I never really tried spring bobbers at all. Just wondering how people like or dislike using them? Also for the people that like them what spring bobber would you recommend using? So I would like to hear the good and bad about using them.
I have tried many and hate them all, and I fish a lot! I think next year, I am going to go to the ultra sensitive rods without the need for spring bobbers of any type……sigh. I have tried different styles that glue on, clamp on or whatever else and end up going to the rubber thing with the spring which is annoying as the ultra thin line gets wrapped up in the spring half the time. Also if you use tungsten, the spring is always pointed down due to the heavier jig. I am sure others here will recommend the St. Croix ones or some other brand but IMO, a quality rod is the best weapon for light biting pannies.
I love the Clam Nitinol spring bobbers. Two of them in a pack at Fleet Farm for $8.99 and they are very durable. I have the UL version for small jigs and when I hook into a bass, they bend almost 90 degrees and they never kink or develop memory. Having them always bent down slightly is an advantage for panfish, it allows you to see up-bites that you would never see or feel otherwise. You do have to be aware of your line and make sure it doesn’t wrap around. Last trip I was catching tiny bluegills on Rippin Raps that were so small they literally could not fit the bait in their mouth, without the spring bobbers I would never have seen the tiny nibbles and pecks as they picked at the Rippin Raps.
I agree with eyeguy I haven’t met a spring bobber I like. With all the soft tip visual bite rods out there there is no need for a bothersome spring bobber or a foam bobber in the hole imo.
I like the ht slab Slayer.
You can remove your line from it even with a large lure.
I do modify them a bit by installing a male spade electric connection to my rod, and a female connection to the spring bobber.
That way I can change weights with ease.
I agree with eyeguy I haven’t met a spring bobber I like. With all the soft tip visual bite rods out there there is no need for a bothersome spring bobber or a foam bobber in the hole imo.
Ditto to the above.
Take a look at St. Croix spring bobbers. It is easy to modify your existing rods to accept them. I have added an eye and grommet to the tip of all of my ice rods to accept a spring bobber.
I used a 5/16″ OD by 1/8″ ID rubber grommet from the parts bins at the local ACE. I didn’t have the Legend rod, so I also used a 8mm regular guide with the ceramic insert knocked out of it. The grommet fit perfectly….used some fish line and shrink wrap tubing to attach it to the rod.
Here is a source of springs and a picture.
https://www.amazon.com/St-Croix-Fishing-Legend-Finesse/dp/B077PJ64MC
They take some practice to get use to. Are great for up strike detection.
The only spring I used and liked is the Thorne Brs Tripwire spring, if you don’t buy the Tripwire rod, buy their springs and put on any rod, just don’t put it on on a flimsy stick, one with some spine. For the real light biters its the ticket DK.
I love the Clam Nitinol spring bobbers. Two of them in a pack at Fleet Farm for $8.99 and they are very durable. I have the UL version for small jigs and when I hook into a bass, they bend almost 90 degrees and they never kink or develop memory. Having them always bent down slightly is an advantage for panfish, it allows you to see up-bites that you would never see or feel otherwise. You do have to be aware of your line and make sure it doesn’t wrap around. Last trip I was catching tiny bluegills on Rippin Raps that were so small they literally could not fit the bait in their mouth, without the spring bobbers I would never have seen the tiny nibbles and pecks as they picked at the Rippin Raps.
I use these as well- they’re great. You do have to watch your line to make sure it doesn’t get twisted like mentioned above.
The new light-tipped rods are all the rage, and they are nice, but there is something to be said to a heavier old-school solid glass rod with a spring bobber. They are not twitchy. The basic flat but bent-with-use spring bobber served me well on a heavier and stiffer solid glass rod. Just my $0.02
+1 for clam nitinol. My primary pole for 10 years now has been half busted for most of them with only a stub past the second eyelet. I found I much prefer a short pole for the close quarters of ice fishing and have the drag let me know when it’s a good one. I think the stub method is the best mounting option for them. Tried them all starting well before my current pole setup. I use dual wall shrink tube(hot glue lined) to attach to the stub. Took me 3-4 seasons of hard use to finally break the clam bobber right at the shrink tube last weekend. That was likely from my storage mode, reeling the jig up against the bobber and folding it over to the end eyelet. A lighter quickly reattached it. All the others I’ve used need bending/tuning even just from catching fish. Breakage was a regular thing. The nitinol always recovers it’s shape unless it takes a real hard bend concentrated in one spot.
