Focus on floats to catch spring panfish: From slip-bobbers to balsa to bubbles

Everyone loves to watch a bobber sink.

Most anglers cut their teeth via this basic approach to angling. The anticipation of setting the hook and reeling in what’s attached creates excitement even among the most seasoned anglers.

More times than not, that introduction to fishing starts with panfish. Bluegills, crappies, and bobbers go together and remain a basic, productive means to catching panfish.

But somewhere along the way, bobber fishing got sophisticated. Bobbers and corks became “floats.” Call them what you want, but there’s now a bobber/float to match any type of panfishing.

Traditional bobbers

The old standby, traditional bobbers are made of plastic, cork, and foam. These are fixed float options, meaning you set a desired depth.

Your line either snaps on one end (usually the bottom), clips on the top and bottom, and it’s pegged or fixed in place with a small spring. They’re proven panfish producers that continue to be effective, mainly in shallow water or when you want to stay above vegetation.

Generally, 6 to 7 feet is the maximum depth set with traditional floats, simply because they become tough to cast or pitch if they’re set any deeper.

Bubble floats

Another form of fixed floats are bubble floats, which have a rubber tubing through its center. You simply run your line through the tube, pop the top of the float, and spin the tube so your line stays firmly in place.

By not spinning the tube, we can use bubble floats as a slip float system as well, but they tend to work best fixed and again, in shallow water.

Adding water to its inside for weight is an additional option. Simply pop the cap and let water run it for longer casts.

Bubble floats work best as a flipping option without the added weight. Think hitting specific targets quietly such as bulrush beds, weed openings in dense cover, and pockets within bulrush patches.

Balsa floats

Lightweight, quiet, sensitive, and incredibly buoyant sums up a quality balsa float. They come in many shapes and sizes and are manufactured as fixed and slip-type floats.

It’s a versatile option that you can use in shallow or deep water. You can “lay it down” on top of shallow panfish that might spook easily or add weight below it for greater casting distance and targeting specific pods of fish.

It’s a much quieter approach to bobber fishing and provides more sensitivity than you’ll find with other float options. Again, balsa is the best way to work spooky or light-biting bluegills and crappies.

Pencil bobbers

Another option that’s been around forever, plastic pencil floats sit higher on the surface, but are heavier than balsa. You can toss them further, and they’re über-sensitive.

They typically have a groove to run your line through and a small, tight spring to keep it in place. Pencil bobbers are a multi-functional, fixed float, best used in shallow water. It’s also worth noting that the spring and groove will fray the fishing line after a day of consistently ripping big panfish, so keep an eye on that, too.

Slip bobbers

There isn’t much you can’t do with a slip bobber. Fish it shallow or deep, over submerged vegetation, flooded trees, rocks, or working suspended fish over deep water are a few, but not all, of its attributes.

It’s a simple process – tie a knot on the line and set it to a desired depth, add a bead above the float, and let it slide.

One solid tip for slip bobbers: Buy them with brass or another form of hard insert where the line runs through it at the top and bottom of the float. Plastic inserts will become “notched” or nicked after heavy use and those imperfections will eventually fray the line, and perhaps even preventing it from sliding through properly.