Walleye Fishing Lures: Slip-Bobbers

For the most part, walleyes tend to lurk in the depths of a river or lake. However, sometimes they will congregate in a more shallow area, such as a weed bed or rocky area. For these types of situations, using a slip-bobber on your walleye fishing lure rig will allow you to place your bait at exactly the same depth as your objectives. Walleyes use their noses to eat as opposed to seeking food with their eyes, so by literally dangling bait right in front of their noses, you will have a great chance at getting a bite.

Arguably, the most important thing to remember when adding a slip-bobber to your line is to also place a bobber stop on your line. The bobber stop will allow your line to move freely, but once your desired depth has been achieved, the line will stop – hence the term bobber stop. You can purchase bobber stops at any store that sells fishing equipment; they are generally vibrantly colored so the angler can spot it in the water. However, in a pinch, you can easily create your own bobber stop by tying a rubber band or string to your line. Some slip-bobbers have a bead attached to the top to separate the bobber from the stop; if yours do not, you can also purchase beads to add to your line.

Anglers who use slip-bobbers for walleye fishing will also add weight to their lines. Make sure your sinker weighs enough to allow your bait to sink fast, but you also need to make sure your bobber is afloat. If your bobber is being pulled underwater by excessive sinker weight, you will not be able to detect a strike visually.

Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to slip-bobber size. You will definitely want to select a bobber large enough to see, so that when you have a bite, you can spot your bobber being thrust down into the water. But if your bobber is too large, it could create resistance on the line and this will turn off walleyes attempting to feed on your bait.

A slip-bobber rig is an extremely simple rig that is ideal for beginning fishermen because you can tell when you have a bite just by monitoring your bobber; not much intuition is required. Although this method is not as advanced as other walleye fishing methods, it can still be highly effective when you are aiming to attract a group of fish in a particular area.