Slip bobber fishing Mutli-Species looks at the transition from shallow water spawning areas to deep water summer locations.
As spring turns to summer the water temperatures begin to warm. Surface temperatures creep into the mid to upper 70’s. Larger bluegills and crappies begin to re-locate to deep water structure. Many times you can find these fish suspended over cribs, brush piles, extended points or outside weed lines. The water depth can vary from 10 to even 25 feet depending on what type of structure is available. When fishing a crib or brush pile you must first identify the depth of water the structure is in. A good fish locater will show both depth and structure. An example would be a brush pile located in 12 foot of water. The top of the brush pile is eight feet down. Most of these fish will be located in or just above the brush pile. When it comes to presentation it’s hard to beat a slip bobber rig. This allows you to set the exact depth you want your bait to be in. In this video we used a 1/16 ounce jig tipped with a leach and the Rocket Bobber. The bobber itself can be used as a lock on “fixed” or a slip bobber by simply depressing the end cap and rotating it to your desired setting. Knowing the top of the brush pile is eight feet down; our bobber stop was set at six feet. When casted out, the bait would drop and stop at the six foot mark suspending just above the brush pile. Once the fish inhaled the bait the bobber would begin to drop down. That’s when you can set the hook! One thing to note is when the fish is hooked they immediately try to get back into the structure. It’s best to keep your rod tip high, pulling them away from the structure as quickly as possible. This same technique can be utilized with other types of live bait, minnows, crawlers, crickets and so on. It can also be used with plastics depending how aggressive the fish are. Whether fishing in 10 feet, or 25 feet, you can get your bait to where the fish are. In an upcoming video Pan fish tips and videos will be taking an in-depth look at one of these brush piles. Diving a brush pile offers a better understanding of how these summer fish relate to structure. Good luck fishing!