IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Bluegill => Topic started by: spearinfool on Jan 13, 2012, 08:43 PM
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do any of u guys use these springs? if so how do they work? are they adjustable? how do u attach to a non st. croix rod? i saw alot of them on rods in pictures posted on this site. thanks. just watin for ice!
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I use them all the time, they are my favorite spring bobber. To use them you need an eye with a grommet to hold them. They can added onto an existing rod by wrapping a single properly sized foot guide on, epoxy the thread and adding a grommet. They make different weight springs (different front bead colors for different weights) and you can slide the spring in and out of the grommet/holder to adjust it.
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I have moded many of my rods to use the st croix spring bobber. I just couldnt justify the 50 bucks for an ice rod. But from what i have read and now seen with my own eyes there quality control is terible so that makes me feel better about modding some rods I already had. I love that spring bobber and the way its adjustable and am thinking about adding one to my new rod.
Paul
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I got one last winter, 24ul. It is perfect, best I have ever owned. I use it all the time for gills, and the sping adjusts fine.
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can u adjust the sensitivity when changing to different size jig?
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To a degree, yes you can adjust sensitivity by sliding the spring in or out of the grommet. St. Croix also makes replacement springs in four weights (UL thru MED) so you could pick up any weight you want and switch out when switching jigs if need be.
As for making your own, put the grommet in the guide before attaching to rod. I just used a bit of super glue to "spot weld" the guide in place then came back and touched up JB weld. Or you can follow the advice above and tie it on like a traditional guide if you have the equipment and want it to look pretty. I think you need a #2 single foot guide (I went for one without an insert) and a 1/8" I.D. grommet. Buy an extra grommet or two (they are cheap at the hardware store) in case you mutilate one like I did trying to pop the damn thing into the guide!
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There was a fantastic step by step DIY thread on making your own in the Jiggin forum not too long ago.
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I got one last winter, 24ul. It is perfect, best I have ever owned. I use it all the time for gills, and the sping adjusts fine.
Great to hear the positive feedback! I lucked out and was able to purchase one at Gander Mtn before they sold out.
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I carry two rods with them on while gill fishing, one is the L and the other the M, both work great, and are adjustable. much better then spring opperated bobbers
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Cheap HT Rod with St. Croix spring. Ace hardware had the springs on sale for $5.99 so I purchased like 10 of them. I used JB Weld on mine.
(http://i41.tinypic.com/24f0n4h.jpg)
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#8 single foot eyelet, 1/8" inside diameter grommet. Use this setup on my rods love it. Don't ice up cause the line only goes thru the loop @ the end of spring.
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Used many different spring bobbers. These are the best you can get. They are adjustable by just sliding them in or out from the grommet. They are also very easy to attach to any rod. See previous post. I actually attached one to my Frabill Quick tip rod. This rod tip is very sensitive already and with this spring bobber, if the fish breathes on the bait, it will move the spring.
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Slide the spring with 2 hands(one pushing the spring and one pulling lightly). If it moves a little hard put a little vaseline on it for lube. If you "stretch" the spring it wont work near as well.
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I followed the thread on the DIY St. Croix Spring bobbers, got my stuff from Ace and Janns Netcraft. In 2 evenings I made up 2 doz. springs. I used drill bits from my drill set instead of nails. Easier to step up or down to get the diameter right. It is pretty easy to do.
I am fishing for mid season perch and they are picky. Spring bobbers are the ticket. Oh and so are palm rods.
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How do you all store your St Croix springs? With my first one, I stored the jig attached to the jig catch by the handle. It ended up leaving a kink in the bobber. I do not want to leave the line any looser, as it seems to get tangled with other rods of I do that.
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Leave the spring extended all the way out, hook your hook in hook holder and tighten the line till taught. After season take spring out of holder(take a 1/8" drill bit and push it out) and put it in the tube it came in, then all set for next year! Make sure the spring is fully extended or u will kink the spring.
