#1 Most Underrated Inshore Rig (And How To Set It Up!)

What’s the most UNDERRATED inshore rig and why?
It probably isn’t what you’re thinking.
Get any of the gear featured in this video: bit.ly/44GlUwK
Call it what you want - popping corks are extremely effective when fishing inshore!
It has proven to catch fish time and again no matter where you are.
What's your favorite inshore rig?
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[@Saltstrong]

Get any of the gear featured in this video: bit.ly/44GlUwK

[@BigMex777]

I used one with a vudu shrimp and caught loads of specks. Even taught my friends 10 year old daughter how to use it and she caught loads of specks too. It was amazing

[@Saltstrong]

So awesome thanks for sharing!

[@davidortega1365]

Matt, I'm a ss insider. To be honest, I haven't had much success with the popping cork, but I will implement these tips and hopefully learn how to really catch in whatever situation. Thanks for a great video!!

[@Saltstrong]

Keep at it and the results will follow! Be sure to let us know how you do!

[@jelly_fishing]

Great video and tip Matt!!

[@Saltstrong]

Glad you enjoyed it thanks for watching!

[@seizedcarcass8440]

I fully agree with this video. Popping corks are sorta like a dinner bell. Especially if your fishing near schools of fish.

[@Saltstrong]

No doubt!

[@fishingwithjoy]

This is a standard rig for me - especially for trout ! I also troll with it and can’t believe how many fish I catch ! Thx for validating!

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks for sharing!

[@bradybolin8337]

Great video!!

[@Saltstrong]

Thanks!!

[@danieln3999]

I am a fan of them out in the grass flats. I will put the Power Prawn on a light jig head with a dab of Dr. Juice and just pitch it out behind or off to the side of my kayak while I am casting a paddle tail and actively working holes in the grass. That Power Prawn just bouncing around behind me under that popping cork catches a lot of fish just doing it's own thing back there. A pretty lazy way to up your chances at getting a lure in front of a fish. I just put that rod in the rod holder and with the cork the fish tend to hook themselves, surprisingly I have never had one take it too deep to release if needed either. A tip I would give is do not "over work" the popping cork. In clear water especially I think it boogers fish off. You may even be better off to try and use one of the style corks with the slit and the peg without the beads to rattle. The Power Prawn with its sparkles and that dab of Dr. Juice is all it takes in clear water.

[@Saltstrong]

Love it thanks so much for the comment!

[@NathanCrowe-lg1gr]

Literally went to a new area that showed up on Smart Fishing Spots Friday morning. Popping cork and dead shrimp. I caught 42 fish in 2 hours. 1 slot Spec, and a bunch of undersized Reds, Black Drum, and Specs. Also a bunch of Ladyfish. Nothing to truly brag about but had a blast.

[@Saltstrong]

NICE!!! That's an epic day thanks for sharing!

[@jeanlong4285]

I love popping corks with live shrimp. They aren't expensive if you can throw a cast net. I've tried a lot of different soft baits with very little luck. I'll keep trying, thanks for the rigging tips.

[@Saltstrong]

Good stuff glad we could help!

[@lesmize8932]

Popping corks love them for big reds at nuesse river late August thru September

[@Saltstrong]

Oh yeah!!

[@kennethlocke2649]

I use a snap swivel on the top side of my leader when I fish this type of cork. I have bags with leaders of various lengths pre rigged with various lead heads and hooks. I can’t see worth a damn anymore and this enables me to switch depths rapidly.

[@Saltstrong]

Great advice thanks for sharing!

[@TopJimmyCooks1]

Been to south Louisiana a lot and this is the #1 technique. It works, but doesn't outdo live bait.

[@Saltstrong]

Great tactic to have in your back pocket!

[@bluemagoogoku7410]

If I’m fishing oyster beds, popping corks with live shrimp are necessary. I don’t use anything fancy since The pre rigged ones for 4 dollars do the trick every time. Land that cork next to an oyster reef pop it once and let it sit.

