Add a Little Spring to Your Ice Game

By Matt Johnson

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.

A couple options that are worth a look for spring bobber set-ups this year include the Clam True Blue 24-inch Ultra-Light Spring Bobber Combo and the Clam Power Stick 24-inch Ultra-Light Spring Bobber Combo. Both of which cater to the diehard panfish angler.

These are only a couple 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.

Good Fishin’,
Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson owns and operates Matt Johnson Outdoors where he enjoys taking people on guided ice fishing trips and providing information about his favorite sport—fishing! You can contact Matt at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text63279 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it