Capt. Neil Eisner
Popping corks are great tools. But you should learn how to use them and when to use them. This is not your father’s bobber. The first type I’ll talk about today are the styrofoam style with a slit down the side and a plastic pin down the center. They are green with a red strip around the top. They also come in white. Make sure they’re weighted at the bottom. The advantage of this style is that you can adjust the depth of your bait by moving the cork up and down the line. Here’s a tip, put the line through the slit twice and then place the pin in, this will keep the cork from moving down the line when you pop it. The cork that I like to use is, The Original Paradise Popping Cork. This cork also has a styrofoam body, but it has a fixed titanium pin down the center with a few beads on the shaft. The disadvantage to using this cork, you can’t change the depth of the line on it without cutting a new leader and a retie. To set this cork up you have to cut a piece of leader about 12 to 18 inches and tie it to the bottom of the shaft and then tie the top of the shaft to your leader coming off the rod and reel. The cork will stay in the center of your two ties. The advantage of this style, it makes a better sound when popping. Now that you have your set up, cast your rig out as close to the mangrove overhangs as you can. If the tide is incoming and moving into the mangroves, it will push your cork further back. With short downward jabs, pop it two or three times. The popping sound it makes, sounds like a fish feeding. Other fish will start to look around. Wait a minute or two and repeat. If the tide is moving the water down the side of the mangrove line, this will let you cover a lot of ground. Pop it as it moves along. Once you master the popping cork, maybe you can teach dad a trick or two.Want to learn more, email or call me. I’m your captain, Neil Eisner
