Slipbobber rod, reel, and line setup Q & A

Slipbobbers for walleyes is one of my strengths. I receive many questions about my exact setup. I have used the following setup for over 10 years with only a few improvements.
I use an 8 1/2 foot Berkley Lightning Rod so I can fish a long ways from the boat and still get a good hook set. I love fighting fish with long rods but it is too tiring to hold an 8 1/2 foot rod all day. An advantage with slipbobbering is you can lay the rod down with the bail open! I prefer large spools like the Daiwa SS 1300 so that I have enough line to fish a long ways from the boat and large spools help prevent line twist.

I use Trilene XT because it is light, strong, abrasion resistant, and stiffer so I can thread it thru a slipbobber easier. I do not recommend Trilene XL for this situation. Sunny and windy days make it hard to see your line as you reel up slack. It is to your advantage to see your line when you are reeling in the slack before a hook set, so this year I will try Vanish Transition line because it is highly visible above the water and invisible below it. This is a great concept and I am excited to test it.

I usually have a 1/16 or 1/32 Northland Gumball jig tied on.
If you fish trees you must use heavier line to keep the fish from getting tangled in the trees. Fireline works great if the fish are not line shy.

GO FISHING, THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Doc