If the pannies are biting light enough that a spring bobber isn’t working, sight fishing is the only last resort.
i bought my kids the beaverdam rods with the slide in spring bobber. it seems to work great.
I’ve tried the clam and rapala nitinol springs and were too light for fishing 3mm tungsten.
i run the ice strong spring bobbers on my rods for those time when I need a good spring bite. there are a few ways to install them without haveing to clip some monstrosity tot he tip of my rod. this really resolves the line wrapping around stuff problem.
I’ve been on both sides of this. I was always a spring bobber guy, but built a basskhang panfish noodle this year, and haven’t missed the spring bobber a bit. I can see up-bites without issue.
Having gone without one for a year, I don’t know that I’d like to go back.
noodle rods are definitely my rod of choice for panfish. but there are times when a spring is necessary.
This is all I have used on all my Gill rods for as long as I can remember.
From HT Enterprises.
spring-bobber.jpg
I had a stretch this year where I could not put down the spring bobber set up then I bought a bullwhip and not sure I will go back to a spring. The springs for sure can outperform noodles on some days and I wanted to really dislike the bullwhip but there is a reason why so many people own them now.
Get a noodle rod from any decent rod company and you will never think about a spring bobber again.
I’m not a huge fan of spring bobbers, especially the actual spring type that looks like it was snatched from a Bic pen. The only tolerable one in that style is from St Croix, especially the lightest one with the orange bead.
The nitinol wire bobbers are pretty slick, but I strongly prefer a light noodle rod like the Precision Noodle. The nitinol wires bend and I’m constantly straightening them out. I feel a Noodle is more useful for an aggressive ‘drumming’ cadence. The spring bobbers are only good for a slower ‘swimming’ cadence.
My dad and I fished the last two days for bluegill. We were on a great bite, best of the season arguably. His go-to panfish rod is a Bullwhip. He usually has no problem catching fish with it. The fish were biting super light and he was missing a lot of bites yesterday with the Bullwhip. I was doing fine feeling bites with the Precision Noodle, but to be honest I have a lot more experience than he does. This morning I strung up my rarely used JT Panhandler 24” for him. It has a very light nitinol bobber. It’s actually a terrific rod for 3mm jigs and spikes. He smoked the bluegills today and matched my Noodle fish for fish.
To each their own.
The only spring bobber I have found that I like is the ones form JT. Unlike all the other spring bobbers out there, JT’s spring bobber has a tapper to it like a rod tip would. The spring actually gets stronger the father back you get into it. All the other spring bobbers I have seen are just straight with no strength change in them. I am not a fan of spring bobbers and would rather grab one of my power noodle rods instead.
I make my own using light wire leader material, and a orange/yellow colored Styrofoam float used in crawler harnesses, and “fly tie” it to the tip top guide …Using the float rather than a bead helps out when you’re working with “older eyes…” Should they break, I cut off the thread, and re-do it…
I love the Clam Nitinol spring bobbers. Two of them in a pack at Fleet Farm for $8.99 and they are very durable. I have the UL version for small jigs and when I hook into a bass, they bend almost 90 degrees and they never kink or develop memory. Having them always bent down slightly is an advantage for panfish, it allows you to see up-bites that you would never see or feel otherwise. You do have to be aware of your line and make sure it doesn’t wrap around. Last trip I was catching tiny bluegills on Rippin Raps that were so small they literally could not fit the bait in their mouth, without the spring bobbers I would never have seen the tiny nibbles and pecks as they picked at the Rippin Raps.
X2 – By far the Clam ones are the best I found. I know several people who buy some of the lower priced clam combo’s just to get the spring bobber and they they take the reel off right away and put a better reel on it.
I agree with eyeguy I haven’t met a spring bobber I like. With all the soft tip visual bite rods out there there is no need for a bothersome spring bobber or a foam bobber in the hole imo.
A few years ago I would have agreed with you on this statement. I own my share of high end noodle type rods ( TUC, Thorne Bro’s, Ect ) and once believed there was not a lite bite they would not detect. I got schooled once by a buddy who was fishing a spring bobber. I told him I was not missing bites with my TUC noodle – He said here, use my rod and I’ll tell you when to set the hook. I started catching fish after fish that I could hardly even see the bite on the spring bobber. I went back to fishing the noodle rod and caught almost no fish again. The next day I had a clam spring bobber rod and caught fish like crazy. There are just sometimes that the bite is so lite you just wont see it without a spring bobber. I proved it to another friend last weekend. I got him hooked on the high end noodle rods a few years ago. He was struggling to catch fish last weekend while my buddy and I were hammering them. I pulled out a extra spring bobber rod and gave him a quick lesson and he was catching fish in a short time. He would have never believed that the spring bobber would have made that much of a difference. Don’t get me wrong – When the bite is good enough for me to detect on my TUC rod I will fish it 100% of the time. But I would not be without a spring bobber rod on any fishing outing again.
