Slip bobber
Also called slip float, slip cork
What is a slip bobber?
A float that slides on the line and stops at a knot you set, so you can hang a bait deep and still cast it easily.
Slip bobber at a glance
- Order on the line
- Stop, bead, float, weight, hook
- Depth set by
- Where the bobber stop sits
- Weight
- Split shot 8 to 10 in above the hook
- Northland's setup
- Best for
- Walleye, crappie and panfish holding deep
How does a slip bobber work?
The line runs through a hole in the float instead of being clipped to it. A small bobber stop, with a bead under it, is fixed on the line above. On the cast the float slides down to the weight, so the rig is compact; once it lands, line feeds through the float until the stop reaches it, and the bait hangs at exactly that depth.
Why use a slip bobber instead of a regular bobber?
A clip-on bobber can only fish as deep as the line you can swing out below it, which is a few feet. A slip bobber hangs a bait at three feet or thirty and casts the same either way, which is why it is the standard float for walleye and crappie that suspend over deeper water.
How deep should you set a slip bobber?
Northland's advice for summer walleye is to keep the bait just above the fish, because they feed upward: roughly four to six feet off the bottom in clear water and two to four feet in stained water. Slide the stop up or down the line to change depth without retying anything.
Trim the bobber stop's tag ends short so it passes through the rod guides on the cast without catching.
Common questions
What is a bobber stop?
A small knot of thread or a rubber stopper fixed on the line above a slip bobber. It sets how deep the bait hangs, and it is small enough to reel through the rod guides.
Do you need a bead with a slip bobber?
Yes. The bead sits between the stop and the float so the stop cannot pull through the hole in the float.
Where this is defined
- Summertime Slip Bobbers with Sara (Trampe Talk), Northland Fishing Tackle
Where this comes up
The guides that use slip bobber and show it on real gear.
Last reviewed . Slip bobber is one of 222 terms in the fishing glossary.