There are hundreds of types of corks that can be used for fishing in saltwater. All of them have different applications and everyone has different opinions on which one is the right one to use. Let’s take a few minutes and talk about where each of them could be beneficial in different fishing situations.
Popping Cork
Just stand at the boat ramp on a busy Saturday in the Lowcountry and very few fishing boats will pull out of the water without a popping cork attached to at least one fishing rod. The popping cork usually consists of a cork suspended on a piece of wire with beads. This setup provides a popping action that simulates a school of baitfish on top of the water. This is one of the pros of choosing this cork. One of the disadvantages is that it isn’t adjustable like a sliding popping cork or a slip float. Once you tie your leader on that’s the depth you’re stuck at until you re-tie or reduce the length of your leader. Captain Simon chooses this cork due to its weight (making it easier to cast for clients) also the size enhances the visibility of a strike for fisherman on the boat. His favorite popping cork is the DOA Clacker (pictured below)
Adjustable Sliding Cork
Captain Joel finds the Adjustable Sliding Cork to be most effective for his inshore fishing charter clients. The Adjustable cork is usually assisted by a spring that enables it to slide up and down the line when compressed and then locks onto the line once a chosen depth is selected for the leader. It doesn’t provide any noise and is strictly use to fish a selected depth but covers territory the same as the other corks we’ve discussed. Billy Bay produces a good selection of adjustable sliding corks.
Slip Float
The slip float rig is a very situational rig. It doesn’t come into play often, but when it does it is a fantastic tool to have. You just can’t set your standard popping corks or adjustable sliding corks to fish in really deep water because of the amount of line you have to cast. This is where the slip float comes into place. Imagine you have a nice piece of structure in 10 feet that you would like to float a bait around or near but not into. A slip float rig allows you to do this. It has a bead that stops on a stop knot. Check out the awesome diagram provided by in-fisherman.com below.
Next time you’re in your local tackle shop pick up a few of these items. All of them can help in your next fishing trip.
See you next time for more Wheelhouse Wisdom from the Water.
