Don't bother with homemade bobbers. Use the ice buster slip bobbers. They all work by putting on a stopper that is basically a knot that's slipped onto the line prior to attaching your lure or weight or swivel, etc. It's tight enough to hold without slipping yet easy enough to move up and down the line to set your depth. Position it on your line to correspond to whatever your fishing depth will be. The ice buster slip bobbers can clip on and off your line for when you don't want them and resist freezing to your line. They can also be trimmed to make sure it's not too much bobber and too much resistance when the fish takes the bait. I don't know if this helps or if it just causes more questions, but I tried.
