I have a theory that most of the people who think fishing is boring went fishing as a kid with an adult who used a bobber. In this article, I’ll discuss if bobbers are good for fishing, if they really work, and if you should fish with or without a bobber, especially when you take your kids along.
My Controversial Theory: Fishing with Bobbers and Kids Is A Risky Idea
Some people are going to call me absolutely crazy for even daring to write an article that argues that bobbers aren’t the best way to go fishing with your kids, but hear me out.
While bobbers do work, nothing much to do besides twiddle their thumbs while they waited for something to bite. Sure, when something did bite, the kids probably ran over giddy and screaming, but until then, they were bored or off playing catch or doing something else.
If you ask me, the kids who stuck with fishing and became enamored by it quickly probably started using more proactive techniques that caught them more fish and gave them something to actively do (cast and retrieve) while they were waiting for a bite.
I know I’ll get some comments from people hollering about how they’ve been fishing with bobbers and their kids for years and they love them and pull in crappie after crappie all day. I don’t doubt you, but I’ll bet you’re a halfway decent angler who could make most anything work.
I’m just saying that I’ve seen so many families fishing from shore with bored kids, and there’s usually a bobber floating nearby. I’ve also personally had many days where I started off fishing with a bobber, struggled to get bit, and swapped over to a bare hook or drop shot and started lighting them up in the same area. I think some people rely on the bobber too much and don’t know what to try when it doesn’t work.
These observations and experiences have convinced me that there are often better ways to put my young ones on fish.
Now before we go any further, let me get something out of the way:
I can understand why people ask themselves if they should fish with or without a bobber, and decide to go with one. Bobbers do work well at times for several reasons:
- Bobbers work well for keeping fishing hooks out of cover and at a precise depth;
- They allow for a gentler pace to fishing as well as multitasking when using many rods;
- If something ever bites, kids get a huge kick out of seeing the bobber go under.
So you see, I’m not “anti-bobber.” I’m just “anti-using-bobbers-as-the-way-to-introduce-your-kids-to-fishing-if-you-want-them-to-actually-like-the-sport-and-buy-you-nice-rods-for-father’s-day.”
There’s a difference!
More Detail: Why Bobbers Work
Again, I’m not “anti-bobber” (I feel like I’ll need to keep saying that here). I really don’t want to put you off of them. They can be great, and your kids can catch a ton of fish when them. You should have them in your tackle box, because as you’ll see, there are some times when they’re the ticket to a bite. Here are a few of the benefits, lest I’m labelled a philistine:
They Allow for Some Unique Presentations
There have been plenty of professional fishermen (usually walleye guys) who have cashed checks with the help of a bobber. Often, working a bobber is the only way to apply some unique presentations.
Mike Klein over at Midwest Outdoors wrote a great article about how bobbers allow for a precise presentation for walleye a few years ago. One of the things he discussed was a technique called “power corking.” Basically, you drive your boat around looking for fish on your fish finder and when you see one you immediately let out your bobber right next to your transducer.
I’ve never heard of this before but it might make a believer out of me as it seems like a more active way of using bobbers. It seems to be a deeper water technique as you’d likely spook the fish if you tried to do this too shallow, but it’s almost akin to trolling. In fact, you might just drag a lure behind the boat on your port side while waiting to drop a bobber on your starboard.
I could see this being a really fun way to fish with kids because it would almost turn fishing into a video game for them. As they see a fish appear on the screen, they can release their bail and send a bobber down and wait for a bite.
OK, Mike, you convinced me. Now I’m just an “anti-using-bobbers-as-the-way-to-introduce-your-kids-to-fishing-if-you-want-them-to-actually-like-the-sport-and-buy-you-nice-rods-for-father’s-day-unless-you’re-power-corking” kind of guy.
They Keep Hooks Out of Cover
This is a legitimate strength. Bobbers work well for keeping bait out of cover. For example, it can be very hard to fish a laydown effectively without a bobber, because if you let the bait sink into the tree limbs there’s a good chance it will snag. Even if a fish were to take your offering, there’s a great chance it would wrap your line along the limbs and break you off.
Using bobbers around rocky points would also make sense. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to retie a drop shot rig because it was snagged in some rip-rap.
