While jig fishing for panfish has taken the popularity lead, bobber or cork fishing remains an excellent and just plain fun way to catch crappies and sunfish. Wired2fish’s Mitch Anderson provides an in-depth lesson on how to rig and fish slip bobbers for crappies suspended around deep brush piles and timber.
SLIP BOBBER TACKLE
- JIG – VMC Tungsten Probe Jig, 1/16-ounce
- LINE – Sufix Advanced Monofilament, 6-pound
- SWIVEL – VMC Rolling Swivel, size 10
- BOBBER STOP – Eagle Claw Bobber Stop
- BOBBER – Thill Slip Float
- WEIGHT – VMC Tungsten Worm Weight
- ROD – 13 Fishing Fate Black Spinning Rod, 7’6” Med Lt
- REEL – 13 Fishing Prototype X Spinning Reel, PX 2.0
Unlike simpler fixed floats, slip bobbers let you fish at any depth, but rigging them requires some specific terminal tackle and attention to detail. Anderson walks through the complete rigging process, starting with the bobber stop, bead, bobber, weight, swivel, and lastly, the bait on the business end. He shares tackle specifics and preferences along the way to be more effective with the setup, focusing on fishing in the wind.
Productive offshore spots such as sunken trees and brush aren’t easy to find. Anderson explains how he uses Humminbird’s MEGA 360 to find hidden offshore gems and keep his boat locked on the spot. Proper boat positioning relative to the cover, along with the MEGA 360 Imaging readout, allows him to keep the bait in the strike zone constantly.
BOAT AND ELECTRONICS
- FISH FINDER – Humminbird SOLIX 15 CHIRP MEGA SI+ G3
- TROLLING MOTOR – Minn Kota Terrova Trolling Motor
- BOAT – Lund Pro-V 2075
- ENGINE – Mercury FourStroke, 300hp
OTHER GEAR
- TACKLE BOX – Plano EDGE Master Terminal Box
- SUNGLASSES – Costa Rincon Sunglasses
