Over the past 6 or 7 years I have dedicated my spring to chasing big Redear sunfish, also known as Shellcrackers among other names. I have been fortunate enough to catch some really big Redear. Redear are bottom feeders. They, unlike other species look down for their food. This is predominately snails, emerging larva, crawfish and even mussels where available.
There are times when the Redear might be looking up a little more than usual. This is when insects like dragonflies crawl up tree limbs, grass, and stakebeds. They do this to emerge into adults and need to get out of the water to shed their skin known as an exuvia.
During this time and when around vegetation, overhanging tree limbs that is in the water and my favorite stakebeds I use a bobber. To be honest I first began attaching a small bobber to my line anytime I was fishing cover. I did it to keep from getting hung up so easily. Working my Hairy Cricket Jig in and around cover was made much easier using a bobber.
After several years, as I made a point to study the Redear Sunfish, I learned that after the spawn these fish will linger in the shallows, oftentimes even shallower than they spawn, to gorge on emerging insects. While the main reason I use a bobber is to keep from getting hung up in cover I believe that the Redear is watching these stems, stakes and limbs to pick off theses emergers as they attempt to get to the surface.
The system I devised to "cover more water" was anytime I was fishing gravel banks and clean bottom I always fished the Hairy Cricket on the bottom. However, when I came across some grass or woody cover I always put my little bobber on the line to fish it. When done I slipped it off and slide it back into my pocket and continued down the bank fishing my jig on the bottom. I started calling this little bobber my POCKET BOBBER and that's what I call it today. The POCKET BOBBER is small, Redear are a little sensitive to pressure and will spit the bait out when felt. The POCKET BOBBER imparts very little pressure on the jig as the Redear takes it under. I use it also for bluegills when they are shallow. The POCKET BOBBER is bright and easy to see, even for its small size. It is the perfect bobber for finessing big Redear and big bluegills off the bed or out of cover.
