Easy Bite Ice Fishing Information Questions and Answers
The revolutionary replacement for the historic ice fishing spring bobber! Catch more fish with negative bite indication.
Here are some frequently asked questions, if they are not listed below feel free to contact us or send an email to easybite@wi.rr.com
Q What is a positive fish bite.
A Typically a bite with the fish pulling in a downward motion.
Q What is a negative fish bite.
A An upward, pulling back and sometimes sideways motion a fish will bite in. Anything bite that lifts or takes weight away from the bait
Q What type of fishing rod is recommended.
A Most any rod will work, but a stiffer fishing rod is definitely better. Stiffer gives you a quicker and stronger hook set and doesn’t allow fish to drop or spit bait out.
Q Will I get line freeze that I get from my spring bobber.
A Not easily, the Easy Bite eyelet hole is ¼ round inside and is tooled very smooth to avoid ice buildup.
Q What’s the sensitivity versus the most sensitive spring bobbers.
A 1000th of an ounce created movement with the balance bobber
Q What’s the benefit fishing from a neutral position.
A On a negative fish bite the counter weight reaction gives the fish a sensation of weightlessness allowing them to further inhale/swallow the bait.
Q If a fish hits bait but doesn’t take it how does the Easy Bite react.
A If set level it will return to its neutral position.
Q How long does the Easy Bite glow..
A About 3 hours, the first hour very bright.
Q How does the glow feature work
A Particles in the plastic activate with UV light (sunlight) or a UV charger
Q What jig/lure weights can I use.
A Easy Bite is fully adjustable you can use micro jigs to about ½ ounce in weight.
Q Can I use live bait such as minnows.
A Yes, minnows will only give a real slight wiggle motion to the bobber no quick up or downward motion is seen.
Q What the best way to read a bite.
A Patience! Patience! Patience! After the initial fish strike watch to see what and where the fish is going with the bait.
Q Can I dead stick with the Easy Bite.
A One of the most effective methods. Fish sometimes want no movement of the bait. (remember: use a barrel swivel about 1 foot from jig so bait will not spin).
Q Is there a preferred method when fish are on a negative bite.
A With the use of a locator, stop bait about 3’ above fish then slower lower bait down to fish. As they come up and take bait they will hit it in an upward motion tipping the Easy Bite backward. Set hook.
Q How do attach Easy Bite Bobber to my fishing rod.
A See directions below.
Q How do I adjust for heavier jigs/lures.
A Remove end cap and eyelet piece, remove counter weight. Slide heavier counter weight through circular pivot piece. (see directions below)
Q How do adjust the Easy Bite Bobber.
A Attach your desired jig, hold rod level to the ground. Slide (push or pull) the main tube until it sits level with the fishing rod.(see directions below)
Q Spring bobbers get damaged very easily, how is the Easy Bite better.
A It’s built out of semi-rigid plastics and flexible nylon. Very difficult to break.
The History
For years past and today’s anglers use the trusty old spring type bobber or floats. Some of these spring bobbers are offered by companies while others made their own from parts they had in their garage.
Why spring bobbers are so widely used is that they offer the person using them a fairly sensitive bite indicator. Spring bobbers mainly show the typical fish bite in a positive downward motion which is fairly easy to read when fish are aggressive.
Though spring bobbers are sensitive they do have several limitations.
- They are difficult to thread especially with ultra thin lines and cold fingers.
- Being a spring, after catching fish they become stretched losing their sensitivity.
- Fishing conditions are tough and spring bobbers don’t take abuse well and can get caught, stretch and break.
- Spring bobbers don’t allow you to fish with heavier jigs/lures and if you go heavy you lose the sensitivity and action of the spring.
- In outside conditions they can very easily ice up or get line freeze
- Because of their size and color they are very difficult to see in low light conditions. Especially inside an ice house or portable shelter.
- For most part offer a visual positive fish bite in a downward motion and not be able to indicate other ways fish attack or inhale their food.
The first balance bobber was invented and patented in the 1990’s to enable anglers a more visual way to read how fish were biting.
Balance technology is a simple design concept which allows the user several different ways to see how fish are biting.
We all have experienced the typical bounce of a spring, rod tip or bobbing motion of a float. This type of positive bite or pulling downward is very typical of fish that are in an aggressive feeding mode. On those days it usually doesn’t matter what you have in your hand or tied to your line, seeing and feeling the bite is very easy, those days you are going to catch fish.
