Spring Bobbers.

[eyeguy 54]

I really like the frabill.  bought a couple of the clams to try next week. I like the smaller opening on the front. wish they had a bigger piece to grab on the back to adjust it. will see hoe they work. seem a little stiffer than the frabill. 

[monstermoose78]

Frabill anddont look back their spring bobber is the best add on one!

[perchking]

I have tried many of them and keep going back to the "teeter pig" designed in the UP of mich. I like the larger diameter hole, less freeze up when outside plus if u don't want to use it u don't have to re-tie. Just pull the jig back through and you back fishing. 

[eyeguy 54]

both of these are the pull back design which also makes them adjustable for a little bigger jig. I don't like a #10 on the frabill, it bends too much.  but I usually use a 14 anyways and love it for that. the big hole is nice on the frabill but once in a while my jig comes thru it... lol   now if i could just get the reflexes back to what they were a few years ago,  right @Rick G  ?  LOL  

[Bass Thumb]

There are some mods that allow you to add a St Croix spring bobber to any rod. I really like those. Have you considered that?

[eyeguy 54]

Have not considered that.  cut the eyelet off and use super glue?   Does that spring move in and out for adjusting?  I have never used one. 

 

[Rick G]

Love love love my St Croix set up's  Imho,they are the best ones made....yes you have to buy the rod, but they are pretty sweet for $60 silver edition,  100  for the gold.  Or you could copy the st croix design on a rod you already own, then you only need the spring 15-20. 

 

And as far as reflexes go, you need to be quick using plastics, not as much as using meat...right? @eyeguy 54..... Like I said, getting slower myself the last few yrs. My brain tells me to set the hook, my hands are slightly slower...lol

3 minutes ago, eyeguy 54 said:

Have not considered that.  cut the eyelet off and use super glue?   Does that spring move in and out for adjusting?  I have never used one. 

 

Made some like that...Tom has one of them :-)

[eyeguy 54]

I have the reflexes of a cat, an aging cat... LOL 

 

[eyeguy 54]

Doesn't look like gander makes the 15 dollar ice rod anymore. I sure like the UL with the spring attached. 27 bucks total.   I see they have one for 10 and one for 20 now.  

[river rat316]

bought a Jason Mitchell spring bobber rod this year, love the nitinol spring bobber, it stays straight because it is titanium, no adjusting and pretty sensitive, wish the rod had a little lighter tip but it has worked out well. The Jason Mitchell reels also are pretty decent for a cheap little reel, I like that th handle folds, they fit easier in my rod bag like that

[eyeguy 54]

the clam are nitinol also. mix of titanium and nickel I guess. hopefully will compare them tuesday or so. looks like crazy wind again monday. 

 

[Borch]

Ad far as I'm concerned the St Croix us the way to go for lighter jigs.   The Meat sticks work well for #10 or bigger tungsten jigs.  I've iced a ton of panfish on this set up and still have my original one before they added to colored tip.

[Bass Thumb]

2 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

Have not considered that.  cut the eyelet off and use super glue?   Does that spring move in and out for adjusting?  I have never used one. 

 

 

It's just a size 8 single-foot guide with a rubber grommet with a 1/8" hole. Then you attach the guide using some fly-tying thread and fly-tying "head" cement/epoxy or super glue. I was able to rig one up last season, but my dad lost it down the hole when using it as a dead-sticking rod. it worked great mounted to a $10 Gander Mountain rod. 

 

Compared to a $50-60 dollar St Croix Legend Silver, which is a terrific rod with a warranty, my cost was about $25-28. The rod was $10, the bobber was $12, the guide was $3, the head cement was $3, the grommet was a buck, and I already had the fly tying thread. Plus I had to drive to Thorne Brothers to get the guide and the rest of the stuff.

 

The spring bobber is easily adjustable. It works best when a little warm, so I just suck on the grommet for 15 seconds and then PUSH (not pull) the spring back and forth while firmly securing the end guides with my other hand.

 

Pictured below is a pic from the Net. It's exactly what mine looked like.

Edited December 25, 2016 by BassThumb.

[eyeguy 54]

looks nice.  here are the 2 for the test here to see which I like better. might be a tie.   Frabill top and Clam bottom. I started wearing some low power readers now also to help me see the bite. 1 or 1.25 power makes it nice and the Fl18 cleared up a bit. Had Lazic 12years ago and use 1.75 or 2.0 to read. 

[monstermoose78]

I love my st croix silvers but the add on frabills are great if you don't want to spend the bucks. 

[Tom Sawyer]

That rubber grommet is key, where do you buy them?

 

[eyeguy 54]

so you have to buy the rod with the spring?  cant just buy the setup to add to a rod?  gotta custom do it?  seems like a lot of work

 

 

[Jim Panfish Uran]

The Frabill titanium is the best I've used, haven't used a St. Croix so I can't compare but these spring bobbers will turn any rod into a killer rig if used correctly!

[eyeguy 54]

thats for sure!  helps me bigtime. 

[Jim Almquist]

I might have to look into spring bobbers one more time. I always feels that I am losing my "touch" with most spring bobbers. Me and my brothers were taught by my Dad how to catch panfish and we put a lot of old guys to shame as youngsters. The tradition continues still today   I know there is a time and place for the spring and I just need to use it more and make it part of my bag of tricks.

[Glass guy]

Thorne brothers  can add a spring bobber to any rod! I have  2 they are the best!!

[Vitreus]

1 hour ago, Glass guy said:

Thorne brothers  can add a spring bobber to any rod! I have  2 they are the best!!

I've been eyeing the tripwire. It has a Ti spring bobber built into the tip. Just can't bring myself to spend that much money for an ice rod..

 

5 hours ago, eyeguy 54 said:

so you have to buy the rod with the spring?  cant just buy the setup to add to a rod?  gotta custom do it?  seems like a lot of work

 

 

Yes, unfortunately. You can buy different springs, but you have to either buy their proprietary rod or rig something up like above to use them.

[eyeguy 54]

The Frabill works so good I cant see spending more loot. Beer money!  

 

[Glass guy]

I had the rod bought the spring bobber from Thorne Bros they put it on the end. Looks like it was done by the manufacturer!! Perfect setup!! I'll try to post a picture 

[Borch]

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 4:00 PM, Tom Sawyer said:

That rubber grommet is key, where do you buy them?

 

Pretty such Menards has them either in electrical or plumbing.

[Kelly Oman]

I also have the st croix rods,love the spring bobber on them!ive had them for 8 years now and no complaints!caught tons of fish with them. Even the lightest bites are easy to see on these rods.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Kelly Oman

[Tom Sawyer]

Thanks Borch, kinda what I thought. Bass Thumb also thanks for the message. Game on!

 

[Bass Thumb]

1 hour ago, Tom Sawyer said:

Thanks Borch, kinda what I thought. Bass Thumb also thanks for the message. Game on!

 

Are you gonna build one?

[Tom Sawyer]

Improve on one, and yes build one. I prefer to fish noodles over springs, but sometimes the movement from the spring is best.

[Rick G]

8 hours ago, Tom Sawyer said:

 sometimes the movement from the spring is best.

At times, even the best noodle rod will fail on bite detection. This is most evident when using the smaller 2-3mm jigs.  Bottom line,  a couple spring rods, w "the right" spring, as well as a couple noodle rods in various actions to cover all bases.