I was wanting to know what you liked about your favorite bobber/float, And what kinda rigging you used.

I'm mainly looking to catch and release, and i am located in North East Arkansas.

But let me know what you prefer, and why.

I'm mainly looking to do some Crappie fishing, some bass, in rivers, streams, and a small lake or two.

Let me know what you like.

My normal panfish rig is based on a pencil type slip float, the smallest one I can get away with. This is usually determined by the amount of weight I need to use in a given circumstance- more weight=bigger float. At the business end I try to use a circle hook when fishing live bait. You may miss a fish or two but it is much easier to release fish unharmed. Circle hooks smaller than #2 can be hard to find but do exist.

If I'm fishing for panfish I use a Thill shy bite float and a ice jig tipped with either a piece of nightcrawler or berkley Honey worms.The ice jig is light so the bobber lays flat on the water cast it out and using short twitches and pauses slowly reel it in. For other kinds of fishing I prefer using a slip float.

Lately I've been using Wing It slip-bobbers that the club sent me. I use slip-bobber rigs exclusively whether for crappie, 'gills, bass, or catfish. Also, I use lighter line for the leader from the swivel to the hook, that way if I snag I only loose the hook! For panfish, I use aberdeen long shank hooks. This makes hook removal a snap if one gets hooked deep. For bass I like shiner hooks or circles

Intresting, i have been wondering how the "Wing it" bobers were, havent gotten mine yet.
But i was starting to wonder if they were any good, i hadent seen much about them.
Now i know how to keep them too.

I use the ESB (Everlasting Slip Bobber) They have a brass grommet in the bottom and a Glass bead in the top of the shaft. The only thing I have an issue with them is that the glue that keeps the tube in place doesn't hold all that well and I have to re-glue them. They come in fluorescent colors and different sizes.

I was not real impressed with the Wing-It bobbers the club sent me but a buddy talked me into using one he purchased. Seems the ones I received were either seconds or defective. I have heard good things about the Rocket Bobbers from no less a person than Spence Petros.

I've never received my Wing-It slip bobbers....it's been a year and a half...still waiting....lol
But I guess it doesn't matter if you use low end south bend bobbers or more expensive ones...just use them the correctly. Mainly, setting your bobber to a correct depth. There's also a few other factors like weight, current, rough water etc....that will determine the size you use.

The brand of float isn't as important as the style of float and size. A slim "pencil" style float is preferred by many anglers because it offers less resistance when a fish mouths the bait and swims off with it. This becomes important with those fish that will carry a bait away from where it was picked up before swallowing it. The real problem with inexpensive bobbers is durability-the more expensive ones usually last longer.

You guys that never got your Wing-it bobbers should call or E-mail the club and raise hell about it! They're supposed to come with your welcome kit. I never got mine either so I let them know and they sent them right away. As far as defects...ain't nothin' wrong with mine, they cast like a bullet, due to their unique shape. Seems like every time I say I like something in these forums, some chump comes along and bad mouths it.

If you read my post, I said the Wing-Its I got from the club seemed defective, but the other ones I tried I liked. I may just have been unlucky with the ones I received.

I'm reading your post now, but I don't see where it says you liked them. It says a buddy talked you into using one, but that's not my problem. My problem is you posting beneath me and critiquing my post. The author of this thread wanted to know your favorite bobber and rigging, NOT what you thought of MY favorite bobber and rigging. This isn't the first time either, just look at the thread "Need a hi-vis yellow braid", also in the TACKLE forum. I would imagine that if I had come back negative on your choice, you wouldn't be very happy either. How about runnin' me a little slack OK?

Yeah, I emailed the club a few months ago about not receiving my bobbers. I got a quick email response that they would send them to me. I should receive them in about a week....that was like 4 or 5 months ago. But to be honest, I don't use bobbers anyway, so I could forgive the club this time. LOL

Oppinnions are like bellybuttons, everybody has one. Get your heart off your sleeve, it's not personal!

Fair enough...but just keep that in mind. I'm sure we'll meet in here again.

I'm hooked on Thill Shy-Bite / Lite Bite.

Use with a bobber stop...even works with with jigs like1/128 oz

AND "float-n-fly" thoughts