Frustrated with Spring bobbers, help!?!

[Hagigun]

Ok, I had a spring bobber come with my Jason Mitchell rod and love it. I want to install one on my other panfish pole and seem to be running into an issue. I do not want the kind you stuff the foam into the tip. I had a tip break already a year ago with that style.

So I wanted to get the snap on type and give it a try. I bought one at the Ice show and couldnt figure out how to get it on correctly. I'm no idiot, this thing was like made to not function. Anyway, i scrapped that after 15 cuss words and deserted the project. Now I'm back and just bought a new one for a trip tomorrow. An HT SBF-1s. Half the reason i bought it was because the package said, "installation help on our webiste." Well what do you know, none on there! I get how spring bobbers work, but this model seems like the clip is on the wrong side.

Here is a picture of the one i bought.  http://www.icefish.com/catalog/view_image.php?img=sbf-s.jpg

Ok, so from the package, I am to string the line through the guides, now on the second to last guide pass through, then up to the spring bobber, then down to the last guide on the rod tip. The spring bobber is suppossed to be mounted/clipped to the top and ride above the rod. Thereby a strike, pulls the bobber down. Again I get all that... But look at the picture.

If I snap that down to the top of my rod, (snap gap area is actually on top in the picture) Then the circle on the spring bobber that I thread the line to is upside down. It's like the circle on the top is mounted upside down, or the part where i am suppossed to snap is upside down.

I dont want my line to go around the edge of the metal wire or it could wear and cut it.

Hopefully you get what I am saying. Here is a crude diagram. If i snap the "X" on top of my rod, that places the circle on top of the wire. Now I have to pass the line around the flat metal to get it through the "O"
__________________O
X
ROD                                                                 

If it were made like this below, I see no issues

____________________
X                                  O
ROD

Help, sorry for the novel. But something that costs $1 should not piss me off like this on multiple occasions.

[MN.ICE.GUY]

sounds like trouble....i've always preferred the ice buster bobbers best made as far as im concerned.

[Gordo]

How about snapping it on from the bottom side of the rod:

ROD                               
X-------------------------
                                      0

[Skipper]

Try Marmish springs... click the banner ad at the top.

I use them exclusively, none better IMO....

You can either modify a rod or follow the directions on the site. I build myself rods to host these properly. You may want to try one of their rods too. It's weird at first, but if used properly, you will love them.

[Buckshots]

If you are a fan of TB rods, they just came out with a new one called the tripwire that looks to be pretty good for the spring bobber guys. It isnt adjustable though.

[zimmer2]

http://www.actiontackleproducts.com/abi.html
I really like these and they used to send you a card to get a free one when you bought one all you had to do was send them a picture of the fish you caught using their product. Dont know if they still do that or not. Good product non the less.

[Hagigun]

How about snapping it on from the bottom side of the rod:

ROD                               
X-------------------------
                                      0

Beacuse you still have line and guides up on top of the rod. Now you still end up passing line past a sharp flat edge of metal. It is a flawed design, I'm convinced of it. I may have to call them to get this straightened out. Now its become comical.

line and guides
ROD
x
-------------
                   O

[Cook078]

AMEN......lol I thought I was the only one sitting in my basement the the other nite thinking the same thing....What I did was clip it on up-side down, and then bend the spring the wrong way so the eye is facing the right way in-line above the eyes on the rod....pretty sure it will work ok this way......I just got home from work and have to work in the morning, but when I get home I am gonna check it out and I will take some pics....
You are not alone, it does seem to be made wrong, even from the pic on the back of the package.....lemme know what You find out!
Mike 

[mushroom_capd_1]

Couldn't you just straighten the little bend, flip the flat steel over and reinsert it into the little plastic piece and then mount it on your rod the way you described you would prefer to have it? It is adjustable right? Or even cut that little bend off if it would make it easier to do that, and then rebend it after you reinserted it in the plastic piece? I dunno, just a suggestion I guess.

[Cook078]

 
PROBLEM SOLVED........The metal part pulls out of the part that clips onto the rod, just pull it out and reverse it......try it and let me know!!!!!!    In fact on mine they are not crimped on the end like the one in the pic you have up...you could straiten it out to reverse it if you had to.....

Mike

[Cook078]

ummmmm yeah, what mushroom said....lol

[Pequod1]

I gave up on those too. What I wound up doing was to snip the wire off where it is bent and through their plastic away. I then used a shrink wrap tube to place it on the rod. Not able to adjust it, but I was able to position it where I like it. Some epoxy also isures it stays put. So far, it has gone through two seasons without a problem.