[@Saltstrong]

Great approach!

[@derekklag5138]

BTW you 100% landed that first tarpon because it got in the boat and thanks for the great video

[@Saltstrong]

Yup!! Thanks for the comment

[@stevekissee1545]

Popping corks are very effective especially when it has the ability to change depths easily like the VersaMaxx Bolt corks. Can’t just rig it at 3 foot depth and expect results consistently. Fish move up and down the water column constantly.

[@Saltstrong]

No doubt they're a great tactic to have in your back pocket!

[@donaldmccaskill1279]

I fish with the popping cork all the time and I use braid as my line and that's the problem. I have it tangles at the top and at the bottom but what you faill to mention on the video is how long does the monofilament have to be at the top of the line that attaches to the braid 12, 18 or 24 inches or does it really matter. This is the second video I've watched and y'all faill to mention that so obviously it may not make a difference but can you explain

[@Saltstrong]

The smaller section of leader line above the cork should be roughly 8-10 inches. Below the cork is going to depend on the depth you want to fish. If you're fishing in 18-24 inches of water and want to fish the middle of the water column, then a 12-16 inch leader will do the trick. It all depends on where you want your lure to sit in the water column.

[@drevil4454]

does the floats come in different sizes? If so what size did you use or recommend for snook in say 3 to 6' water? Also, what weight should the sinker on the float be?

[@Saltstrong]

Popping corks do come in different sizes. A 3" cork is typically the way to go when fishing inshore. Weight will vary

[@kpocala1061]

What kind of knot are you using for your line to leader above the cork. I think that surgeons knot would be fine for that rig. Thanks Matt good stuff

[@richardjones2811]

uni to uni will be fine.

[@mattinayak]

Double uni or FG knot works right there. 💪

[@davidbeyer3533]

Is the artificial shrimp supposed to be suspended under the popping cork or is it supposed to lay on the bottom and be pulled up by the action of popping the cork? I am assuming it is supposed to be suspended above the bottom where the fish can see it moving up and down.

[@Saltstrong]

Either type of rigging depending on where you want the lure to sit. If you're fishing seagrass, you would want the lure to jump out near the top of the grass. If you're fishing an open sand flat, you'd want it to kick up from the bottom.

[@Engineer_Heathen]

I've tried this so many times with zero success. Some people swear by it, but I do better without the cork or with live bait.

[@Saltstrong]

It definitely works!

[@Jiross]

Is this a reupload? I thought I had seen this looking for how to use and rig a popping cork

[@Saltstrong]

New and improved!

[@mattinayak]

🔥🔥🔥

[@Saltstrong]

Matt-In-A-YAK!!!

[@SouthWestFloridaLife]

Are you guys just trying to sell products from you store? Would have been nice to see the popping cork in use! Especially when you said you would link a video.

[@Saltstrong]

In order to continue to make videos, we have to sell products from our store. Be sure to check out our entire library of free fishing tips. Here's more on popping corks: www.saltstrong.com/articles/popping-corks-101/

[@Eyesofthasouth]

Question-why wouldn’t you use a loop knot on the lure? Doesn’t that allow ur bait set natural and have range of motion? Thanks

[@johnkarges8829]

I use popping corks a lot and only use a clinch/cinch knot because the cork’s action gives the lure plenty of motion of darting up and side to side, like with a jerkshad or shrimptail or even a paddletail which is vibrating on both the rise and the fall. A particular favorite soft plastic of mine is the large Gambler Flap ‘N Shad which has tons of flapping motion even between twitches.

[@mattinayak]

The cinch knot helps keep the lure horizontal, and parallel to the bottom. If it's hot a loop knot it can fall/sit vertical and that doesn't look natural. Good question! 💪

[@johnkarges8829]

@@mattinayak a lot depends upon what type of jighead one uses, whether the line tie is in the top of the head versus more toward the nose. I don’t let it sit long enough to matter much in the waters and chop I fish with popping floats.

