Spring Bobbers ?

[CTom]

I sorta gotta suspect that spring bobbers would increase a lot of folks open water catch, too.

Right after ice out and late fall until the harbors freeze over is when I do a lot of dock fishing. Why fiddle with the boat when you can drop a line straight down at your feet? Over the years I have found favor in shorter long rods and have indeed found a couple St. Croixs in 4.5 foot UL. I added the extra guide atop of the tip guide of each of these rods and have a St. Croix spring in each. One rod carrys 2 pound Vanish the other carries two pound Nanofil. The one with naon sees the use of heavier jigs and the spring is adjusted for those while the other gets used for lighter stuff and the spring is adjusted to reflect those light weights. I do like banging some heavier jigging spoons with full-sized plastics when the crappies tell me that they're willing to play hard and in those instances I simply re-rig, running the lines thru the conventional factory guides and jig away. On active fish like this springs are a joke and don't help at all....the hits are just crazy hard. Some of these spoons will weigh up to 1/8 ounce.

On the same couple of rods I have better luck on the springs when the water temps have dropped into the 40 degree range and I am targeting sunfish. Sunfish seem to have more radical mood swings than crappies and when they get in a funk I agree whole heartedly with the spring idiology. Sunfish can downright miserable to fish for after a cold front in cold water and the larger they get the harder they are to convince into hitting at times. For me springs have a place and a time all their own. One of the key aspects here is that the fish live in an environment entirely different from ours and they really don't know the different between open water and ice except for the water temp and how it plays on their metabolism. I am one who likes to go to the water well prepared but not having to carry the infamous kitchen sink. I have springs in with my summer tackle that can be added in a blink to my long rods should I ever find the need to use one at the time.

As a rule fishing in the winter stands as such with me.....if I have to slow things down to where I use a spring to see an upwards hit, I go home. The fish simply are not working fast enough to hold my attention. Noodles and somewhat stiffer rods are used more by me thru the winter for this reason. Like Dale, I have too many joints that don't want to function smoothly in the cold but when the mood hits me I still will have springs, noodles, and slightly heavier rods for my jigging.