There are a lot of tools out there that can increase an ice angler’s productivity, but one has to rank the spring bobber high on their list of priorities. If you seek out panfish—and by panfish I mean bull bluegills, slab crappies, and jumbo perch—then the addition of a spring bobber can make or break a day on the ice.

A spring bobber serves several purposes. The most obvious advantage of a spring bobber is for detecting light biting fish. As a strike indicator, the spring bobber opens the angler’s eyes to a whole new world of “sight.” You begin to see things that you never noticed before and no longer do you have to “feel” for a bite. Even the slightest movement from your jig, up or down, will trigger the spring bobber to dance. A fish doesn’t even have the privilege of breathing on your bait without you counting every breath. Plain and simple, the spring bobber makes your job as an angler much easier.

Outside of the fact that a spring bobber allows you detect more bites, it also equips the angler with more confidence and room for error when working a jigging sequence or setting the hook. A spring bobber absorbs some of the tension between your rod and the bait, which causes the presentation to perform naturally instead of erratically. Aggressive movements are slightly minimized, which aids in coaxing a wary fish into striking. Essentially, the spring bobber acts as a buffer between you and your presentation.

Besides the increase in jigging productivity, the spring bobber also allows the angler more time to set the hook. The spring bobber can load to a certain point before the fish feels a ton of resistance. So instead of feeling the strike, only to have the fish spit out the bait moments later, we can now see the strike in action, giving us a definite answer for when the time is right to bring home the bacon.

Several companies have tailored spring bobbers after years of experience on the ice:

Thorne Bros has designed a spring bobber that fits into the tip of their line of panfish and perch rods. The advantage of the Thorne Bros spring bobber is its ability to keep shape and still provide constant sensitivity up through the rod. It’s a slightly stiffer, shorter spring bobber, yet you don’t lose feel and control.

St. Croix has developed a spring bobber system that is built into the rod called the Legend Ice. The Legend Ice Rod has a built-in spring bobber that acts as the last guide of the rod. It’s equipped with a very sensitive spring bobber that is specifically matched with the rod to provide ultimate strike indication and performance. The springs come in three different actions and are interchangeable.

Frabill has jumped aboard the spring bobber craze by adding a universal spring bobber into their line-up. Initially intended for their line of Panfish Popper ice rods, the Frabill spring bobber can fit just about any ice rod, allowing the ice angler to incorporate the spring bobber technique into their favorite ice fishing rod and reel combo.

These are only a few options that are available for spring bobbers, but the important message I want to pass on is just the simple advantage of using a spring bobber. It’s an effortless and easy tool to use, yet it’s so effective when out on the ice chasing your favorite specie. Companies are out there with the intentions of making the angler’s job less frustrating and more productive, and spring bobbers do just that.

Great information Matt. We're getting closer to the Ice fishing season and I'm getting excited.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

I can agree more about the spring bobbers. I bought a few different types and finally settled on the Frabill brand.

It's similar to the Thorne Bros. model. I tried the flat spring steel bobber from HT and they worked okay but you have to either tape them on or they come with heat shrink that doesn't work all that great. Then I bought a wire spring bobber from SouthBend and couldn't figure out how to attach it to my rod. The Frabill has worked great and you just push it into the last eye on your rod.