Im new to fishing... >>>>Are bobbers only used with live bait? :-[

Nope, not at all.  A lot of bream and crappie fishermen use jigs or other lures under floats.

When I was Steelhead fishing back in the Pacific NW, we were using floats for jigs and such, to keep the bait/lure off the bottom.

I've also seen a number of people use bigger jigs under bobbers while trying for bass.

Or a wacky rigged senko under a bobber.

Float-n-fly tech. uses a bobber in it with a small jig underneath.

And you can use the Gulp! baits that look like corn and grubs and rolled balls of white bread, too.

All the bobber does is hold the bait at a specific level in the water column.

It also tells you that a fish has taken the bait.

And I don't think it really matters the type or size of the bobber, unless you are fishing heavy baits then you will need a larger bobber.

Give it a try.  

Or a wacky rigged senko under a bobber.

I have caught Smallmouth and Largemouth with this setup.

Have you tried the rattle bobbers yet?

We used them with very small chartruece jigs for crappies they work awesome. I haven't tried them with bass worms or larger jigs yet.

Sight, Sound, Smell and Vibration matters.  Trust me when we have it all covered it works.

With the rattle bobber just wiggle the rod tip just a little to call the fish.

Or a wacky rigged senko under a bobber.

Floated down thru some current works really well.

Allen

I often use one when fishing for channel cats as long as the water is shallow enough.  Doesn't have to be live bait (I catch 95% of my catfish on spam!)