How To Rig A Popping Cork For Redfish, Flounder, Snook, & Trout

It’s popping cork time!

I remember when I began inshore fishing, and trying to decide what type of lures to buy and what types of rigs to use.

Whenever you see a flats boat being towed to the ramp, it is almost guaranteed that you will see a rod standing tall amongst the ten other rods on the boat rigged with a bright yellow or orange float.

In most cases, these are popping corks.

They popping corks make a “clicking” noise when retrieved and you will typically have a lure or live bait of your choice attached to the cork by a leader.

The noise that they make is meant to imitate the sound of a crab, shrimp, or baitfish.

And the predator fish like redfish, snook, and trout love it!

Why & When To Use A Popping Cork?

If you are having trouble catching fish in dirty water, you may want to give the popping cork a try.

The noise and disturbance that it creates can draw the attention of a nearby predator in water with limited visibility.

The popping cork also gives a unique action to a soft plastic lure when retrieved.

As you give a tug on the popping cork, it will cause your lure to bounce up off the bottom as if it is a shrimp or baitfish fleeing from a predator.

It will then slowly fall back down to the bottom as you pause your retrieve.

Another advantage of a popping cork rig is that it is very user-friendly.

If you take a kid fishing or bring a friend along that is new to fishing, this rig is super easy to use for beginners and effective at getting them to catch a fish.

All you have to do is be able to cast and move the rod tip every now and then.

And with the weight of the cork and bait/lure, you can launch this even during windy days.

What Bait To Use With A Popping Cork?

The popping cork rig that I show in the video is very effective when used with artificial or live baits.

In fact, you can’t really go wrong with live bait, dead bait (dead shrimp), or artificial lures.

When using artificials, you will be doing most of the work having to retrieve the cork and produce the “clicking” noise to draw the fish to your lure.

My favorite artificial lure to use with a popping cork is the shrimp (either from Berkley Gulp or Z-Man).

I’ve caught countless inshore fish (from redfish, flounder, snook, and trout) using nothing more than a popping cork and a soft plastic shrimp.

Regarding live bait, you can’t go wrong with live or dead shrimp or any small bait fish.

Popping Cork Rigging Tips

When using live bait – especially bait fish – the bait will do most of the work.

As the baitfish swims and tries to flee, it will naturally cause the cork to pop and click, drawing even more attention to itself.

When using shrimp, or “lazy” baitfish that may be very stubborn and not want to move much, you will want to give the popping cork a few tugs every now and then to create the sound and disturbance to help attract the fish.

In the following video, I will be going over some tips for rigging and using a popping cork.

I was also able to get a strike on it while I was out filming (got to love when that happens).

Enjoy!

How To Rig Popping Corks [VIDEO]

Conclusion

In conclusion, these popping corks work!

As you can see in the video, I was even able to get a strike while out filming.

These popping corks are great year-round and they do one of the best jobs of attracting fish to your bait.

The best news is that even newbies can use these corks to catch fish.

Any questions about popping corks or how to rig them for certain situations?

Let me know in the comments.

Related Post: This Is The Only Time To Use A Swivel For Inshore Fishing (see it here now)

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Fish On!