Pencil float vs oval shape, which to use?

I want to get into crappie fishing this year. I’ve been a long time bass fisherman but now suddenly I have an interest in catching some crappie. I’m looking at floats and bobbers and seeing oval shapes and pencil shapes. They seem to be similar in size overall. What’s the difference? I figure it must be in buoyancy and how easily the float can be pulled under or made to stand up on a bite. I’m talking about the spring type floats that just clip to the line, as well as slip bobbers.

I would also like to ask about the slip bobber sizes as well. What sizes to use with what jig head weight? I found some oval foam floats on Amazon that are measured in 1”, 1-1/4”, 1-1/2” sizes and so on. I already have a lot of ball head jigs I bought many years ago that I can use with them. Sizes of 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 oz. I just don’t know what size slip floats to buy to use with them.

I like the smallest I can use, depending on how much weight I'm using. The heavier the sinker or jig, the larger the float. This is the same whether I'm using a fixed or slip float. My favorite float is the rod and bobbs 3n1, but I usually just buy the cheapest I can find.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Sorry I didn't answer more specifically about sizes and weight. Usually, I'm a trial and error user. That may be why I have some of every size and shape.

Sent from my SM-S908U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

By adding weight to the float to allow it to sink easier

if you are pitching shallow water , trust me on this part , you want the pencil float clip on variety ,
Some major advantages are it detects soft bites WAY better and then ONLY one point where the line touches instead of 2 ....and takes only about 2 seconds longer to rig up than a straight jig only set up ....plus
It works a jig about 10 times better as well with only one contact point slightly under the water ....
I could go on all day long , but to VERY sure once you see me use one ,you will go out and buy some ...
depending on the jig weight you will have to upsize or down size accordingly ....
the float should sit about 65 % under the water when rigged properly ...
The comal brand versions are really cheap and work quite well ...
the spring is tough on the line though after lots of fights , so use decent line and cut the line off above the float and retie about every 20 to 30 fish ...:cheers2
( if you are on larger fish over 13 inches retie more often )

side note , oval if its a slipper float , less line travel thru the float is better if you must use the darn thing rotfl

You can see the pencil style bobber better then the oval style. Depending on the depth of your bait, fixed bobbers are harder to cast. I personally use a Thill wobble slip bobber. Casts like a bullet. Depending on the season I use them in 1 ft - 30 ft. As Jack said you can adjust the drop with weights. Trial and error until you find which set up woks for you.

:popcorn

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BuckeyeCrappie

:popcorn

---

:Rofl

I guess I must be totally retro. I have always been pretty happy using the old round red and white plastic bombers with the spring loaded clip. You can get them in many sizes to work with whatever jig weight you are using. They can be fished as either a fixed or slip bobber depending on how you set the clip. They have a single point of contact under the bobber. Never had any trouble casting them if they were sized appropriately for the rest of the tackle. Never had any problem detecting a hit. I guess everybody laughs at me fishing with those things when I use a bobber.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I guess I must be totally retro. I have always been pretty happy using the old round red and white plastic bombers with the spring loaded clip. You can get them in many sizes to work with whatever jig weight you are using. They can be fished as either a fixed or slip bobber depending on how you set the clip. They have a single point of contact under the bobber. Never had any trouble casting them if they were sized appropriately for the rest of the tackle. Never had any problem detecting a hit. I guess everybody laughs at me fishing with those things when I use a bobber.

---

They are still sold everywhere for a reason. They work well and are cost effective

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UpstateSC_Bill

I guess I must be totally retro. I have always been pretty happy using the old round red and white plastic bombers with the spring loaded clip. You can get them in many sizes to work with whatever jig weight you are using. They can be fished as either a fixed or slip bobber depending on how you set the clip. They have a single point of contact under the bobber. Never had any trouble casting them if they were sized appropriately for the rest of the tackle. Never had any problem detecting a hit. I guess everybody laughs at me fishing with those things when I use a bobber.