[@cjurica05]

What kind of shoes are you wearing?

[@Saltstrong]

Those are AFTCO Tactical Camo Fishing Shorts!

[@nathanmorkovsky2855]

Yessir 💪🎣

[@Saltstrong]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@doctordifferentialspeedsho9506]

Yet you didn’t show us how your using it. How do you “pop” the cork?

[@Saltstrong]

Check this out: www.saltstrong.com/articles/popping-corks-101/

[@nest22]

As the other guy said, I've never had luck with anything that is not live shrimp under the popping cork.

[@Saltstrong]

Give artificial lures a shot next time you try fishing with popping corks. We've had so much success using either lures or live bait!

[@comfortablynumb9342]

Don't live shrimp come off the hook too easily when you pop the cork? I've only used artificials under them. And maybe it was small fish, but my hookup ratio has been terrible with corks. Now the redfish and trout seem to be showing up more so I'll have to try them again. Lizard fish and croakers are frustrating no matter what I use, they're super common and hard to hook with big hooks.

[@chasedelancey1604]

Had 2 newbies on my boat yesterday. They caught a 33" and a 39" Red on poppin' corks with dead shrimp under them. I think they're "hooked" on fishing

[@comfortablynumb9342]

@@chasedelancey1604 awesome, I love to hear that!! The only time I tried bait under a cork it was peanut bunker and finger mullet and both made a big tangled mess out of my braid. I haven't tried shrimp but it seems like live ones would come off from popping the cork. But dead shrimp can be put on the hook better so I can see that working. I recently moved to the Chesapeake Bay area and started to fish again after missing the saltwater for too long. I grew up fishin' in Florida and later lived on the Pacific in Costa Rica and caught a ton of fish there (at least a ton, maybe 2 tons) commercial hook and lining. Then I moved to the NC foothills to take care of Mom. Now my sister took that responsibility and so I came here because weed is legal and there are saltwater fish I'm familiar with. I never used popping corks in Florida but I got some and have tried them for trout and redfish. So far I haven't caught anything good with them, just little stuff. I also got a kayak, which is new to me. So I'll try popping corks more and probably end up catching fish. But it will be with jigs because I rarely bother with bait. Actually I usually hop jigs around hoping for flounder and whatever else is fun bycatch. I go somewhere to fish almost every day. So I'll try corks more. It's great that you made some new fishin' addicts! Dad got me hooked on bluegills with a cane pole when I was 3 and clearly I'm still hooked at 49.

[@Saltstrong]

Great comments thank you for sharing!! If you secure the shrimp to the hook, you won't lose them because of the pops.

[@ALSAIBANI]

is inshore meaning in side sea or out side sea what does mean inshore offshore shore

[@Saltstrong]

Inshore is no more than a mile from the shoreline in shallow water. Nearshore would be anything from that range out a few miles. And offshore is waaay out there several miles from shore fishing in very deep water.

[@ALSAIBANI]

@@Saltstrong I appreciate it. bro How long should the used fishing rod be from the inshore

[@Jetmech1085]

Never had any luck with them without live bait on the hook 🤷🏻‍♂️.

[@johnkarges8829]

Wow, they’ve been the bomb for me on Texas flats for years, always and only with soft plastics below them. And it’s included some mondo redfish and speckled trout.

[@jona5517]

Very successful rig here in Tampa as well. My kids love it too. It keeps them from being bored. We usually use artificial shrimp or paddle tails.

[@Saltstrong]

Artificial lures and live bait are both super effective beneath a cork!

[@richardjones2811]

No real tips, just a sales pitch.

[@Saltstrong]

The techniques discussed in this video will help you catch more fish under a popping cork. From end to end, we walk through the entire set up and the reasoning why things are where they are. Let us know how you do on your next fishing trip!