[Irish Jigger]

I eliminated the use of spring bobbers altogether when I started using HT ice blue ultralight rods. They are sensative enough to detect the lightest bites and a 4mm fiska puts enough tension on the rod that I can even see a negative bite. I've had nothing but trouble with spring bobbers from installation to freezing up and found the right rod, line. and lure combination makes them obsolete.

[Fishurman63]

I also use the ice blues UL rods and no bobber and they are sensitive enough to detect the slightest bites and they are very reasonably priced as well

[rdhammah]

can you slide the clip of and then slide it back on so that they ar both on the same side? if not, cut the damn thing off and use elecrical tape.
i had one that came with shrink wrap. nice idea but the shrink wrap would not go over the rod tip.broke the rod tip. used electrical tap. works great now.

[Gills-only]

St. Croix spring, get a #8 single foot eyelet and a rubber grommet I think inside dia. 1/8 inch amd wrap it on with dental floss and slide the spring in.  Its adjustable to your lure size. 

[sam heaton]

      Straighten the bend in the flat spring out. Pull it out of the rubber. Run the flat spring through the rod stand offs, not the eyelets. Put the rubber back on & rebend. I use a wrap or two of electrical tape around the rubber after I snap it on the rod.

[surflizard]

I tried those springs and had trouble keeping them in place ! Here is another option from Lakco Tackle, these springs thread thru the eyelet legs and clip around the rod and are held in place with a sliding spring. They're  designed to slide back and forth on the rod blank so are are retractable for storage and they are also adjustable for different lure weights ! The spring eye opens by sliding the bead back so you don't have to untie the lure if you don't want to use the spring, The best part is 2 springs for $1.99 !! www.TACKLETHEOUTDOORS. com

[Osage]

For some strange reason I have become a collector of spring bobbers.I have used the type you are asking about for awhile now.I mount them under instead of over,I also pull the spring out of the clip and flip it over.I have never had any problems with line breakage,I have several poles set up with diff types of springs,don't be afraid to experiment,I seem to always make adjustments to suit me

[frostbit]

I pull the piece of plastic off and throw it away, Then wrap it on with sewing thread same as putting a new eye on.

[eriksat1]

I also use the Marmish indicators, I have the HT clip on but don't like it much. With the marmish I split the rubber with a razor blade then put it over the rod blank where I wanted it at the tip of the rod and use super glue jell to lock it in place.

[captain54]

Get a BIC LIGHTER,take the spring out stretch one end a little1/2 inch,put that end in rod tip tie it to the rod like you where putting on a guide. Problems are over.

[LoneWolf]

I just removed the top guide and replaced with the Marmish. I used it last season and it worked great.



Here's some pictures for some ideas :

[wmu1989]

A local guy makes a spring called "gotcha".  it resembles the marmish, but in my opinion is better. D and R sports(home of Kevin Vandam) sells alot of them. They are in kalamazoo,mi. Visit their website or give them a call. Pm me and I'll send you a pic. You wont be dissapointed.

[eriksat1]

There is one draw back to using a very light spring bobber, it does dull the jigging motion, like if you are trying pound a jig.

[popnfish]

The one Hagigun has isn't nearly as sensitive as the "spring" type.
Got out fished more than once with it.

[LoneWolf]

There is one draw back to using a very light spring bobber, it does dull the jigging motion, like if you are trying pound a jig.

That's the beauty of the Marmish indicator. You can see in the picture it's stored with the indicator all the way in. You can use it like that for "pounding".
You can adjust the length out for more sensitivity. You can even detect upward bites by watching the downward bow of the indicator straighten upward.
It really is a win win set up on the light action rod.

[eriksat1]

Yea I set mine so it is about 1/2 way bent down, so you can see the up bite as well as the down bite. Most of my crappies come on the up bite.

[ice dawg]

      Straighten the bend in the flat spring out. Pull it out of the rubber. Run the flat spring through the rod stand offs, not the eyelets. Put the rubber back on & rebend. I use a wrap or two of electrical tape around the rubber after I snap it on the rod.

X2

[kevs]

I use the type of spring bobbers (flat steel) that you tried to mount to your ice rod. Take the small tip that is bent up at the plastic clip and straighten it. Next, w a lighter or other low heat source heat the 'spring' in front of the plastic clip while pullin on the plastic w pliers to remove it from the spring. Do not heat it til it melts the plastic, but to the point it can be easily pulled off the spring. After you have removed the plastic clip insert the spring either thru the eye ring or in the opening directly above the eye ring of your rod tip. Now reheat the spring at the end removed from the plastic clip and re-insert it into the plastic with the ring down and the clip opening up so that you can connect it to your rod. If you do this right you'll be able to slide it on the rod to either extend or retract it. I destroyed the first 2 I attempted this w, but after I reduced the heat it worked well and now have 5 rods set up this way. Hope this helps and my directs are easy to follow