A bobber, including a buoyant body having a cavity at a first end connected with a passageway through the bobber, and a first shielding structure extending from the body at the first end and at least partially surrounding said cavity. When gravity and/or acceleration forces cause the bobber to slide down the fishing line, the diameter or cross-sectional dimension of the bobber body is sufficiently greater than the diameter or size of the first shielding structure to shield or hide the barbed tip of a fishing hook when a portion of the hook is disposed in the bobber cavity and the tip is disposed outside of the first shielding structure.
