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Easy Bite Ice Fishing Spring Bobber Review

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One of the newer products on the ice fishing scene is the Easy Bite spring bobber.  For those that read my blog it is quite evident that I have a series love for spring bobbers and is a deadly combination when ice fishing panfish.  I especially like to use the spring bobbers when ice fishing crappie, as they tend to bite gently and even hit up on the lure.  Without a spring bobber you just simply are not going to see these bites and you will be missing fish. There are several spring bobbers on the market today, some work great (I'm a big fan of the St. Croix legend spring bobbers), while most fall far short of the target.  This review is meant to help you understand the positives and negatives of the Easy Bite spring bobber.

Positive features of the Easy Bite Ice Fishing Spring Bobber

I'll start out with the positives as there are several.  First and foremost, this is a one stop shop, everything you need to attach this to your rod and start catching crappies is in the package (my biggest pet peeve with the St. Croix spring bobbers is unless you want to drop $50 on their legend rod you need to go to 3 different stores to create them on your favorite rods!).  A second major positive is the ability to detect light bites.  This thing worked amazingly well for those real light biters you encounter on the hard water.  Without this ultra sensitive piece of ice fishing gear you are going to catch a lot fewer fish.  Another positive I liked was that you can detach a part of the bobber while in storage and not have to untie your lure.  A huge plus as when it is time to fish, no need to screw around tieing on another lure.  A final positive I noted was that the bobber is resilient and able to handle the rigors of winter fishing.  I could see this being a staple in peoples ice fishing arsenal for many year.

Negatives of the Easy Bite Ice Fishing Spring Bobber

I think the first and foremost thing that people would view as a negative is the price.  At around $10 these are about the most expensive spring bobbers out there.  That said, besides the St. Croix bobber I haven't seen one that is comparable.  A second negative for me was that the installation was not as straight forward as I would have liked.  Thankfully it didn't involve any tools to do, so I would file this under a minor one time inconvenience.  The final negative I noticed was the difficulty in adjusting the bobber to ensure that neutral spot.   You need to twist and turn as you are moving it back and forth to find that happy medium.

Final Verdict on the Easy Bite Spring Bobber?

I would give it a thumbs up.  I probably still prefer the St. Croix bobber system, but that is most likely due to my years of successful use of them.  The price is a bit more than other spring bobbers on the market (or you can find ways to make your own), but I feel the quality materials, ability to last a long time and the ultra sensitive nature of the product warrant the price.

What are your experiences with the Easy Bite Spring Bobber?

Filed Under: Ice Fishing Tackle

What kind of line should I use on my ice fishing reel?

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what type of ice fishing line should i useWhen it comes to ice fishing gear there are some things to keep in mind.  One of the key things with the ice is that generally speaking the more finesse you can make the presentation the more success you will have on the ice.  One of the key things with a finesse presentation is the line that you choose to put on your ice fishing reel.  And to be honest, I have seen quite an improvement in catch rates once I have paid attention to the ice fishing line that I use.

First and foremost, it is important to know where you will be fishing.  I’m not talking about whether you are ice fishing Mille Lacs or Ice Fishing Lake of the Woods, I am talking whether you will be inside ice fishing houses the entire time you are fishing or hole hopping out in the elements.  If you are going to be indoors the entire time you can get by with a braided line.  I love braided line in the summer and on the ice it can be quite good, but if you are outside in the cold you are going to be dealing with ice up ice fishing rod guides constantly.  If you are in the warmth of your ice fishing heater constantly than you will be loving the strength and light weight nature of braid.

For those of use that love to hole hope and find active pods of fish you need to go with a line that won’t hold so much water as it goes in and out of the water.  For that I was a fan of the Gamma line, but unfortunately they stopped making the stuff.  With that in mind another line that I had good luck with in the past is P Line fluorocarbon.  Lightweight and very little memory even when fishing out in the cold which is a huge problem with many monofilament lines I have tried.

Now, the pound test that you target really depends on which species of fish you are targeting.  When ice fishing panfish like sunfish and crappie, I prefer to go ultra light with my line, preferring a weight of 2 lb test, but perhaps as much as 4 lb test.  When it comes to ice fishing walleye I prefer to go up a bit in weight, for sure at least 4 lb test, with perhaps even 6 lb test for line.  And when it comes to ice fishing pike, I am often going with something that is very heavy, such as the braided ice fishing tip up line.

What are your favorite types of ice fishing line that you use?

Filed Under: Ice Fishing Tackle Tagged With: ,
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