V7 Bobber

[Jennifer Kovachick]

Abobber, originally called a bob-job from the 1930s through 1990s, is a style of custom motorcycle. The typical construction includes removing the front fender, shortening the rear fender, which is "bobbed" (as in bob-tail), and stripping excess bodywork as well as all superfluous parts to reduce weight.[1][2]

The bob-job evolved from an earlier type of American custom motorcycle, the 'Cut Down', which appeared in the late 1920s, and which was based on the Harley-Davidson 'J' series v-twin. The cut-down was created to modernize the appearance and improve the performance of the aging J-series Harley-Davidson. By removing the front fender, shortening the rear, and removing all excess accessories, the motorcycle was significantly lightened. The cut-down was also characterized by a modified frame, in which the seat tube was lowered and the wheelbase shortened, resulting in a lower, shorter machine, with a sweeping diagonal line between the steering head and rear axle.

In 1933 the AMA introduced Class C racing, which stipulated only catalogued racing motorcycles could be used in sanctioned competition, with points gained towards the National Championship. Class C racers such as the Indian Daytona Scout [3] and Harley-Davidson WLDR and WR [4] were the inspiration of the 'bob-job'; these stripped-down racers had no front fender, an abbreviated rear, and no excess weight. Road riders directly copied the look of the racers for better performance and a measure of style. The first bob-jobs appeared in the mid-1930s, and tended to reflect their somber competition origins, with plain paint jobs and no extra chrome or decoration.

Immediately after World War II, bob-jobs, in parallel with hot rods, were subject to increasingly decorative modifications, including extra chrome plating, metal flake paint jobs, pin striping, and colored upholstery. As early as 1946, Kenneth Howard ('Von Dutch') began modifying his Indian Scout bob-job with wild paint jobs, a smaller gas tank, raised handlebars, and exhaust pipes which turned upwards at the rear.[5] Such modifications became the standard for bob-jobs, which grew in popularity, whether as show bikes [6] or ordinary road bikes. The bob-job evolved through the 1950s and 60s in several directions; some were strictly for the popular motorcycle and hot rod show circuit, some had a distinctive 'club bike' style, some reflected drag racing practice, and some were simply a continuation of the original Class C inspiration.

Bob-jobs reflected the aesthetic tastes of their owners, and were home-built, there being no commercially produced road-going bob-job available until the late 1990s.[7] The style has also influenced motorcycle manufacturers, such as Harley-Davidson[8][9] and Honda.[10]

In the late 1990s, the term bob-job became shortened in popular parlance to 'bobber', and the style saw a resurgence in popularity in the custom motorcycle scene. The bobber continues to be favored today; although hybrid styles have emerged, such as the "bobber chopper", and "retro-bobber".[11] Such bobbers exemplify the continuing evolution of the style, and its enduring popularity.[12]

Choppers, on the other hand, often sport features that actually decrease the safety, handling, and braking ability of the machine. Choppers are more about overall style than overall performance. The driving force of a traditional bobber's style is the original form of the bike. Some parts could be swapped, such as turning around a stock Harley FL front fender and running it on the rear of the motorcycle, but in general stock parts were modified (trimming a fender shorter) or removed.

Instead of the large diameter front wheels of choppers,[14] bobbers[15] usually come with a size similar to the rear rim. Builders mostly use spring saddles, which isn't a must on choppers with their long extended sissy-bars. Springer forks are popular on both bikes, but often mounted with a higher rake in the chopper's triple-tree, to move the front wheel forward. Instead of glossy flake-paintings and chrome parts used for many choppers, a bobber more often comes as a Ratbike in flat paint and/or some rusty parts, though this is more of a modern trend as motorcycles are built to resemble vintage motorcycles that had received a 'bob-job'.

The reality is that every fishery is a little different and there are many ways to skin a cat. What we have found however is that we are often much more effective with slip bobbers by being somewhat unorthodox to conventional slip bobber wisdom. The basis of the system is this; put and keep good bait in front of fish. Some of the nuances however surprise some anglers.

