Strawberry 10-17-25

[Gone Forever]

I would like to weigh in on slip bobbers and stops because I use them a lot, almost exclusively.
The biggest advantage of SB that I like is the adjustability of the fishing depth and the castability.  With a regular bobber and 5' of line below it can be pretty hard to cast well, but a slip bobber allows you to reel the knot onto the reel and still cast a mile while having the depth set as deep as you would like, I've slipped 40' and more, deep.

I have an assortment of slip bobbers. (SB) They come in various "float capacities" meaning the longer, thinner ones are good for 1/32 and 1/16 oz jigs but a 1/8 jig can pull them under if they are the type with a weighted ring on the bottom.  The ringed SB cast better, but the added weight restricts jig size.  The wider, more egg-shaped bobbers work for up to 3/8 oz jigs and the biggest for up to 5/8oz jigs.
I use slip bobbers for both lake and river fishing because of how rapidly I can change the depth and how well I can cast the rig.

Knots...Knots are the heart of the system and good knots matter.  There are some rubber stops that I have used but they hang up in the guides while casting more than the knots, same for the little plastic bar with holes in them.  I prefer the knots. I now tie my own so that i get what I want.  I use 30lb test braided casting line, the old kind that is really woven around a core.  I have found that this line, when used for knots, slips the least on the thin monofilament main line.  If you are buying, buy authentic "Thill" brand.  They are also the makers of the best slip bobbers.  Their knots are way better than Cabela's, BPS or Sportsman's.  All of those knots, no matter how hard you tighten them will still loosen and slip needing to reset often which can be a real pain if you are set deep. What makes that so bad is that the knot is the first part of the rig to go on the line so if you have to replace you have to completely re-rig.
I will sometimes put two knots above the SB in case one goes bad I have the other to use without re-rigging.
I don't know if Tube Dude has a write-up on this, but I would not doubt it one bit if he has written the most comprehensive article about it and would be willing to share.