---

um .....YES ......:Rofl
we call them beach balls down here my friend , but we see them fish sink them once in a blue moon as well ....
the biggest issue is they tend to leak and fill up with water , the upside is once that happens ....
they become ROCKET bobbers ....:yikes:Rofl

What do you all think about using 8 pound Berkley Trilene XL mono for crappie fishing? I have a nice rod I’d like to use for this, it is a 6’6” St. Croix Premier medium light spinning rod, with a fast tip. It has a Daiwa Exceler LT 2500D-XH reel on it with 8 pound mono. I set it up for light crankbait fishing for bass but I think it would be good for crappie too. I’d like to keep the 8 pound line so I can go back to bass fishing with it too. Is there any specific reason to need to go down to 6 pound or 4 pound line?

Crappie, Bluegill, Shellcracker, Catfish...in shallow water I use clip on mostly, sized for the weight. For deeper water I like a small Thill slip bobber with string bobber stop. Shallow = 3' or less, deeper = deeper than 3' ! I'll fish what I have on if it means re-rigging! <lazy>
https://www.amazon.com/Thill-America...875369&sr=8-10

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ketchn

um .....YES ......:Rofl
we call them beach balls down here my friend , but we see them fish sink them once in a blue moon as well ....
the biggest issue is they tend to leak and fill up with water , the upside is once that happens ....
they become ROCKET bobbers ....:yikes:Rofl

---

Heh, heh. Beach balls huh? You can get them pretty much as light as you want. I honestly don't remember ever having the fill up with water problem. But I've used them a long long time so maybe it happened a time or two. But my blue moons have happened fairly often. rotfl

Don't overthink it. I use the cheap styrofoam floats from Walmart or the trout magnet floats. I seldom use one longer than a 1.5 inches and I prefer slip bobbers. The key for me is finding yourself some 1/32 worm sinkers. You can insert them in the bottom of the styrofoam floats to add additional weight if needed. finding a few is well worth the effort. I really like the balsa floats but they are pricey and you can expect too lose a few floats in the spots that I typically fish. I only use them when fishing more open water or along rip rap.

I went to Academy Sports tonight and selected a few to get me started. The pink and chartreuse Crappie Corks are both spring loaded and slip bobber, and have markings on them for suggested jig weight. Kind of a one float does all deal. Hopefully in these floats I will find some that work well for me and I will go from there.Attachment 454660

use them comal floats and save them thills , easier on the checkbook for sure , you can get 2 packages of the 3 comals for the price of a single thill float down in these parts ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ketchn

if you are pitching shallow water , trust me on this part , you want the pencil float clip on variety ,
Some major advantages are it detects soft bites WAY better and then ONLY one point where the line touches instead of 2 ....and takes only about 2 seconds longer to rig up than a straight jig only set up ....plus
It works a jig about 10 times better as well with only one contact point slightly under the water ....
I could go on all day long , but to VERY sure once you see me use one ,you will go out and buy some ...
depending on the jig weight you will have to upsize or down size accordingly ....
the float should sit about 65 % under the water when rigged properly ...
The comal brand versions are really cheap and work quite well ...
the spring is tough on the line though after lots of fights , so use decent line and cut the line off above the float and retie about every 20 to 30 fish ...:cheers2
( if you are on larger fish over 13 inches retie more often )

---

good idea, retie after 20 or 30 crappie, so i will retie in a few more years LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chetc

good idea, retie after 20 or 30 crappie, so i will retie in a few more years LOL

---

during the spring run here and the amounts of pull age involved it is important with 6 lb mono to do it often ,possibly every 10 fish or so if they are the large versions , them spring clips eat the line after repeated hook sets ,casts and fights ...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ketchn

use them comal floats and save them thills , easier on the checkbook for sure , you can get 2 packages of the 3 comals for the price of a single thill float down in these parts ...

---

Yes they are expensive. In times past I never would have paid that much for the Thill slip/spring floats. They were $4 each (weirdly the largest one was just $2) where the 3 packs of Comal were just $1.49. At this point in my life money is not as hard to come by as it once was so I just went for it this time. I might have messed up though. What if I love them? They might become the new standard. :yikes