaper rod to do the job, there are other options that work the same which are cheaper yet.

Joel

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This sums it up nicely. There are a mess of less expensive rods out there that cost much less than the J.M. rods.

If you have the coins to spend and want super quality, head straight to Thorne Bros. Period. The Power Noodle is as close to a spring bobber as you can get but it still has the backbone to land large fish….last winter I iced an 8 pound cat using mine, #2 line.

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I got turned on to the Thorne Bros custom ice rods a couple years back and I’ve been adding them by twos and threes now to complete my arsenal. They’re simply fantastic! Here’s the link to the Thorne Bros ice rod page. They have an ice rod for every purpose or target species imaginable. http://www.thornebros.com/winter/rods/thorne/custom_rods_menu.html

ok thanks for all your responses. i usually just get a ganer combo and put a spring on there. im looking into getting a powernoodle from thorne bros. what is a good reel in to 20-25 dollar range? other wise i would probably go get a gander reel. thanks again guys god i love this site.

Another Thorne Bros option is the cheaper hardwater series, I believe the actions are similar to the custom rods. As far as a reel…I have a ticas on all my icerods including a powernoodle and they seem to work pretty good. I just wish the spool was a little larger diameter to reduce line coiling.

i cant seem to find the cheaper hardwater series that your talking about? is it on their site?

The hardwater series is not on the site yet I believe. You will have to call and ask or if you have the chance stop in at the store. I got a few last winter to have for guest to fish with and by the end of the year I was left with only one cause the guest bought them after using them. Great alternative for people on a tight budget or don’t ice fish much.

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i cant seem to find the cheaper hardwater series that your talking about? is it on their site?

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Hey guys

Regarding the Thorne Bros rods… we’ve asked Matt @ Thorne Bros if he’d be willing to let IDO come into the new Thorne Bros store with the video cameras to get some more information about their product line so we can share that here. I know I’m just getting acquainted with the quality and options offered and we thought others might find that information useful as well.

Thankfully Matt said “come on in.” Their new store is supposed to open on the 24th. We should have some video up here a couple days after that.

I’ll keep everyone updated as we get closer to the new store opening.

I found out from Matt last night that the hardwater series has been discontinued. Sorry.

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Another Thorne Bros option is the cheaper hardwater series, I believe the actions are similar to the custom rods. As far as a reel…I have a ticas on all my icerods including a powernoodle and they seem to work pretty good. I just wish the spool was a little larger diameter to reduce line coiling.

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I bought a power noodle from thorn bros. for my first ice rod this year because spring bobber fishing for sunnies and blue gill’s is about all the father in law does. As for a reel I was going to get the Tica like stated on here BUT they set me up with the Shimono Sienna 500 for 29 dollars instead of 35 for the ticca but you don’t get the extra spool. Which I didn’t need.

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The Thorne spring is one fine spring if you fish a house or portable….or the weather is above 30 degrees. If you get an aftermarket eye to mount a St.Croix spring installed on a rod, you’ll be good to go reagardless of weather or temps.

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CT…where do you find aftermarket eyes for the rods. I have looked many times to no avail??

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The Thorne spring is one fine spring if you fish a house or portable….or the weather is above 30 degrees. If you get an aftermarket eye to mount a St.Croix spring installed on a rod, you’ll be good to go reagardless of weather or temps.

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CT…where do you find aftermarket eyes for the rods. I have looked many times to no avail??

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I’m gonna try to make a few clone st.croix spring bobbers this week. Basically you just buy a st.croix spring, a single leg rod eye, and a rubber grommet to fit in the eye. then attach it with glue, or whatever, i’m going to try heat shrink tubing. I think it would be worth it, cause I really like the st.croix springs on my legend rod, but don’t want to dish out another $50 for one.

Red…

Any 5mm single foot eye/tip-top will work for the Thorne spring.

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Red…

Any 5mm single foot eye/tip-top will work for the Thorne spring.

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I was planning on using a st.croix…

I bought 2 St. Croix rods. Hope I did not make a mistake.

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Red…

Any 5mm single foot eye/tip-top will work for the Thorne spring.

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Here is what you need to make your own St. Croix Clone.

1. Single leg rod eye size 8
2. 1/8″ ID rubber Grommet from hardware store
3. St. Croix Spring of your choice.

Super glue the rod eye on top of your existing rod tip. After it sets up with the super glue use two part epoxy to glue it permanently.

Just get a steel leader cut it down and tie it to the tip of your rod. Ive been using this method for years and it is the most sensitive spring bobber ive ever used. I hope this helps.

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Red…

Any 5mm single foot eye/tip-top will work for the Thorne spring.

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Here is what you need to make your own St. Croix Clone.

1. Single leg rod eye size 8
2. 1/8″ ID rubber Grommet from hardware store
3. St. Croix Spring of your choice.

Super glue the rod eye on top of your existing rod tip. After it sets up with the super glue use two part epoxy to glue it permanently.

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Thanks for the exact directions… Guys like me need that… Where do you buy your single leg rod eyes at? Cabelas?

Ted

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Thanks for the exact directions… Guys like me need that… Where do you buy your single leg rod eyes at? Cabelas?

Ted

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My recomendation would be Getting a hold of Dean. Last year for a SMALL price, Dean I still owe you cookies but I have a boat now and I’ll be down this spring, he sent me the set up ready to go all I had to do was attach it to the rod!

Local bait and tackle shop but any of the big box stores should have them. Works great!!!!!