Bobber types...balsa, foam, cigar, teardrop???

[Basfis]

Ok, hypothetically  going to mess around with light biting crappie. I have in the past used a slip bobber with light jig. I have NOT really liked any of the slip bobbers. 

Foam is cheap and no great loss with line breakage in trees. With the light bite, some types seem better but can be overcome with attention. 

1/16-1/32 heads, standard crappie plastics. Usually less than 5’. Fluoro leader on braid (though straight braid would be fine if it would thread and slip thru!). 

Whats the rule on types and sizes? Why one versus another? Looking for opinions and experience. 

[fishinwrench]

Thill pear shaped slip bobbers with the 5" tube will fall over when a crappie takes the weight off it.   They are the only ones I keep in my crappie box.  

[Seth]

I don't bobber fish for crappie much, but I do for trout. I've grown fond of those 3/4" weighted round clip on floats. It doesn't take much to pull one under so they are great for light biters. Crappie will typically make the float swim versus taking it under when they bite.

[Gavin]

The Thill that FW mentioned works well on still water. The ones that Seth mentioned work well on moving or still water and lots use them for float & fly jig fishing.

[MrGiggles]

So far my favorite slip cork is the Thill Stealth. It will work down to 1/24 oz.

I use straight mono (sensitivity is not a huge deal with bobber fishing), and also tie a stop with mono. 

I prefer freelining, but some days a float works better, and it brings back a lot of fond memories.

[Terrierman]

I get along better without a float whether jig or bait.  When I do use a float it needs to barely keep above water. 

[Basfis]

The fall over is interesting. My dad swears you have to present a bait above a crappie. That aspect is missing from the cheap foam floats with removable inserts. 

Glad to see a weight along with the type! Thanks. 

Last year a slight ripple and allowing the jig to drift in to the tree was magic. I’m assuming the referenced thills will impart the same subtlety to the jig. 

[fishinwrench]

I don't crappie fish much, nor do I get very serious about it when I do.  But there are alot of times when a jig just hanging there is the ONLY way to catch'em.   Slip-bobbin is a solid technique that any crappie guy needs in his bag of tricks.

[top_dollar]

It depends on the water clarity for me. Typically I use a foam float that I buy online.  It's just like those trout magnet floats but about 2 inches long and cigar shaped.  It helps when the crappies bite it from underneath and the bobber will lay over on its side.  The trout magnet foam floats are great too.  They both can be used as both a slip bobber as well if you need to go deeper than 5 or 6 feet.  For super clear water and shallow fish a clear bobber is the deal.  

Funny this thread was mentioned...2 days ago in the snow I could only get em to eat under a float, yesterday in the high pressure they preferred a slow swim with no bobber.

[Devan S.]

Are you guys using minnows with the float or artificial like a bobby garland? I've never had luck with the artificial and a float but have with minnows. I used the clip on weights like Seth...primarily because using slip bobber is a lot of setup on something I break off all to often.