Tip up line markers

For years I've used small, red/white, clip-on bobbers to mark depth on my tip ups.

I've seen some advertisers selling shirt buttons, and have heard of people using the sliding foam bobbers you pin in place with a toothpick.  Has anyone tried the buttons, and are they easy to slide up/down?  Do you have a problem with them slipping and changing your depth?

I like a small split shot. I fish mainly pike with 8lb mono leaders, so alot of the times the fish is taking back line and they slip through your fingers easily. where buttons and bobbers if your not paying attention you tend to grab or catch your fingers as the line is going back out, and potentially snap your line. They are small,hold the line well, and are easy to adjust.

Another vote for buttons. Can't imagine anything easier. They never come off, get dropped, or lost. They slide easy if you grab them on the edge and hold it "perpendicular" to the line.

Depending on the line size and button hole size, experiment with wrapping more or less times and going in different direction thru button holes to get the resistance that you want.

Thanks for all the replies.

Muskyjo - have to disagree about the larger bobber - it would do the opposite and add resistance to the bait - fish have to pull/swim harder to take it down and trip the flag.

I use my Vexilar also to set my tip-ups or whatever instead of using a depth weight, but it's also nice to have some sort of indicator on your line to know if it's a fish or minnow/bait trip, especially when most time's your not constantly watching your rigs or multiple line's.

I have used buttons for forty years. They work great. Try a bigger hole one.

I started using buttons, and still do on some of my boards.  However the last few years I've been using large beads.  I have the 20lb dacron for a mail line and the beads I use have a large center hole.  I slide the bead on and then loop it back through before attaching the swivel.  The only time it's a pain is when the line freezes and you need to adjust depth.  The bead won't slide at all and won't hang up on the bottom of the ice.   

I just use the vex to set the depth of the bait on tip ups and tip downs!

I've used both buttons and bobbers. Both work, like the idea of use small slip bobbers though, person can always find something to plug a hole if loose your toothpick.Colored bobber stops I could see, might have problems with over tightening on certain lines after a while though when you want to adjust depth setting, plus ice buildup.

Don't know if it's a good tip or helps, but a more serious tip-up fisherman once told me he like's to use a bigger bobber as a indicator. He felt the lift of a bigger bobber gave light biting fish less resistance when taking the bait. Hence less Minnow/Bait trips and flags.

I've been using buttons for 35 yrs.  Never had an issue - no broken lines, seldom slide, wrap up easy, don't get caught on stuff, cheap, etc.  It's the way to go.

I use the same small buttons grizwald shows and have had zero problems in the ten years I've been using them. pull the line through at little bit of and able to the button and you can strip 20 feet of line through in seconds.

Have used small buttons for some 30 years. Have not ever had much issues with them. Some times they do wear out. Just like anything a Little maintenance goes a long way. I like the fact it's always on the line. Can never forget them. Plus the roll up on spool. Easy to slide with gloves on. Never had one catch on ice. Bonus is if you got wife that sews, probably got some in the house.

Another option I just thought of is to get some alligator clips. Then you can clip to your line wherever you want, and when you're done, take it off and clip it to the edge of the spool so you don't lose it. Not sure why that wouldn't work. 

I've had buttons crack and shatter while fighting fish and the button gets hung up on the edge of the hole. The problem then is rerigging a new button when it's -10 with a 15 mph wind. All the fun comes out of the sails about that time.

I used to use the little bobbers but the ones nowadays are either too big, or the tiny ones are cheaply made and break or the wire bends easily. Slip bobber knots set into the dacron and don't move once tightened. Not an option unless I'm fishing the same holes every night, and I'm not.

Slip bobbers and the toothpick with spare toothpicks is the way to go. You never lose the bobber. Just make sure you put the toothpick in the bottom of the bobber. That way when you bring the line up while fighting a fish, it won't snag on the bottom of the ice.

I also like slip bobber stops. They have no drag and easy enough to move.

Buttons kinda' suck if you fish varied depths...like one day you're fishing shallow weeds and the next day you're fishing deep rocks.  The sliding toothpick deal is OK until you lose the pick and don't have anything handy to replace it with.

I've tried them all and go back to the little bobbers.  The buttons would be my second choice.