Popping corks are among the finest methods to focus on actively feeding speckled trout and redfish. And yearly, I will wager that lots of of 1000’s of anglers pitch tender plastics or dwell bait beneath them alongside the salt marshes and shallow coasts of the Gulf.
But when there’s one factor I’ve discovered in my time at USAngler, it is that the high-end professionals use deal with and equipment in another way than the weekend joes.
If you wish to catch extra reds and specks this yr, maintain studying!
I will provide you with a number of ideas and tips which have been handed alongside to me by among the finest fishermen I’ve ever met.
Popping Cork Fundamentals
Popping corks are designed to do three issues successfully.
First, they float on the floor, offering bouyancy in your tender plastic or dwell bait. This additionally permits you a transparent image of when your providing will get hit.
Second, as their title suggests, they create noise and vibration. Relying on the fashion and design, this may be loud – for giant waves and noisy environments – or calm – for quiet water and spooked fish.
Third, they supply sufficient weight to permit for lengthy casts, although relying on what you provide as bait, you should still want so as to add a little bit of break up shot to maintain your terminal deal with on the depth you want.
I’ve used fairly all kinds of poppers, and most will get the job the finished simply tremendous, in case you do your half.
My favorities are made by H&H, particularly the Huge Ballin’ Popping Corks. However I am additionally a fan of the Bomber Paradise Popper X-Treme.
Now, it is necessary to appreciate that there are some distinct variations between popping corks designed for specks and corks supposed for reds.
I’ve written about speckled trout and reds earlier than, and you must take a look at these articles in case you want a refresher. Specks are inclined to hunt close to the floor, excessive within the water column. Against this, reds run close to the underside. If that have been the one signigicant distinction, one cork design would nonetheless be sufficient, however there’s much more to grasp about popping corks and the way to decide on them.
Thunder or rumble? What makes your cork pop
When speckled trout are feedingt actively on mullet or shrimp, they’re keying-in on the refined vibrations and wriggling vortices created by these prey objects. Shrimp do not thunder via the water, and even hand-sized mullet aren’t making an enormous racket. As a substitute, these are comparatively quiet sounds.
Against this, when a purple hits a crab or engulfs a shrimp, that is lots louder than you’d suppose. And the marshy environments, seashores, and different prime areas for redfish are inclined to have loads of background noise. It’s vital theat your bait have a loud popper to draw consideration.
What makes a “loud” popper noisy and a refined popper quiet is its design, particularly the form of the cork itself in addition to its rattling beads.
Concave designs create quite a lot of noise and vibration as you pulse them on the floor, and so they usually include loads of clacking beads to extend quantity and curiosity.
Oval designs provide extra finesse, sliding via the water as they’re labored reasonably than creating the loud thump concave corks will.
Hold this in thoughts: specks usually (however not all the time) demand a “quiet” popper. Crimson usually (however not all the time) reply higher to a “loud” popper.
Stiff wire or skinny?
Some popping corks include a really stiff metal wire that takes signigicant drive to bend. Different are skinny, whippy affairs that rock in even the slightest waves.
Typically, the louder fashion of popping cork comes with a stiff wire, whereas the extra refined fashion options the skinny various.
That issues as a result of in heavier waves or chop, particularly on windy days, skinny wire poppers are inclined to lean over, turning into all however invisible within the trough of a wave. The heavy wire model have a tendency to stay upright, protecting them extra seen.
Hook alternative
Loads of anglers run a conventional Kahle hook beneath their popping cork, relying on split-second response and a relentless eye on their cork.
Kahle hooks have been designed for dwell and lower bait, and their large bend and quick shank are excellent for this function. However as skilled fishermen can attest, in case you miss the strike with a kahle hook, you are both going to lose the fish, or extra seemingly, find yourself with a intestine hooked speck or purple.
As a substitute, I like to recommend a correctly sized circle hook from a model like Gamakatsu.
The reason being clear.
Circle hooks are deigned to self-hook, turning their level to catch the fish’s mouth mechanically. All you do is begin reeling, no hookset required.
The lead to the true world is that circle hooks are vastly much less prone to intestine hook fish, and since exact timing is not required, (the place authorized) you may maintain a rod or two rigged and in a rod holder when you actively fish. Any rod that will get hit will lead to a correctly hooked fish.
Simply please do not attempt that with a kahle hook!
Two ideas that can make you a extra environment friendly angler
I spoke with a pal who’s spent as a lot time on the water in south Louisiana as any man or girl alive. He is caught numerous reds and specks, and he takes fishing severely.
When he imparted his popping cork ideas, you higher consider I used to be all ears!
Try to be, too.
Tip 1: Use a snap swivel
The primary tip he supplied was to connect my terminal deal with – every thing from the popping cork down – with a snap swivel.
That sounded unusual at first, since I normally simply tie my braid on to the everlasting swivel on the high of the cork, however his clarification was on level.
With a snap swivel in place, you may change terminal deal with right away. No tying, no reducing, no trouble – you are proper again within the motion. That issues lots if you lastly get on the fish and their hammering your bait. You wish to be fishing, not rigging in these essential minutes.
Tip 2: Put together your popping corks
This is the true genius of his strategy: earlier than you hit the water, fully rig 5 – 6 popping corks with terminal deal with.
Select frequent depths for the place you fish, say one, three, and 5 ft for specks, and 4, three, and two ft for reds in shallow marshes. I am positive you get the concept. Use a magic marker to notice the size of line beneath the cork on the aspect of your popper, so you recognize at a look the depth it is going to float your shrimp or mullet.
Then, rigorously tie in your snap swivel, taking actual time to make sure the knot is ideal.
On the water, when the fish begin hitting a specific depth, you may change to thatg instantly. Equally, in case you’re altering depths rapidly to focus on new areas, you may run thr gamut till you discover what works, or select the best depth for the state of affairs.
I am telling you proper now that this protects extra time and trouble than you may think about, protecting you fishing quicker, longer, and extra productively.
Remaining Ideas
These two easy ideas have saved me hours on the water and helped me catch extra fish, extra constantly.
I am positive they’re going to do the identical for you!