As the posts indicate, some guys like, some do not. I use a spring bobber on a M rod but only on that rod. You should try using one and make your own decision.
I have a ST Croix Legend ultra light with a factory spring bobber. I bought that rod about 11 years ago and wish I had about 3 more. The spring is a single wire with a little eye at the end so no “bic” pen spring to deal with. I haven’t tried noodles but I really like that spring bobber set up and it has helped me detect super light bites and up bites when and ultimately catch more fish than guys that didn’t have a spring bobber at all.
That being said, I think some of the other rods guys mentioned would work well too for detecting those light bites.
I have a ST Croix Legend ultra light with a factory spring bobber. I bought that rod about 11 years ago and wish I had about 3 more. The spring is a single wire with a little eye at the end so no “bic” pen spring to deal with. I haven’t tried noodles but I really like that spring bobber set up and it has helped me detect super light bites and up bites when and ultimately catch more fish than guys that didn’t have a spring bobber at all.
That being said, I think some of the other rods guys mentioned would work well too for detecting those light bites.
2aforlife:
The St. Croix style spring bobbers are relatively easy to make and attach to any rod you would like them to be on.
By acquiring different diameters of wire you can make the SC style spring bobbers in a variety of sensitivities.
Buffalo Fishhead
I guess I’m the only one that likes to use small foam bobbers 
Just saw one last week that a guy made from a guitar string, handle of his rod was from the leg of a broken table.
Until last weekend I didn’t think much of them. I didn’t think they could tell me anything my Bullwhip couldn’t. Well apparently I’d never tried one in a bite as light as I was on. I have the St Croix Legend M/H with their spring bobber. While clearly right on top of a pile of crappies and sunnies my action even on my Bullwhip was sparse. I grabbed the St. Croix just because it was another rod I could tie up to have a different jig on DESPITE the fact it had the spring bobber on it because I really didn’t care for it. Immediately I was hauling fish up. As one poster said earlier it was primarily the up bites I was detecting that increased my hookups.
On my St. Croix rig it’s the spring bobber setup I love. The combo with the M/H rod it’s on, not a fan of. I’ll be searching out a different rod to but a different spring bobber on. That 24” broom handle is way to stiff. When I set the hook there is no give on the rod with panfish, I’d prefer to be able to keep them pinned with a noodle. Any shallower and I’d have been jerking them out of the whole. I don’t understand St. Croix’s thinking putting that spring bobber on that rod, you could not effectively fish even a light walleye jig on it. MAYBE a bare hook with a fathead and a small split shot for super light bites.
You are correct.
Get the lite or med-lite and you will love it for ultra light biting panfish.
If the spring even twitches, With crappies it might come up a little, SET THE HOOK.
Until last weekend I didn’t think much of them. I didn’t think they could tell me anything my Bullwhip couldn’t. Well apparently I’d never tried one in a bite as light as I was on. I have the St Croix Legend M/H with their spring bobber. While clearly right on top of a pile of crappies and sunnies my action even on my Bullwhip was sparse. I grabbed the St. Croix just because it was another rod I could tie up to have a different jig on DESPITE the fact it had the spring bobber on it because I really didn’t care for it. Immediately I was hauling fish up. As one poster said earlier it was primarily the up bites I was detecting that increased my hookups.
On my St. Croix rig it’s the spring bobber setup I love. The combo with the M/H rod it’s on, not a fan of. I’ll be searching out a different rod to but a different spring bobber on. That 24” broom handle is way to stiff. When I set the hook there is no give on the rod with panfish, I’d prefer to be able to keep them pinned with a noodle. Any shallower and I’d have been jerking them out of the whole. I don’t understand St. Croix’s thinking putting that spring bobber on that rod, you could not effectively fish even a light walleye jig on it. MAYBE a bare hook with a fathead and a small split shot for super light bites.
They make the ice legend from a all the way down to an ultra light. A m/h (didn’t know they made that) rod would absolutely feel like a broomstick trying to catch panfish. You took a bazooka to a gun fight, but that really shows how good the ice legend line is.
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