A bobber allows you to keep your bait up and away from these hazards, while still close enough to entice fish to come out and take a bite. So long as you keep your rod in your hands or very nearby, you should be able to start the battle outside of the cover, which enormously increases your chance of actually landing the fish.
Bobbers are also admittedly useful for fishing for panfish over grass flats with your kids. Drop shots don’t do very well in the weeds, as they get dragged down and buried in the gunk. A bobber is an appropriate way to keep your bait above the canopy and allow you to keep your bait clean and edible.
They Allow Precise Depth Control
Bobbers work great for controlling how deep your bait will sink, as it can only go as deep as your bobber lets it. Slip bobbers are particularly well suited for this role as they are designed to allow an angler to change their depth at will.
Once again, I’ll tip my hat to the experts, this time, pro catfish guide Chad Ferguson. He wrote an informative article about slip bobber rigging for catfish that shows you exactly how to rig one for your preferred depth and included a very easy-to-read graphic showing this off.
I would note that you can also control your depth with a drop shot (you’d just use a longer tag line towards your sinker), but the drop shot is going to rapidly bring the bait to the desired depth. The bobber will allow it to slowly sink to that depth. Sometimes the fish favor one presentation over the other.
They Allow You to Take a Nap!
Ok, so I’m back to jesting about bobbers, but it’s true! You can have a laid back fishing experience if you trust your bobber with all the work and attach a little bell ringer to warn you that a fish in on the other line.
This probably isn’t the best idea with kids–it’s usually a good idea to stay awake and active while they’re playing near the water–but if you could also apply the theory to allowing you to walk away and play catch, or look for frogs, or have a sandwich, etc.
They Allow For Multiple Lines
It’s challenging to fish multiple lines unless you’re using some technique that doesn’t require your constant, active involvement. Bobbers allow you to cover more water in the sense in that you can throw a few out along a wide arc to try and locate fish sooner.
If you’re going to do this, make sure you check your local regulations first as not every state allows anglers to use multiple lines, and most have a cap as to how many angler can use. You “might” be able to use more if you’re with your kids, but then again the game warden might also conclude that they are unlicensed and don’t count towards the rod count.
I’m not a lawyer and can’t give you legal advice, but it would seem prudent to use the most conservative figure available to ensure you don’t have issues.
Kids Enjoy Using Bobbers (When Bobbers Work)
There is definitely something fun and satisfying about seeing a bobber disappear under the waves, and kids will especially get a kick out of this. The problem is that it actually needs to happen.
If you’re in an area where there are bluegills and sunfish, they’ll tend to eat just about anything and you might get to see the bobber disappear often. This is a good recipe for a fun day with your kids. Just make sure that you’ve done your scouting and pinpointed the fish ahead of time as bobbers aren’t usually very effective for covering water quickly (power corking notwithstanding).
If you need help on learning how to scout for fish, check out an article I wrote about preparing for a fishing trip with kids that deals with the topic.
Reasons You Should Fish Without a Bobber
I’d argue that the main drawbacks to using a bobber (at least while fishing with kids) is that they can damage your line if they’re not carefully attached, they can spook the fish in a variety of ways, you can be less likely to hook the fish, and you might turn your children off of fishing forever and doom them to the void and meaningless life of a landlubber.
They Can Damage Your Fishing Line
Frankly, a bobber shouldn’t damage your fishing line at all. Ball bobbers are designed to clip on harmlessly and slip bobbers just slide back and forth without issue. On a normal day of fishing, you’d be just fine.
But we’re talking about fishing with kids here. Your kids. The same kids who stuck all your stamps to the wall and hid a wet sponge on elderly Uncle Donald’s chair. All bets are off.
Kids want to do everything themselves and if that includes attaching a ball bobber then that probably includes kinking or fraying the line in the process. If you attach it wrong, it does risk damaging the line because you are trying to guide it past a metal hook that can knick or cut it.
You can solve this by simply arriving at the lake with the bobber already attached rather than letting your kids do this. If they don’t know it’s a task to complete, they’ll never ask to try it.
