I think I see (maybe more correctly I want to think I see) what bobber stoppers are used for but I still don't get it. What's the advantage, if any, of a bobber that slips vs a bobber like those I have left from when I was a kid, that have spring-loaded hook to hold its place on the line? Having never used them, it seems to me from what I've read they're kind of a royal pain to use.

I use them to peg my worm weight to my soft plastic bait. Dunno anything about using them with bobbers.

At times I also use one closest to hook (top and bottom) so the tungsten doesn't depreciate (tear up) the knot.

I use them to fish away from a brush pile. I can use my spot lock to position the boat
away from the brush pli�, and cast out over the brushpile, setting my bait or jig to fish just over the brush
and not spook the fish,..

You can cast them inline, so you can fish slip bobber rigs much deeper than with "normal" bobbers.

ie.

rod tip ----- stopper ----18ft------- slip bobber -- weight---swivel-----2 ft leader----hook.

So, you cast a 5 foot leader, but you're once it lands the bobber slides up until the stopper. So now you're fishing reliably 20ft deep, but you didn't have to cast a 20ft leader.

They are a pain, though. You're right about that.

Why are they a pain? Buy the good small rubber ones, inexpensive, last as long as line does, just wet the line and pull them on. Set to any depth, reels up right thru the guides. Also used to peg above slip sinkers.

Try that with microguides!
When fishing soft plastics in thick branches, pegging your slip sinker up close to the hook prevents the sinker and bait from sinking on opposite sides of the same branch - a sure-fire recipe for hanging up. A rubber bobber stop won�t weaken your line like a toothpick will when jammed with your line inside the sinker.

Another use for them - especially for early-season bass - is to use them with a bobber and white crappie jig to fish it at a given depth. I got whipped pretty bad in a tough tournament a few years back by a couple of brothers who used that �secret� technique.

Like said above, though, they�re a nuicanse to use.