Bobber Stop Knot

A grip set on the main line to hold a position, carrying no fish load.

• !Too few wraps for a slick line, so it creeps under casting
• !Drawn down hard enough to flatten the main line — a weak point built on purpose
• !Tags trimmed flush, so it jams in a guide and can no longer be slid

• !Too few turns, so the stop creeps along the line over a few casts
• !Pulled down hard enough to flatten or kink the main line under it
• !Tags cut flush, so a stop that loosens cannot be snugged up and catches in a guide
• !Turns laid over each other instead of side by side

• Stop creeps along the main line

  The bait fishes deeper every cast and you stop knowing where it is

  Grip comes from wrap count and stopper material, not from how hard it is pulled. · step 02

• Main line deformed under the stop

  A weak spot built deliberately into the middle of the main line

  A stop pulled past snug crushes mono; the flat spot is where the line will break. · step 03

• Tags trimmed flush so the stop jams in a guide

  Catches on the cast, and cannot be slid to change depth

  The long tags are what let it fold through a guide and what you grip to move it. · step 04

• The float creeps deeper over a few casts

  Check

  • ?Mark the line and watch whether the stop has moved after ten casts

  Then

  • →Add a wrap
  • →Switch to Dacron backing as the stopper material

• The stop catches in a guide on the cast or the retrieve

  Check

  • ?Draw the stop through the tip guide by hand

  Then

  • →Retie leaving longer tags
  • →Re-dress the wraps so they lie side by side

• The main line shows a flat spot or a curl where the stop has been sitting

  Check

  • ?Slide the stop and run the line between your fingers

  Then

  • →Cut back past the marked section and re-rig
  • →Set the next stop snug rather than crushed

• Finished check failed — Stopper slides freely

  Check

  • ?Stopper grips the line without cutting
  • ?Position holds after cast pressure
  • ?Coils neat and short

  Then

  • →Retie. A sliding stopper ruins depth control; an over-tight one nicks main line.

• Stop creeps along the main line

  Check

  • ?The bait fishes deeper every cast and you stop knowing where it is
  • ?Inspect step 02

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Main line deformed under the stop

  Check

  • ?A weak spot built deliberately into the middle of the main line
  • ?Inspect step 03

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Tags trimmed flush so the stop jams in a guide

  Check

  • ?Catches on the cast, and cannot be slid to change depth
  • ?Inspect step 04

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.