In addition to the chunk-and-wind routine, late-summer trout anglers fishing Breton Island or other coastal island will do well to keep a cork rig handy.
This setup accommodates a wide range of natural and artificial baits. You have the ability to vary your presentations from active to dead sticking.
“A cork rig is user friendly because it’s a strike indicator,” Cajun Fishing Adventures’ Capt. Joe DiMarco said. “Also, it forces anglers to slow down. That’s the biggest thing in hot water: If you think you’re fishing slow, then slow down even more.”
Fellow guide Capt. Ross Montet also appreciates the cork rig. So much so, that he’ll keep a couple of options handy:
1) Fixed-leader popping cork
Purpose: Good for targeting a predetermined depth.
Setup: Connect 30-pound braided main line to a 30-pound fluorocarbon leader, and then tie that leader to the top swivel of a wire-stem popping cork rig.
To the rig’s bottom swivel, tie an 18-inch drop leader with a split shot a few inches above a 3/0 Mustad wide gap live bait hook.
2) Sliding cork
Purpose: Used for optimal depth control and the ability to sit a bait right on the bottom.
Setup: Affix a tie-on line stopper to the main line above a sliding cork, adding a bead above the cork keeps it from sliding over the stopper.
Below the cork, add a slip sinker flanked on either side by beads, and then tie on a swivel. To the swivel’s other side, tie on 18-inches of 30-pound leader with a 3/0 Mustad wide gap live bait hook.
Adjusting the line stopper’s position determines how much line slips through the cork, and that determines how deep the bait sits.
Montet uses a 3-inch cork for live shrimp and a 4-inch version for pogies and finger mullet. A 3/8-ounce weight suffices for standard use, but in heavy current, he might go with a ½- to ¾-ounce model.
“You want just enough weight to get it down past the ladyfish, but not so much that it sinks your float,” Montet said.