What Is The Waggler Rigged Bobber

The waggler rigged fishing bobber attaches bottom-end only. In bygone years, bobber fishing with the waggler rigged bobber was the nation’s number one form of float fishing. However, today it is losing in terms of popularity. The waggler rigged bobber is the perfect simple rigged bobber for fishing shallow water. The bobber stops that are used to secure the waggler rigged bobber on the fishing line can be moved up and down the main line. Moving these stops will adjust the depth that the bait suspends.

What Is The Waggler Float Used For?

One of the most popular and effective ways to catch panfish, like crappie and bluegills is with a bobber in the spring. The waggler rigged bobber is a great way to do it. I use it in the spring to fish my Hairy Cricket Jigs for big redear sunfish. It can be tossed into cover like stumps and stake beds in search of willing panfish when they are shallow. Spring is my favorite time to catch panfish. Using a waggler rigged bobber is my favorite way to do it. Rigging a pencil type bobber this way gives you a high riding bobber for visibility with very little resistance to the fish. A pencil bobber is easily pulled under indicating the most subtle strikes possible.

The waggler float is used a lot when fishing for carp. The waggler can be weighted with split-shot as stops. This will allow you to adjust the buoyancy of the bobber. This is so the fish can not feel the bobber and the tension felt when trying to pull the float under water. Carp are very sensitive to this pressure and will spit the bait out when they feel it. This is also true with panfish. Not always but sometimes panfish like crappie and bluegills and especially my favorite the redear sunfish. This is why I like to use the waggler setup. I don’t use the split shot to adjust the buoyancy. I use pencil bobbers or quill bobbers so that the fish won’t feel the pressure. You can read more about this below.

Advantages To Using The Waggler Rigged Bobber

The waggler float rig is a great way to fish a bobber and by using rubber bobber stops to rig it the line is less compromised. With a clip on bobber the line is pinched. The bobber spring can create a weak point in the line. If you’re like me I like to use the lightest line possible when fishing for panfish in the spring. With 4 or 6 pound test and sometimes 2 pound test line a spring can really put a lot of stress on the line and could break with a big fish.

Another great thing about the waggler as apposed to the slip bobber rig is that it takes less weight. With a traditional slip bobber oftentimes you have to use more weight than you like to get the line to pull through the bobber. Also, you can be fishing thinking that your line has slipped through the bobber when in reality it hasn’t. With the waggler bobber, even with no weight, your bait will fall to the depth you have set. In fact I sometimes use no weight when the fish want a slow fall. When bugs are sinking in the water column after dying on the surface panfish will sometimes prefer a very slow fall. When your bait falls to the end of the line you can easily pull the bobber a couple feet raising the baited hook to the surface letting you repeat the process along the shoreline and cover.

Bobber Stops For A Waggler Rigged Bobber

Some anglers use split shot to peg the waggler bobber in place. I prefer using bobber stops myself and it is easier on the line. There are several types of bobber stops on the market today. While any of them would work with the waggler rig the best bobber stops for it is the rubber bobber stops. I use rubber bobber stops for stopping my flipping weight when flipping cover for bass. I use it for other rigs as well and the rubber bobber stops work great for the waggler float application. While one bobber stop on either side of the bobber line through two will work best. This assures that there will be no movement of the stops. When fishing heavy cover and when setting the hook when you get a bite can move the stops. With two bobber stops it’s much harder for them to move.

Check out this video of the waggler rigged bobber 

Check Out Fishing For Shellcrackers