Author Topic: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring  (Read 19612 times)

Offline openingact

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #30 on: Feb 15, 2012, 02:21 PM »
Awesome job.  Very good work sir!

Not to hijack.. but yes, you can lose nice fish w/ spring bobbers that have the wrapped spring... (like the st. croix).  I have caught hundreds of fish though and only had it happen once.  A bigger pain is the line getting stuck in there while re-baiting, etc...

These style of bobbers are well worth it though.  Only way around it is to maybe design a wire like the "tripwire" from thornebros.

Lacko makes one like the tripwire, just not made out of titanium like the trip wire is. I have several, but not a huge fan. Not because of it alone, just not a big fan of spring bobbers.

Offline walleye tattoo

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #31 on: Feb 15, 2012, 08:11 PM »
OK I miss spoke just looking for something else other than a spring I have allot of bite indicators that are so so.


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Offline gillyman

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #32 on: Feb 16, 2012, 01:51 PM »
I have to agree with Gemcityslayer.  These bobbers increase catch rate significantly.  I have lost a few fish or had a few times when I have had to untangle the line from the spring.....But it sure helps detect a lot more strikes and the gain in fish landed is significant.

Offline gemcityslayer

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #33 on: Feb 16, 2012, 06:17 PM »
Yep.  A good spring bobber adds a decent "kicking" or "fluttering" action that you can't achieve with a bigger stiff rod - that alone will catch you fish you otherwise wouldn't.  And on those days when they are lightly hitting... you will miss the majority of bites without one.

I love my new Tripwire from thornebros... Way less tangles.  With that said though, I enjoyed my my old st-croix legend a lot too.  The spring bobber on the st croix is the best part... I'm not real crazy about the rest of the rod.  Good thread.

Offline Big Al 1

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #34 on: Feb 19, 2012, 08:33 PM »
That is awesome. I have to say you are one heck of a "Ice fishing engineer". I am going to have to try rigging up a pole with one of those spring bobbers.

Offline Bigfish713

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #35 on: Jan 05, 2013, 11:57 AM »
Here is what my spring bobber came out like.  I used #09 afw tooth proof SS leader wire.  Let me know what you think thanks


Offline Davey why

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #36 on: Jan 05, 2013, 04:02 PM »
There are excellant springs in larger type lip seals from
any mechanical overhaul shop that i have used
when they are removed they are put in the garbage
 that saves time winding up wire 

Offline Slimdog

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #37 on: Jan 11, 2013, 09:24 PM »
Here is what my spring bobber came out like.  I used #09 afw tooth proof SS leader wire.  Let me know what you think thanks



Very nice, Bigfish713!

Offline Zugunruhe

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #38 on: Jan 14, 2013, 03:13 PM »
Finally got around to trying this out last night, what a slick project and sweet result.  I used stainless steel leader wire from Cabelas, 0.016" diameter as I wanted a light spring for gills and crappies.  The project came out great, I may try some with slightly heavier wire as we ended up adjusting the spring fairly deep into the grommet to balance nicely with a typical jig.  That is the beauty of this setup though, adjustability. 

I bought apparently slightly larger OD grommets as I had to open up the #8 guide slightly with a drill bit, but that wasn't a big deal and resulted in a nice tight fit once seated.  Going to pick up a few more guides and set up two more poles this way later this week; try to find some slightly heavier wire as well.  No one around here carries the light stuff.

Thanks again Slim!

Offline TChix

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #39 on: Jan 05, 2014, 04:16 PM »
Any of the guys that did this ever had a problem with the wire unwinding? I can't get it to stay as a coil. What am I doing wrong?

Offline Slimdog

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #40 on: Jan 08, 2014, 10:41 AM »
Any of the guys that did this ever had a problem with the wire unwinding? I can't get it to stay as a coil. What am I doing wrong?

After you make the initial coil, it will unwind and you may lose 3-5 coils, but it should stop after that.  I don't know the correct terminology for it, but it's almost like it hits a point of equilibrium. 

What kind of wire are you using?

Offline kc_

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #41 on: Jan 08, 2014, 03:18 PM »
very nice job. but I can make a dozen with a guitar string while you are making one. I just cut a 6" length then bend a loop in the end. I put a kink in the end of the loop so I can hook it back over itself forming a catch. Then I bend the loop at a 90 degree angle. Tape it on the rod and you are catching fish.
The reason for the catch is to allow you put your line and out without threading the line thru it.

Offline ASATMillerbluegill

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #42 on: Jan 22, 2014, 02:53 PM »
Nice work!!!!

Buy a suit that floats you

Offline ASATMillerbluegill

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #43 on: Mar 22, 2014, 05:08 PM »
Nice work!!!

Buy a suit that floats you

Offline Pail Rider

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Offline ASATMillerbluegill

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #45 on: Mar 30, 2014, 07:41 PM »
Im impressed twice!!!!!

Buy a suit that floats you

Offline Ice Surveyor

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #46 on: Jan 24, 2016, 10:38 PM »
I saved this thread for review, but now I don't see any picture attachments?? 

Offline beeverfishing

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #47 on: Jan 25, 2016, 03:56 AM »
I saved this thread for review, but now I don't see any picture attachments??

Thats the problem with posting pics the way it is done here.. If the pics are moved / removed from the photo sharing site we loose them here.  pm slimdog,  He may still have the pics.   
  

Offline Slimdog

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #48 on: Jan 25, 2016, 09:39 AM »
I saved this thread for review, but now I don't see any picture attachments??

Sorry guys.  I had the images hosted on another forum that has gone through some changes in the last year.  I'll see what I can do to get this fixed. 

Offline Agronomist_at_IA

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Re: DIY St. Croix-style Strike Indicator Spring
« Reply #49 on: Oct 31, 2017, 11:25 PM »
BTTP.....good info here guys.....wish pics were on it yet.

 



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