By: Mark Romanack
The deeper they go, the more Power Corking shines as a means of targeting crappie, walleye, smallmouth and a host of other species.
In case you didn’t notice, slip float fishing is evolving into a completely different animal. Traditional slip float rigs are still in wide use, but the growing interest in fishing with forward facing sonar such as Garmin’s liveScope has more and more anglers looking for creative ways to present lures and baits. The beauty of power corking is it allows anglers to fish soft plastics and also live bait just about anywhere in the water column.
THE RIG
A power corking rig is essentially a slip bobber rigged with an in-line weight that helps the bait sink quickly to depth. The bobber stop, bead and slip float are slid onto the main line and then the in-line weight is attached to the main line at the terminal end. At the other end of the in-line weight, a short 18-24 inch leader is added, that is in turn terminated into a live bait hook or small jig.
By setting the bobber stop, this float rig can be fished at literally any depth shallow or deep and the bait can be presented to depth quickly. The in-line weight used can vary from 1/4, 3/8 or even 1/2 ounce as conditions dictate. The beauty of this set up is it can be casted much further than a traditional slip bobber set up. Secondly, the lure itself sinks quickly thanks to the in-line weight, making it easier to fish in heavy winds. Thirdly, at the terminal end the angler has the option of going stealthy with a single hook and live bait, or using a small jig that can be dressed with plastics, hair jigs, marabou jigs, live bait or combinations of all these options.
RODS/REELS/LINES
The ideal rod and reel set up for power corking is a 7’-6” medium or medium light spinning rod with a 20 or 25 class spinning reel. The Eagle Claw Fly Over series of rods have what they call a “Live Bait” rod that is ideal for this set up and these rods are very affordable.
The main line can be monofilament or super braid. For monofilament an eight pound test line is ideal. For super braids lines in the 10-15 pound test are recommended.
Power corking works exceptionally well on walleye and a host of other species. Pictured here Bryan Darland of Jay’s Sporting Goods poses with a nice walleye caught while fishing with the author at Flint Wilderness Resort in Northwest Ontario.
Bobber stops tend to work a little better on monofilament than braids. Because braid is slippery, it can be challenging to get a thread style bobber stop tight enough to prevent it from easily slipping on the main line.
It’s recommended to use a couple pairs of pliers to pull up the bobber stop knot tightly when power corking with super braid lines. Rubber style bobber stops don’t work well with super braids as sliding them up and down the line damages the bobber stop quickly.
BAIT OPTIONS
When fishing in the spring and fall, minnows are tough to beat for power corking applications. During the summer months leeches are by far the most productive live bait for power corking. Crawlers can also be used, but they are soft and tend to tear off the hook when making long casts. Leeches are much more durable when it comes to casting.
Jigs like this Yakima Bait Maxi Jig work very well with Power Corking presentations. This jig can be fished clean or tipped with a leech to add more action and enticement.
FFS
One of the advantages of power corking with forward facing sonar, the in-line weight shows up prominently on the screen, making it easier for anglers to see their presentation in relationship to the fish. Because the actual hook is attached to a short leader below the in-line weight, changing hooks, jigs or live bait options is something the angler can do quickly. This way if an accurate presentation is made to fish and that fish simply isn’t interested, a different bait or lure can be quickly presented to the same fish.
Power corking and FFS go together like peanut butter and jelly. Deadly effective on walleye, this same approach can also be used to catch deep water summer crappie, smallmouth and even northern pike.