Which do you prefer? Fishing with a bobber or fishing without a bobber?


Side Note: What type of bobber do you use? Slip, cigar shape, round shape, size, etc?

I do some of both.
Lately have been throwing shad under a wing-it slip bobber. letting if float a little above the rip rap at the dam.
I throw a large pole out with bigger bait into deeper water and just let it rest on the bottom

For perch will use fixed round bobber when the bottom is such I will get hung up a lot. Otherwise will throw worm out and slowly move across the bottom.

When fishing minnows will use a fixed round bobber or a slip float depending on the depth I am fishing.

My preference is to fish without the bobber as I have much better feel.

1 1/2 inch cigar shape slip bobber when there is a lot of grass, scum, or trash on the bottom. Slow retrieve without a bobber on clean bottoms.

I prefer not to use a float. But when I do I use a really small streamlined Thill float that gives the fish virtually no resistance to feel. I fish very light tackle on very light line out of the tube. I couldn't fish the way I fish in anything but a float tube. It is pretty specialized fishing.

No bobber...on or near bottom 99 % of the time...

I love bottom fishing the most. The times I use a float are when the bottoms have a lot of snags such as weed beds,rocks,etc. I also use a float if the fish are suspended. I use the smaller size floats both the basic round bobber and the cigar shape bobbers.

I fly fish most of the time but when I use UXL gear I like to free line. When I have to use a bobber I go small as I can with either a cigar shaped cork or one of the little Thill pencil bobbers. There is a rush you get seeing a cork go under that takes most of back to being a kid that's hard to beat.

I drip shot about 80 percent of the time. Other than that I use a small cigar shape slip float and adjust the depth as needed.

I should note that is only when I am not using spinning gear or fly fishing!

Slip float when I am float fishing. Medium Cigar Shape.

I like a slip bobber, I grew up bobber fishing when I was a kid and still enjoy watching it go under. I rarely fish like this anymore as I predominantly bass fish. Typically only when it’s hot in the summer and the bass are lethargic

I do both as well. Mostly casting jigs, spinners and other things. I do like to suspend a jig under a 3/8” oval Thill fixed float at very specific times and also use a 3/8” oval Thill slip float when fishing deeper with Gulp Alive baits and when fishing with folks who don’t normally fish this style. You have to be able to use both if you’re gonna fish year round in my experience.