Easy Popping Cork Hack To Save You Time On The Water
- By: Richard Thomas
- on
Stop wasting time out on the water with this easy popping cork hack!!
Popping cork systems allow you to draw natural attention to your lure and swim a presentation at the desired depth.
Learn more right here in this video!
Easy Popping Cork Hack [VIDEO]
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Featured Equipment:
- Four Horsemen Popping Cork
- VMC Crankbait Snaps
- Power Prawn U.S.A. Jr.
- Z-Man Trout Eye Jighead
- F.R.E.D. Paddletail
- 4-inch Z-Man Jerk ShadZ
- Z-Man Texas Eye Jighead
In this demonstration, our popping cork system consists of a Four Horsemen Popping Cork, VMC Crankbait Snaps, and your favorite lure of choice to use under popping corks.
Anglers often run into two major issues when using popping corks.
These are when they want to fish in different areas or switch out lures.
The problem is your leader is tied directly to the popping cork system itself.
You won’t be able to change out quickly without having to re-tie the entire system.
This is where the VMC Crankbait Snaps come into play.
In order to switch out systems or lures with ease, you need to tie your leader line directly to a Crankbait Snap and then attach the popping cork system to the small snap.
As far as knots go, you only want to use a snug knot to secure the leader to the snap for this system.
Be sure to tie the knot on the smaller, narrower end of the snap and not the wider end.
Now, you can slide entire popping cork systems on and off with ease.
Additionally, there is no need to be concerned about the strength of these swivels.
They are more than capable of handling big inshore species like redfish, snook, seatrout, and more.
Moreover, you can also have pre-set leader lines attached to lures ready to go for use on this system.
Before you head out on the water, you can get 2-3 setups, or however many you want, ready so that you can quickly change out lures when you want.
This gives you the ability to change leader lengths to fish different depths as well as have different lures rigged and ready for different scenarios.
Lure Connections
Some anglers also prefer to put additional snaps on the end of their line to swap in and out different lures.
There is truly no need for additional snaps if you are using one to connect the system to your lures.
Your knot of choice whether that be a loop or snug knot will work best.
This reduces the hardware near your lure and allows you to use different leader lengths with different lures.
Top 3 Lures To Use Under A Popping Cork
The most common and effective presentation under a popping cork is any type of artificial shrimp imitation.
Currently, our favorite is the Power Prawn U.S.A. Jr. artificial shrimp lure.
These lures look exactly like shrimp and fit the profile for this time of year.
Secondly, our next favorite is the F.R.E.D. Paddletail.
The F.R.E.D. is a pink paddletail with silver flecks sprinkled throughout.
Any color will work but pink is especially effective because it is a bit more like the color of a shrimp.
Also, it is best to use these lures when there are not just shrimp around but also finger mullet and other small bait.
The F.R.E.D. can still mimic a baitfish while also appearing like a bouncing shrimp.
Finally, our third favorite lure under a popping cork is a 4-inch Z-Man Jerk Shad.
The same concept as with the F.R.E.D. applies to the Jerk Shad in that it covers both baitfish and shrimp behavior.
As far as jighead choice, the Z-Man Texas Eye Jighead matches up perfectly with this lure and even adds additional rattle due to its design.
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Conclusion
Here at Salt Strong, we are always thinking of ways to save you both time and money when out on the water while at the same time hooking into more fish.
By implementing this easy popping cork hack, you can quickly change out lure presentations and change depths without wasting time tying new leaders and knots.
Be sure to head over to our shop and pick up everything you need to recreate this exact popping cork system!
Do you have any more questions about this easy popping cork hack?
Let me know down below!!
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Yea while I dont use popping corks very much I do use a bill norman speed clip to attach all my plugs makes changing them out very easy plus it gives the plug freedom of movement like a loop knot does thanks for the info and all you do😉👍
Norman is another good brand as well! Thanks Steven!
Richard, great tips!
I already keep pre cut leaders in different lengths and weights (marked for easy ID). I will add the quick clipped leaders to my wade bag! I, too – like a few other members, am just learning the art of arties under corks. (Egg bobbers & cupped bobbers).
Appreciate it Neal! It really does save you a ton of time and hassle. Yeah I almost always carry one with me this time of year!
Thanks Richard. I have yet to attempt to employ the popping cork for fishing… but I am gearing up for it! The crankbait snaps is the piece of gear that I have been looking for to quickly adjust the leader for the depth of the water. I have a couple of the paradise poppers and it should work great! What advantages to you think the 4 horseman has over the paradise poppers?
Salt Strong! Thomas
They’re great and we just got them in the shop page! So I honestly like both, the pitch is slightly different. The 4 horseman is definitely easier to throw however in my opinion. Both are great quality overall.
Thanks Richard. I will give them both a shot!
Salt Strong! Thomas
Awesome tips Rich! Look forward to trying it soon!
Right on man!
Great tips Richard!
Appreciate it Luke!
Now to complete the hack I take a typical small rectangular sponge(kitchen sponge) and wrap my various length and type of clip on rigs around the long way of the sponge and just embedding the snap and hook into the soft sponge. Voila!!
Awesome tip David!!
Great stuff, def will give it a go soon. Thanks
Awesome Jason, good luck!
I’ve never fished an artificial under a popping cork before Richard but gonna give this a try next time out. Do you prefer to cast this up current or down or both?
Tim it’s a great option! So I do both, depends on the situation and making sure boat positioning is correct for that particular spot. I do think it’s a bit easier though to throw up current, that way you are reeling in the slack instead of giving line to the cork.
Tim, I use a popping cork and slam shady all the time and have caught more than a thousand trout between myself and my clients this way. Best way is to find a good flat, set the power poles and cast down wind. The longer the cast the better sized fish you will find. If no bites, raise the poles and drift one cast length then stop again. If the wind is gentle you can drift the entire time. When windy, it is pretty difficult to keep up with the speed of the drift. Be aware that some of the bites can be incredible. Much harder than a normal bite while retrieving a paddletail. You will also catch Jacks, Ladyfish, Mackerel, Bluefish, and yes, even Catfish this way.
Tight lines