How To Catch Big Redfish With A Lure Under A Popping Cork
- By: Wyatt Parcel
- on
Using popping corks is a very common approach to catching big redfish.
But have you used a big paddletail with a popping cork to target bull reds?
And, are you retrieving your popping cork correctly to ensure you hook up with these fish?
Check out this new video to learn how to rig and retrieve big paddletails under a popping cork (to catch bull redfish)!
How To Catch Big Redfish With Popping Corks [VIDEO]
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The Slam Shady Bomber has been crushing redfish under a popping cork!
And your jighead weight can vary (based on conditions) but you should aim for a 3/8 ounce jighead.
For even better results, apply some Dr. Juice to your soft plastics before casting into the water.
When you’re casting with a popping cork, it is less of a whipping motion and more of a lofted cast.
This helps prevent the line from getting wrapped around the cork before it hits the water.
On the retrieve, make sure your line is tight and you point the tip of the rod at the cork.
Keep your rod tip down and break your wrist in a twitching motion to jerk the cork while reeling the line in simultaneously.
Avoid lifting your rod or bringing it to the side to prevent getting tip wrapped.
The aim is to mimic a baitfish and create noise on the surface to attract a redfish to come up and strike the lure.
After popping the cork a couple of times, pause and let it sit.
Make sure you work the cork all the way to the boat because the redfish can strike at any moment.
Have any questions about what conditions are best for a popping cork or how to use one?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who wants to catch big reds using a popping cork, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Awesome video Captain and Wyatt !!! Nice bull red
Great info on Lobbing the “Cork”! Cant wait to try that out as I have been doing that all wrong!
No problem Bob! Sounds like you’ll be set for next time… can’t wait to see what you catch!
Got to love Venice! I grew up fishing North and South Black Bay, Sandy Point Rigs, Tiger Pass – Awesome! Under a popping cork is how you do it! Even in the open water. I’m looking for that Redfish action in Tampa! Just moved here last year.
Venice is a magical place for sure! There’s definitley some bull action like this in Tampa… I’ve seen a few reports of big schools of reds right near the close reefs nearshore if you can get out there! Some have even been sighted feeding on the surface, so this presentation would be perfect!
Hollywood great lesson thank you, how much leader should I use below the cork, fishing in 10 to 20 ‘ along an edge where the bulls are hanging out, thanks again
That was close to the depth we were fishing, and it seemed like a leader of 2-3 feet did the trick!
Thanks Whiteclaw 🤣
Should work.
Personally, I prefer my paddle tails unweighted. I like to rely on big tides, maybe 7kt, or wreck / reef drifting.
History for those interested.
You guys may not realise that the first commercial use of “Paddle Tails” was in the 1950s, Cornwall, United Kingdom for catching pollack and coalfish.
Lightish line to an “L” shaped wire frame, weight attached to the angle, trace, as long as the boat off a swivel to the longer arm.
Fished on the drift. Toss in the rubber eel, wait for the trace to extend, then the weighted “Flying Collar”. Depth of the lead controls the depth of the lure, swimmimg freely maybe 30′ away. “Ostend” lead with a side wire is now tidier. “Red Gill” recommend pink fluoro.
Helps the sink and the slight stiffness focuses the action into the tail.
“Flying Collars” may be big when fishing deep for big cod off Norway. Yes, we still have abundant cod to 100lbs. Tell that to the US and Canadian commercial fisheries.
Imitation 4″ eel paddle tails were made commercially available under the “Red Gill” brand, initially based in Cornwall, now along the coast in Dorset. Still the best.
The tails are unique, patented. Three sizes and a fashion shop of colours.
With or without an integrated Mustad weighted hook.
Spanked Bottom Pink works best for us. LOL.
Keep drifting.
Malcolm Hayward.
Interesting stuff on the paddletail! Thanks for sharing Malcom!!!
10″ ? pretty deep, how long a leader?
The leader we used in this video was about 2ft, but if you’re fishing a shallow grass flat, try to adjust the leader so the bait sits a few inches out of the grass on the bottom!
What if you’re in Tampa Bay in 2-3 feet of water? How much leader do you use?
In 2-3 feet, I would use a leader that’s about a 1.5ft long. You want the lure to essentially be eye level or just slightly above their heads if you’re fishing on shallow grass flats. This was in deeper water where fish were coming up from the bottom to feed on bait schools on the surface, with most of the activity at around 2ft under the surface. But on flats, that’s not usually the case, so keeping it just above the grass is always a safe bet!
You can also use a nail knot to adjust the depth between the cork and your lure. This allows you to tie one 36″ leader that and be adjusted anywhere between 6″ to 3′. We use this technique in South Carolina and we catch
Specs, Redfish, Black Drum, & Flounder. It works great with live shrimp or mud minnows instead of a jig head and soft plastic
How far from shoreline were you fishing.
There were several areas shown in the video. Some zones were extremely far from the shoreline, others were only a hundred yards or so.
So this could work in North Fl around the inlets?
Absolutely! The big key is knowing where the fish are before you start throwing though… the popping cork isn’t a searching tool, but rather a dinner bell to bring fish in once you’re in the right area! Identify them on the fish finder or by visually spotting them busting bait, then throw the cork, and hold on tight!