Bobbers Can Spook the Fish
A good reason to consider fishing without a bobber is that they can spook fish in many ways:
- The fish can get scared by the sound of the splash;
- The fish can be wary from the sight; and
- The fish can be alerted to danger by the bobber’s weight
The Sound
A bobber (especially a large one) makes a splash when it touches down. This can be much more significant than the splash the bait would have made on its own, and certainly alerts fish in the area that something touched down. This can be good or bad, depending on what mood the fish is in.
You should try your best to let the bobber land softly at the end of your cast. If you have a large splash down, the most likely outcome is that nearby fish will dart away. Though they will likely return, it may take them awhile, and this dead period can really kill your kid’s interest.
The Sight
A bobber is a large, visual indicator to fish that there is something strange going on. If they’ve been caught by these recently, and still remember the experience, they will be more cautious.
The bait itself is also presented in a very unnatural way. Most worms don’t just suspend in a neutral buoyancy. A very hungry, desperate, or inexperienced fish might not notice or care, but I have observed larger bass and bowfin eyeing the target and deciding it’s not worth the risk.
The Weight
When a fish tugs on the bait, the bobber provides resistance that alerts the fish that something is tugging back. If there are a half dozen bluegills all fighting over the scraps, it’s unlikely any will notice, but if that fish is the only one attempting to feed, it stands to reason they might wonder what is going on.
This is minimized by using smaller ball bobbers and can reduced even further with slip bobbers. Always try to use the lightest bobber that you can for the conditions.
You’re Less Likely to Hook Fish
I back this statement up with no scientific studies whatsoever but I will observe that I have caught many fish throughout my life because I was holding the rod and could detect a light bite, which allowed me to immediately set the hook.
If you are simply using a bobber to alert you to the presence of fish, rather than holding the rod and feeling them for yourself, you’re missing several bites. Even if you notice the little twitches of the bobber, you still need to run over, pick the rod up, and then attempt to set the hook. This can take several seconds depending on where you were when you noticed it. These are several seconds for something to go wrong.
Granted, if you’re actually holding the rod while fishing with a bobber, this isn’t going to be an issue, but I rarely see people doing that.
You Will Bore Your Children Right Out of This Sport
I really do believe this, even though I know I’m going to get flak for it. Let’s be clear (again): I am sure that there are plenty of people out there who have successfully taught their kids how to fish by using bobbers and had their kids go on to live long and happy angling lives! I believe you! I really do!
It’s just that I also think that a huge percentage of parents who don’t really know how to fish, but want to try it with their kids, rig up a bobber, kind of throw it out there, and just hope for the best–but the best never comes. I think that’s a recipe for disaster.
Most beginners fishing with a bobber are hedging their bets that a fish will be in the area, or swim by, rather than going out and actively finding them. Again, if you are actually in a good spot, then this doesn’t matter. But if you aren’t, you’re inhibiting your ability to go out and find where the fish are holding so they can be caught more frequently.
Bobbers seem to go hand in hand with lawn chairs, but I’d urge you–if you’re going to use a bobber to try and fish with your kids, leave the lawn chair at home and walk around the pond with them. Make many casts. Try to locate active fish. Keep your kids engaged and enthused.
Bobbers definitely aren’t bad tackle choices, but they aren’t always conducive to keeping your children’s attention. People might say that fishing teaches kids patience, but that’s a relative term. It might gain you about twelve seconds lead time with a four-year-old.
If you brought the lawn chair, I hope you picked a good spot!
Conclusions
Please allow me to briefly sum up the entire article:
- I am a bobber snob;
- I fear for your children’s sea legs;
- Bobbers do work and are actually a great choice in many situations;
- All the same, bobbers do tend to be an “all in bet” for beginners;
- When the house wins, the kids lose.
Again, I’m biased, but I’ve done a lot of fishing in my day both as a kid, and as an adult with children by my side. Bobbers were never the source of my most memorable moments, though perhaps they were for you.
If you want to try other techniques that don’t rely on bobbers, consider doing a little homework on other posts in my website. I do my best to fill them with tips to help you develop your skillset as a parent, and also to develop the fishing skills of your children. You can also check out my book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide
I hope you found this article helpful, or at least somewhat amusing. If you did, please consider sharing it so it can help (or amuse) others.
Thanks,
John Paxton
