Put a popping cork to work

Capt. Ronnie Daniels with Fisher-Man Guide Service has two go-to baits in November when the trout are gorging themselves on anything that swims by. He fishes a Vudu Shrimp under a Boat Monkey popping cork and he throws a Vudu Mullet.

“This is the time of year that the Vudu Shrimp is absolutely deadly under a popping cork,” Daniels said. “My three favorite colors are ghost, natural and brown.”

Daniels fishes the popping cork combo on a spinning rig that consists of a 7-foot medium-action Speedeaux Custom Rod, a Penn Battle 3000 spooled with 30-pound SpiderWire Invisi-Braid and a 24- to 36-inch 20-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament leader (leader length is based on depth he’s fishing).

When Daniels ties on a popping cork, he ties the main line to the end of the cork with glass beads, and he ties his leader to the end of the cork with the brass beads and/or lead weight.

Casting a popping cork may seem cumbersome at first, but, with a little practice, they can be launched long distance.

Daniels’ casting tips for clients

• With the rod in your right hand, open the spinning reel’s bale with your left hand while holding the line with your right index finger.
• Carefully swing the rig behind you so the rod is at a 45-degree angle.
•  Place your left hand on the butt of the rod and pull it down, while pushing forward with your right hand.
• Let go of the line with your index finger when the rod tip is at 45-degrees in front of you, but follow through so the rod tip ends up pointed at your target.
• Use your left hand to feather the line coming off the bale if you need to stop your bait short of the shoreline.

With a little practice you’ll be surprised how far you can cast with a spinning reel.

To work the popping cork, Daniels instructs his clients:

• When the combo hits the water give the bait a few seconds to sink, then reel up any slack in the line.
• With the rod tip pointed downward, give the rod a quick jerk. The goal is to make the cork sound like a trout striking at prey that is fleeing on top. The sound of the cork gets the trout’s attention and the fluttering Vudu Shrimp entices the strike.
• Adjust the pause between pops until the fish tell you how they want it.
• Keep a close eye on your cork and slowly reel your line in to keep the line somewhat taut. A lot of slack between you and your cork will result in missed fish.