[SmoothLures]

Anyone care to share how you make your own popping cork rigs?

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Smooth, I buy those 3-4" popping corks with the little steel rod through them with the egg sinker and beads already on them. You should be able to pick them up for a couple of bucks apiece or cheaper maybe. Then I usually go with 30 pound test on the leader (I use Berkley Big Game if I have it). You can always add a split shot for extra weight on the leader if needed nearer to the bait. If you're going to be tossing it down at Murrell's Inlet or up at Hog Inlet, I probably wouldn't go over about 4-4 1/2 feet on the leader unless you're wading (at Hog).

I haven't fooled with wire anything in about twenty years since I last made a spinnerbait, so I would not begin to guess the diameter on what that would be if you wanted to make your own, but it couldn't be that difficult, I wouldn't think. IMO, I'd go with the stiffest you could get by with that would pass smoothly through the cork. Along with the wire and the float, you'd need egg sinkers, barrell swivels, beads (on top of the float and on each side of the egg sinker - 3 total).

All that above information is assuming you want the kind of rig with the little steel rod through it, of course. Otherwise, you'll need to pick up some sleeves and do some crimping.

 

[basstardo]

Jann's Netcraft may have the materials to make this, but it's far easier just to buy them at the store IMHO. I rarely use them, but I have a bunch of them that I got from a tackle shop that was going out of business.

 

[narfpoit]

I made some earlier in the summer out of 275# test single strand stainless wire and they turned out great and caught some nice reds. Around here they were selling for $4 each so there was considerable savings in making my own especially since I already had everything except the floats for other projects. And you can adjust you weights to how you like them and mix and match any colors you can find.

 

[SmoothLures]

Thanks guys I think I'll just stick with the store bought ones then.

 

[BubbaHoTep]

Smooth, there's a guy on ebay who sells them, and they work out to be about 2 bucks each and he combines shipping.

Here is his most recent listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/Popping-Cork_W0...ptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

It says he only has one lot of six available right now, but he puts those up there pretty regularly. I've bought from him before. It says in that listing that he's using .31 diameter on the wire.

Yeah, narfpoit, if they're costing 4 bucks apiece it would surely pay to make your own.

 

[SmoothLures]

I've been doing a bit of playing lately and have come up with what I'm going to use. You can't do a lot of prerigging but it doesn't take long to set up.

On your main line:
float stopper/rubber band/whatever > small bead that came with the stops > 2-3 6-8mm glass beads > 3" weighted popping cork threaded on > small black swivel.

You now have a castable cork and rig that can be adjusted to the depth you want without retying and can be used for a number of things.

For your leader:
18" of 20-30 lb flurocarbon line, tied to the swivel and snelled to a 1/0 kahle hook/treble hook/live bait hook/jighead/ect.


This had worked when testing in freshwater ponds. Use the glass beads for noise or plastic if you want, it'll still work.

 

[makomania]

I though about making those floats last year, it looks like the kite fishing floats with the metal grommets on the ends would be perfect adn use brass beads for the weight on the bottom