what is your standard size for running guides & tiptop for a slip bobber rod? 6-8lb mono spinning rod

thanks
Jay

I use Minama #6 passes without issue though you might be able to go a little smaller.

Jay,

If you pull your bobber stops tight and trim them very closely, they will go through 3mm ceramic guides. They'll go through 4s without too much issue when trimmed well, but if I were designing a rod dedicated to fishing slip floats, I would probably use 5mm or 6mm guides to be sure the stops passed smoothly all of the time. Tip top would be a 4mm with 4mm running guides and 6mm with 5mm or 6mm running guides.

Joe

To be sure
use the Minima 6s
Unless you want to buy several sizes and test them out

Bill - willierods.com

I fish slip bobber quite a bit, I don't have a dedicated rod for it. If I did, I'd go with 5-6mm ceramics. Most of my rods have minimas, and I love 'em but they seem "catchy" when passing even very well trimmed bobber stops. Even with 6 or 7mm guides. Not to the point of obstructing the cast - just enough to be a bit annoying. Unless you use braid, I know a few guys who use braid with bobbers and bobber stops, with braid and minimas are a nightmare of sliding knots, catching knots, and tangled lines.

JAy, bring a SLip Bobber rig tomrorow, I have a coupl eof rods with small guides on them. FUji size 4's and Microwave size 5's. THat's thebest way to answer the question. See you in the AM

Jay,
A lot of my clients use slip bobber rods at night when fishing for walleye.
As a result, non of them want to be worried about having to thread a line through a tiny guide, or worrying at all about a knot haning up on a guide.
So, generally speaking I never go smaller than a size 7 running guide. For some of the folks who fish late in the year and have to worry about ice on the lines and guides as well, they specifically ask for guides and tip that are no smaller than a size 8.

For any of the ice rods that we make, and are going to be used in the open and not in a heated shanty, we never go with anything smaller than a size 8 guide and or tip.

With a bobber rod, where much of the rods time is spent in a rod holder, there is very little to be gained by going to an ultra small guide. So, the size 6,7, and 8 guides are pretty much the norm for the dedicated and die hard slip bobber walleye fisher folks.

As Mr. Kirkman has pointed out on numerous occasions, use the guide type and size that is appropriate for the particular rod being used, and appropriate for the particular application of the rod; as well as the client using the rod and any special needs for he/her during a typical period of fishing.

Roger

Jay,
I agree with what Roger said. Keep in mind that some anglers will use he neoprene bobber stops which means #8s for the smallest guides and tip top. When using leeches anglers often use a very small swivel near the hook as the leech when retrieved through the water will cause severe line twist. #8s are needed to easliy pass that swivel. Buzz

great advice from all and good food for thought. The rod will be used for day time spring fishing but it helps to think about the other possible scenarios.

thanks

I recently built a 9'6" steelhead bobber rod for a customer up here in the NW and the BKTAG guides run bobber stops through them very smoothly. I used the BKTAG5.5 guides for that rod. After I had all the guides on I cast it and the stop flowed through very smooth both ways.

This seems backwards, but give it try to see for yourself. Don't trim your bobber stops, or leave at least a 1/4 " of the tag ends or so. The trimmed tag acts as a stub to catch on the guide, longer tag ends actually help the stop go over the guide. The longer tags wind right into your reel with no problems.