The easy Bite bobber offers you a bigger advantage that the most sensitive spring or floats can’t.
First let us look at what is balance technology. Basically by taking an elongated object such as a pencil, place it on your finger at its center point, you have it in a neutral position and it is balanced. Now whether you push down (positive motion) on one end or lift up (negative motion) you’re going to create movement in the opposite direction. Now having an object that is long it’s going to react is a very visual way.
When fish bite and pull the bait down or grab and swim that is what is referred to as a positive bite. This is typical of fish that are in an aggressive mood and they simply seem to be slamming the bait. But as we get deeper into the winter months, fish patterns change, fishing pressure and the constant harassment from larger fish have their effects on how fish want to bite. How many times have we sat looking at a locator or screen marking fish who appear to be swimming up to our jig and then……….nothing. Sometimes they are actually taking the bait; we just can’t see the bite.
Here are some examples of a negative fish bite.
- Fish swimming up underneath the bait, swallowing in an upward type motion.
- Approach the bait, inhale and remaining motionless.
- Inhale the bait and swim away( back straight out )
- Grab the bait, turn left or right but not up or down.
Negative bites are very hard and sometimes impossible to see with a spring or float type bobbers. The Easy Bite Bobber will indicate all the bites above and will give you a very visual tipping back motion.
An important feature of the Easy Bite is that it is counter weighted. Simply put if a fish inhales its food and puts any kind of slack in the line the Easy Bite counter weight action gives fish a sense of having something weightless in its mouth allowing it to further swallow it and give the angler valuable seconds for a better hook set. That’s a deadly feature.
Being fully adjustable is another great feature the Easy Bite bobber has to offer. By simply sliding the main tube backward or forward you change the counter weight to whatever weight jig/lure is in use. Simply hold your fishing rod level to the ice and make sure the Easy Bite is level with the rod ( it does not have to be exactly level ). Included is a larger counter weight which accommodates up to about a ½ ounce jig which puts you in the game for larger fish such as walleye, bass and trout. The use of heavier jigs/lures gives the Easy Bite its most sensitivity when fish go negative. More weight = more sensitivity. One system you can use for all species of fish.
By the time you put your equipment into a bucket, load your car, drive, pull it out, load it into a sled or at and travel across drifts and rough ice equipment needs to be able to endure some tough conditions. The Easy Bite is made from tough semi-rigid plastics and flexible nylons which allows it to take a ton of abuse. So you won’t have to protect it like a valuable gem and worry about getting to your spot to only see it broke or bent.
When fishing in the cold a common complaint among anglers is the constant struggle with line freeze with smaller eyelets, floats freezing in the hole and spring bobbers getting iced up when trying to reel in fish. All of these conditions can affect the sensitivity of whatever type bite indicator they are using. The Easy Bite’s design makes it possible to avoid these conditions. The eyelet is molded to ¼ inch diameter so ice can’t build up so easy. The material is a semi-rigid plastic molded very smooth to keep ice from sticking to the eyelet.
A lot of thought when into the visual benefit of the Easy Bite Bobber, however we took it a step further by making a portions of the plastic glow. The main tube along with the eyelet has a self charging material inside of the molded plastic. This material charges with ultra violet light so any exposure to sunlight or a UV Charger will activate the particles causing them to glow. The main reason we added this feature is in the early morning, dusk or fishing inside a portable it can become very dim and difficult to see a float move of spring bobber react. The glow feature if charged long enough with glow very brightly for about an hour and continue to glow for about 2 additional hours after that. The glow feature will get you through those dark or dim conditions and give you a very visible bright movement. So bright you would be able to fish in the dark and see fish bite.
Most anglers have their favorite rod and reels they like to use. The Easy Bite Bobber has a very simple clip attachment which gives you the option to fit any fishing rod, that way you won’t have to invest in a new fishing rod. If possible the use of a stiffer rod is always the way to go. This allows for a quicker hook set combined with low stretch line will give you better odds of success with less missed hook sets.
Having an unbelievable visual feature one of the most rewarding benefits the Easy Bite has is that it is so easy to use kids can use it. I’ve given it to my 6 year old and once I tell him what he is going to see he can fish on his own without my assistance. This gives us all a great opportunity to keep our kids involved in the sport and gives us more time to spend with them. It takes years to hone our skills as anglers and reading a bite the old fashion way can be very difficult especially when trying to teach a youngster. We guarantee kids will be able to use this product.
