BWCA Slip bobbering, when, where, and how? Boundary Waters Fishing Forum
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TheGreatIndoors
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05/13/2017 07:11AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Never caught a Walleye, but am determined this time around. Headed up next weekend out of Sag > Knife > Kek > Ogish > Seagull and will be trying many approaches, trolling jogging etc.

Am planning to give a slip bobber and leach a try. When and where is this a good idea? Drop offs / ledges / humps or is moving water also the right time? Do you cast and retrieve with a slow jigging motion or just sip your drink?

Also, any pointers for using this approach with braid? Do you use a long leader or will braid slide through the bobber well enough?
 
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Savage Voyageur
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05/13/2017 08:54AM  
Find a point where there is small rocks and about 15-20 feet. Just cast it out and adjust the bobber to a foot off the bottom and leave it alone until you get a bite. It is a simple and effective way to catch fish. It's not as much action as trolling or casting but it just works.
 
05/13/2017 07:25PM  
I went from mono to braid last year and didn't have any problems with the slip bobbers. Usually I throw a line out in the late afternoon or early evening off the shore in the camp site to get the ones looking for bait fish in the shallows. This works great in the spring with minnows.
 
mastertangler
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05/15/2017 05:46AM  
I love, love, love slip bobber fishing but don't get to do it as much as I would like in canoe country since the bait ban which sort of sucks. Very much fun to watch the bobber go under.

I have not had so much luck with the pre-made knots as they seem to slide around a lot and if someone has a trick to keep them in place I'm all ears. I much prefer the little plastic/rubber type stops which seem to grip the line better IMO. I have not had any experience using braid and the stops (either the knot type or the plastic ones) and wonder how they would fare.

I like long rods for slip bobber fishing as I am better able to "feed" the line and thus can have lighter terminal tackle. No big split shots needed to drag the line through the bobber. Plus I like the way a longer rod casts the set up.......a nice easy lob and gentle Kersploosh and that quite some distance from the boat if desired.

The key to steady walleye success with slip bobbers is control. And that means knowing the depth of water you are fishing and setting the bobber the requisite 18" off the bottom. Easier said than done especially if you are prospecting. If I was fishing unfamiliar water I would look for a gradually sloping shoreline with plenty of rubble on the banks (no smooth rock). This shore line would be gentle undulating or straight. Thus I could have a fairly high degree of confidence that 100 ft from the bank the water is "X" deep. Then I would clip on my ice fishing weight and drop it to the bottom and then adjust my stop accordingly. Quick and efficient method to determine where to set your stop.

Cast it out, let it set. If it is choppy you can let the waves push your offering around........if it is calm you can move it every couple of minutes to a new spot. When the bobber goes down no jerking of the rod required rather steadily pull upwards while steadily reeling and you will get tight.

While a fellow or gal can prospect with slip bobbers you must have confidence fish are in the area. I usually spend my initial time trolling cranks and looking at my depth finder. Once I find holding areas the slip bobbers are quite deadly if used near the bottom. And, as per mentioned, they are terrific while in camp.
 
QueticoMike
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05/15/2017 06:29AM  
First find the fish. Look around moving water. It can be water leaving a lake, pouring into a lake, or water being pushed by the wind between two land masses, either two islands or an island and a land mass. If you have electronics, also look for the reefs, if not get a good contour map. You can usually estimate about how deep the area is and start about 3 feet above that depth to set your bobber. If no action, set it a little deeper each time. Use a red Gamakatsu hook, a jumbo leEch, a split shot about 18 inches up the line.
 
TheGreatIndoors
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05/15/2017 09:38AM  
Super advice, Fellas. I will give it a go and report back... Thanks for the tips on finding the right territory! The weather and water temps look like their going to be just right for our trip next week. At least for the fishing. Hopefully we aren't rained on too much. Just enough to keep the fish active!
 
05/15/2017 09:54AM  
I love using slip bobbers early and late. Early in the season like this you can usually start your search by looking for warmer water or moving water. Look for streams flowing into the lake or shorelines that have had wind blowing into them.

I spent the mid day hours trolling and exploring these types of areas while trolling spinners or pitching jigs. Once I start to narrow down what areas are holding likely holding fish I'll come back in the evening with slip bobbers. If you catch a couple fish while trolling during the day you can expect those fish to move into the nearby shallower water to feed in the evening so thats a good place to start.

When prospecting cast your line out and let is sit for a bit. You can reel it in a little every couple minutes to work the water between your initial casting location and the boat but keep in mind the depth may change as you reel so at some point you'll be out of the strike zone. Once you feel you are in deeper water and out of the strike zone reel it in and cast it out again several feet over from your previous cast. Keep repeating by casting over a few feet each time until you find the fish. Wind can also help with this if you can set up in such a way that you can let the wind drift your bobber over fishy areas.
 
Aries
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05/15/2017 04:00PM  
All good advice so far! I'd just like to add that early mornings, evenings, and night time the eyes can move right up to shore. You can catch them in a foot of water a foot from shore so any depth during them times could be good. When they are shallow you don't even need a slip bobber a normal bobber will work just fine.

I've always had really good luck with a flu flu and a jumbo leech under a bobber.

Good luck!
 
05/19/2017 05:45PM  
When - anytime, day, evening, night. Best part about slip bobbers, if you find the fish you can set the depth to reach to them everytime.
Where - I look for saddle or ridges in the topo maps or any place a stream enters the lake with a drop off nearby. One year on a lake with a saddle between an island and the shore I could cast it out, let it drift a couple feet left where the ridge of the saddle was and almost predict to the second when the bobber would go down. That was a fun evening.
How - I've used braid with a slip bobber for years, never a problem with it sliding.
 
BearRaid
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05/20/2017 05:37AM  
Don't forget to bring a lighted slip bobber. Many times the bite from camp didn't begin until just before dark. Set around 6 foot deep in early June was key for us.
 
05/20/2017 09:15AM  
Let us know how you did when you get back.
 
Bumstead
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05/22/2017 11:50AM  
quote BearRaid: "Don't forget to bring a lighted slip bobber. Many times the bite from camp didn't begin until just before dark. Set around 6 foot deep in early June was key for us."


Same recommendation I have received before, and it has worked out well.
 
TheGreatIndoors
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05/29/2017 09:09AM  
No luck with the slip bobber, but with the rain and the constant head wind, we ended up travelling more than fishing. We had good luck trolling for lakers though! I found three pan size walleye trolling perch colored shad raps at dusk. Also, landed a 30" Northern trolling a jointed rapala on 6lb test with no hardware! I would have put more time into bobbers, but I lost a tacklebox with bobber stops and jig heads at the end of Ottertrack! Its probably still there if you're headed that way. Last campsite on the lake, just around the bend...
 
missmolly
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05/29/2017 09:16AM  
quote TheGreatIndoors: "No luck with the slip bobber, but with the rain and the constant head wind, we ended up travelling more than fishing. We had good luck trolling for lakers though! I found three pan size walleye trolling perch colored shad raps at dusk. Also, landed a 30" Northern trolling a jointed rapala on 6lb test with no hardware! I would have put more time into bobbers, but I lost a tacklebox with bobber stops and jig heads at the end of Ottertrack! Its probably still there if you're headed that way. Last campsite on the lake, just around the bend... "


Great photo. Really captures the light and the joy of canoe country.
 
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