adding cork to my hookbaits.

[carpkid12345]

hi im looking into to adding cork into my hookbaits. im using 15ml cell hookbaits and 6 mill cork sticks . in the korda dvds i see that danny fairbrass has the cork facing the hook. How does it sit on the bottom becasue i would of thought that the cork would be trying to lift the bait sort of upside down if you no what i mean. any advice of using the cork would my hookbaitys would be much appreciated.

[beanz]

they call it the mushroom , its meant to lift the hook point clear of the bottom, you can add it to the hair either way, you dont have to do it the korda way. you can drill it all the way through.

[willi4692]

Korda way or not, the cork is to make the bait the same weight as the other freebies as the hook adds weight. As Beanz said you can do it either way it doesn't matter.

[Guest keenook]

Korda way or not, the cork is to make the bait the same weight as the other freebies as the hook adds weight. As Beanz said you can do it either way it doesn't matter.

 

Interesting....................so are you saying a Carp can tell the difference in weight from a freebie and a hookbait, how much does a standard sized hook weigh? Also if that is the point of using the cork, you would only need a tiny bit to equal the weight of the hook, I always thought the use of cork was to produce a neutral buoyancy hookbait or a pop up?

[willi4692]

Korda way or not, the cork is to make the bait the same weight as the other freebies as the hook adds weight. As Beanz said you can do it either way it doesn't matter.

 

Interesting....................so are you saying a Carp can tell the difference in weight from a freebie and a hookbait, how much does a standard sized hook weigh? Also if that is the point of using the cork, you would only need a tiny bit to equal the weight of the hook, I always thought the use of cork was to produce a neutral buoyancy hookbait or a pop up?

 

Well thats the theory, you put the cork three quaters through to critically balance it. The cork at the back will pull the eye of the hook up making it effectively weightless, which in turn, make the point heavy and hang down to catch the bottom lip. But as i said it's all theory, not fact.

[arl]

FACT IS, it catches carp

[salokcinnodrog]

Since I don't use "corked" or "foamed" hookbaits at the moment, here is some thinking for you.

 

If you drill a boilie out all the way through and add a piece of foam or cork for buoyancy, then you will likely add it onto the hair with the foam or cork at 90degrees to the hook, showing out the side. In that position it will lift the hookbait and hook consistently, it will not be at any funny angles.

 

Now go to a partially drilled bait with foam or cork added. If you do it so the drilled and filled bit is pointing at the hook, again, it will give a direct lift upwards. Have the cork at the top, towards the surface, it would also give a direct lift upwards, however you have the risk of the buoyancy of the cork/foam pulling the plug out of the bait.

 

If you change the angle to the sides, then it as if lifts will tilt the hookbait over, probably at a slight angle to the hook.

[jemsue5]

All i know is this, in my keep it simple approach to fishing i have never in nearly 30 years bothered with a corked bait or a critically balanced bait and i've caught 1000s of carp. on a few occasions i have witnessed carp spook off an area when a critically balanced bait has wafted up off the bottom as they mooch about. Lets be honest they pick up so much rubbish such as stones etc in a feeding situation that i dont believe they can distinguish the weight difference of a hooked bait from a freebie.

[salokcinnodrog]

Another way of adding cork to the rig is simply to fish it as the top bit on a snowman or as one of a series of baits in a stack rig.

 

Tim Paisley had a series of Big Winter Carp on his stack rig which I seem to think was 3 10mm boilies on the hair with a corkball being 2nd from the top.

[gnorty]

I have often ponderd about why/how critical balanced baits/popups etc work, and I donthink it has anything to do with the fish "weighing" the bait as such.

 

My thought is that if a fish is mooching around sucking up boiles, maybe gently to test them for hooks, or just generally grazing, it will get used to the effort in sucking them from the bottom.

 

If it hits a critically balanced bait (including hook/leader) then the effort to suck it off the bottom is much less than expected and the bait flies in much further than the fish intends, putting the hook right into the mouth. Same kind of principle as the pranks you see on TV where someone struggles with a heavy suitcase and then a helpful soul falls on his backside when the case is actually empty.

 

That's my theory, and what is in my mind when putting a rig together. I find it works especially well in conjunction with a feeder based system, maybe then the frenzy of competitive feeding plays a part.

[coops_northants]

I use a balanced bait quite a bit but not because i wan the bait to shoot up into the fishes mouth but maily because of the bottom i fish over. When fishing over silk wees i think it helps the bait rest and helps stop the hook from becoming snarled up in the silk weed. If this happens then hooking is difficult.

 

However i dont drill baits and plug them, i put the cork on the hair and trim it or the boilie untill it sits how i want it. If i fish a single but balanced its a pop up with a back shot pulled into the bait.

[newmarket]

just browsing through the search facility (as you do) and came across this thread . and as such , this question has occured to me ....

 

fishing balanced baits the way coops does just above , does it make a difference which sized shot you would use in , say , a 22m boilie ?

 

same goes for the cork plug method . they come in different sizes so to critically balance a 22m hookbait would it make a difference which size cork plug you insert into the hookbait ?

 

i keep banging on about 22 m hookbaits because thats all i have used recently after catching a 2lb+ roach on a 16m boilie on the stour a couple of years ago

[craftycarper92]

yes is it does matter what size cork plug you put in...what i do is do a few tank tests at home with the bait im going to be using(20mm boilies and a 12mm popup) i drill a few of the baits at different lengths then test how they sink with the different amount of cork in them. the one that sinks and sits how i want it i would mark on the drill bit how far to drill my bait so i know thats how far ive got to drill into the bait. im the same as coops i dont balace the bait for it to fly in the fishes mouth its to sit on the little bits of weed and debris on the bottom...this way i know i have perfect presentation every time..hope that helps

[newmarket]

it does indeed mr crafty . if im honest i was hoping to get out of all the fiddling about with the trial and error stuff but i suppose one gets out what one puts in and all that , being the lazy beggar that i am .

 

 

thanks .....im thinking i might stick a split shot in a pop up

[goblin]

could i just add that tank tests are a complete non entity in real terms...no flow...far shallower depth ..usually......no chod or silt....how can it ever give an impression even close to your presentation....dont believe in balanced baits at all...very rarely use a pop up...hardly ever in fact....were talking about hoovers in the first degree...they arent using scales and micrometres...they are simply feeding

[craftycarper92]

the whole reaon i use the tank test is just to see how slowly the bait sinks...once i have it sinking as slow as possible i know thats what i want on the bank...obviously i would still check it in the margins its just to give me an idea..thats the way i go about it but i suppose its each to their own

[gidneyboy]

could i just add that tank tests are a complete non entity in real terms...no flow...far shallower depth ..usually......no chod or silt....how can it ever give an impression even close to your presentation....dont believe in balanced baits at all...very rarely use a pop up...hardly ever in fact....were talking about hoovers in the first degree...they arent using scales and micrometres...they are simply feeding

 

At last goblin some sense being spoken.

A bait critically balanced in a tank or margin is as good as useless once that bait much deeper.

From memory every foot of fresh water adds around 6.2 PSI of pressure.

So you balance a bait in a foot of water and you fish it in around five foot of water, a pressure increase of around 25 PSI. And you think it's going to react the same?

I hate to shatter any illusions but not a chance of it reacting the same. A 25 PSI increase acting on a small piece of cork is a he'll of an increase.