When the fish are biting well, you can use either plain hooks or small jigs and catch fish. Obviously, the number one focus is sitting in a good spot. Both plain hooks and jigs however have a place. There are times for example in strong winds where the swells were big when plain hooks and longer leaders were the ticket. I believe what was happening was that the waves were pushing the presentation up and down too dramatically and by using a longer snell and plain hook; the whole presentation was subdued with less up and down movement. Small jigs on the other hand can add a small flash of color which seems to help at times. A great wide gap hooked jig for slip bobbers is the 1/16 ounce Fire-Ball Jig. Most 1/16 ounce jigs have tiny panfish hooks so a small jig with a walleye size hook is really beneficial. Bait selection can really vary from lake to lake but across the board, leeches are tough to beat below a slip bobber. Especially when using a plain hook, hooking the leech through the middle will increase the swimming motion of the leech and is too much for most walleyes to ignore. Half crawlers can be deadly behind the 1/16 ounce Fireballs, just thread the crawler so it can hang straight off the back of the jig. Minnows are another staple. Shiners are often lip hooked. Chubs and rainbows can be tail hooked.

Slip bobbers are effective and efficient because you can sit on a good spot with a good-looking presentation, i.e. Jumbo leech squirming and swimming frantically about a foot off the bottom, what is there not to love? By making a few adjustments, however, you can fine-tune this presentation to become more efficient when focusing on walleyes.

That said, I believe bobbers are used incorrectly most of the time. They are introduced to anglers without the necessary explanations, and are used as a crutch that encourages bad habits and holds anglers back in the long run.

A bobber is a strike indicator with enough weight to significantly affect the cast. These days, the two most common types are Thingamabobbers and Air Lock indicators, but Corkies and other Styrofoam or plastic creations also fit the bill.

Again, the bobber is a wonderful tool. And the weight is what provides that punch through the wind and what lends more distance to the cast. But that same weight, used without knowledge and a full understanding, has some major drawbacks.

Turnover is the only way for reliable precision, placing not only the fly at the target, but the tippet where it should be too. Honestly, nothing could be more important. Because wherever the tippet is, the fly is going there next.

A few days ago, I ran into a fellow guide on my walk out of a popular access point. He had three guests lined up close together in a nice run near the parking lot. From thirty yards away, I could see that each of them had the same, extra-large Air Lock indy attached. They all lobbed awkward casts across from them into the same long seam.

The setup cast keeps you in control on the river. It allows for repositioning and redirecting the line, leader and fly to the next target. The setup cast gives you a chance to regroup and rethink, too. It keeps you in rhythm by keeping you out of trouble and lending new options to an active angler.

I guess I just continue teaching, rather than sitting back and letting people develop bad habits for the sake of making it easier for them and me. Basically, if they hired me for a fly fishing trip, I believe they deserve to learn fly casting.

Loaded with attitude and blacked-out finishes from fender to bobbed fender. A welded steel tube frame, large headlight bucket with nacelle, and covered forks and rear shocks give a nod to traditional bobber style.

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For many of us, our first time fishing may have been with a bobber. It is not only fun but also highly effective. I use slip bobbers mainly for walleye and crappies but do catch smallmouth and northern pike from time to time.

I often use 1/8 jigs tipped with minnows or leeches underneath my slip bobber. Setting up a slip bobber is very easy to do. 6 lbs. test monofilament is the best choice for line. A slip bobber comes in different sizes and shapes. They all have one thing in common; a cylindrical channel runs through the center of the bobber from top to bottom. Along with the bobber you need a bead and a thread or string that is wrapped around a plastic sleeve. The beads and sleeve are often sold separately but in the same section at most tackle shops. Complete picture steps are shown at the end of the article.

I consider shallow water less than ten feet. To rig your slip bobber slide the plastic sleeve with the thread or string up your line at least eight feet. Now grasp the sleeve and slide the string onto the line towards the rod tip. Grab the ends of the string and pull tight so the string grasps the line tightly. I even use two forceps or needle-nose pliers and snug the string tighter. Next, slide the bead up the line, then slide the bobber up the line; very important to push the line through the bobber inserting the line into the smaller hole located on the top, on the bottom of the bobber the hole is large. Next tie the jig onto the line using an improved clinch not or Palomar knot.

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