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Picked up my first one this year and love it. Bought a second with in a week. The only thing I have to say is make sure to put a little Vaseline on the spring and I even ran a drill bit though the grommet with my fingers. The tips of the rod will break very easy. I found this out first hand. The spring was sliding very hard and I slipped and snap. They slide very nice now even cold.
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#8 single foot eyelet, 1/8" inside diameter grommet. Use this setup on my rods love it. Don't ice up cause the line only goes thru the loop @ the end of spring.
I just ordered a few #8 single foot eyelets and concluded the ones I ordered are a tad to big. They measure .292 inches and my little rubber grommet is .250. They would work but I don't like the looseness. I think a #7 would be about right. One thing to remember though, is ceramic guide vs. ones that aren't. I have a feeling the one Gills used may have been ceramic and the ones I got are not. Thoughts?
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No ceramic here, they pre make them up at the bait store I go to, said it was a # 8 don't know worked for me! Maybe there is a size grommet in between that size.
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No ceramic here, they pre make them up at the bait store I go to, said it was a # 8 don't know worked for me! Maybe there is a size grommet in between that size.
Ya, I wondered about the grommet too. I hate to send my eyes back for #7's and find out they don't fit. I am wondering to if there might be some slight variations from one brand to the next. The brand I got was Berkley but I don't see where Netcraft sells a #7 in the same one I got.
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Cant help ya there, sorry!
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St croix is highly sensitive. Love it.
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I got a St. Croix Legend several years (free with Cabelas points) and it is one of my favorites for gills, perch, and crappie. The rubber grommets tend crack with age though; I think I'm on my third one now. As mentioned above, I found mine at a local hardware store and bought several. I sometimes put clear cellophane tape on the back part of mine up to the grommet. It's easy to get slack line caught in it, and a b***h to fix when the light goes down. Luckily it only seems to happen when the fish are on a tear. ::)
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Never had a problem with rubber grommet cracking. Do you store them in the garage up above? The heat might have something to do with that, had mine for almost 6 yrs, have caught the line in spring from time to time, but the more u use it the better you know your spring!
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Well, after going to the bother of sending the size 8's back and getting the 7's, I learn the 7's have the ceramic in them, I might end up breaking out the ceramic as the grommet might fit then.
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Do a search and the guys that did their own I m pretty sure its a #8 but if it wont fit it wont fit!!
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I have been using the snake guides that are on fly rods, the nice thing with them is that you can bend them a bit to get the grommet to fit properly :)
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Gills- only, my rods are in the garage which means they get some extreme heat in the summer as you suggested. The only time I really seem to have trouble with line getting in the spring is when I am fishing past dark, and more so if it is windy. I know the set up well though ; I've been using it for years and it is the one rig that is always on the sled.
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When I first started using the spring I got it tangled in spring, what a mess, since I have been more careful and use every day and did not tangle once last year, I'm pretty fussy with my stuff!
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How do you all store your St Croix springs? With my first one, I stored the jig attached to the jig catch by the handle. It ended up leaving a kink in the bobber. I do not want to leave the line any looser, as it seems to get tangled with other rods of I do that.
I push the spring all the way through the grommet towards the reel, so the loop on the spring is resting on the eye of the grommet. Then I attach the lure to the hook holder or eye and reel the line tight.
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I push the spring all the way through the grommet towards the reel, so the loop on the spring is resting on the eye of the grommet. Then I attach the lure to the hook holder or eye and reel the line tight.
I store mine between trips with the spring extended(all the way out) leave hook on and hook to holder, and tighten it up. Always springs right back like the day it was new!! I have the gold spring, if that makes a difference!
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There was a fantastic step by step DIY thread on making your own in the Jiggin forum not too long ago.
Anyone mind linking this article in this thread please?
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A couple years ago my wife got me a St.Croix rod with the spring bobber, $50. Well the tip broke about 3 inches from the end. Too close to the next eye to just put the spring bobber back on. I called St. Croix about warranty but they said it would cost me $20 plus shipping to fix. So much for what I thought was a lifetime warranty. So now I'm just looking to put the spring bobber on another rod.