Page 99 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2023

“We normally throw popping corks with live shrimp if we have them,” says Andrew Whitman with Blackdot Charters in Biloxi. “When the fish really get fired up, we throw soft-plastic shrimp, like a Vudu or some other shrimp imitations, under a cork.”
With smaller children, stick to live or fresh natural baits. A live shrimp will catch anything that swims in coastal waters. Even a large hardhead catfish might make a child’s day. When fishing live bait, the shrimp provides sufficient temptation. The occasional “pop” from the cork just lets fish know it’s there.
Other live baits include small crabs, minnows, mullet and menhaden, also called pogies. Fresh market shrimp will also attract attention from anything that swims. Fish chunks and crab pieces or halves work best for redfish and black drum.
Without live or fresh natural bait, try various artificial temptations. Any plastic shrimp catches speckled trout and many other species. Minnow or crab imitations also work under a cork. With artificials, anglers pop the cork more often. When popped the lure flies up to the surface and then sinks back down, exactly what a live shrimp would do if attacked.
Since fish can’t remove artificials as easily as they can slurp live or dead shrimp off a hook, lures cause fast action when trout or other fish gather in large feeding schools. With lures, anglers could possibly experience multiple strikes on the same cast. When in a feeding frenzy, fish might hit almost anything. Diving birds can indicate a feeding school.
“When I see diving birds, I approach from upwind so I can cut the motor off well before I get to the school and drift into it,” advises Ronnie Daniels with Fisher-Man Guide Services in Pass Christian. “Then, I throw a popping cork with a Vudu Shrimp around the edges of the activity. Around the reefs are also great places to fish with popping corks and live shrimp.”
With any bait, cast to a likely spot and let it sit a few moments. Periodically jerk the rod to make the cork disrupt the surface. When fishing near a reef, shoreline or other cover, throw where the rig can float along naturally with the current.
During a falling tide, dropping water levels force prey into deeper water. Fish
often congregate at the mouths of small channels waiting for the tide to bring them something to eat. Toss the bait as far upstream as possible so the rig drifts along with the flow. Occasionally pop it.
People still use this old technique because it works. Even the youngest or most inexperienced angler can put many fish in a boat in the right place with the right bait.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Elizabeth Eustis fights a redfish she caught on a popping cork rig. LEFT and BOTTOM: Redfish caught by popping cork rig technique. BELOW: Lucas Wood fights a big one while his brother Jacob and father, Justin watch.
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April 2023 | 99