Fishing Articles
Salmon & Steelhead Love Corkies
Also Known as Lil' Corky's
Nothing beats a good old corkie, and they’re
incredibly easy to use
Timothy Kusherets
In my fishing gear arsenal I have over 25 different fishing technique
setups. These setups allow me to fish a wide array of species of fish,
and each species of fish responds favorably to particular baits and
lures. So, as I fish with each setup, you can bet that I’ll use
gear that will get the most amount of fish in the shortest amount of
time and for Salmon and Steelhead that means corkies. Salmon and Steelhead
love corkies. Corkies produce more salmon and steelhead than any other
type of fishing gear I’ve ever seen. If you combine Eggs, Shrimp,
Jigs, Hot-shots, Spinners, Spoons, and Crank-baits the amount of combined
fish are all over shadowed by the amount corkies produce each and every
year. Don’t misunderstand, all of the other techniques get fish
on the hook, and in many cases I’ll use other types of fishing,
but when it comes to getting Salmon and steelhead on the hook, nothing
beats a good old corkie, and they’re incredibly easy to use, from
the setup, to casting, to the presentation, and to the bite.
The setup to corkies is based on the hook, yarn, corkie (also known
as Lil' Corky's), and toothpick. The best knot to use for the corkie
is the egg-loop. With the egg-loop you can quickly tie off yarn, eggs,
and shrimp while still using corkies. Many old-timers will tout how
strong it is, and if you ever lose a fish that it won’t be because
of the knot tied to the hook. The hook it self should always be matched
to the size of the corkie, and we’ll get to that in a moment.
I’ve used plenty of various hooks and have found that for freshwater
steelhead and salmon fishing that “Octopus” style hooks
outperform any other. The best colored hooks are Black and Red, and
each hook should be matched with complimenting yarn. Use yarn to tie
to the egg-loop and cut it so that when it’s wet that it doesn’t
go past the bend of the hook, that’s so when fish bite at the
yarn and corkie, that it also bites into the hook…every time.
Tying the knot of the yarn to the inside of the hook streamlines how
a fish will strike, which increases successful hook sets. Corkies are
the vital component to the setup and must be matched to the size of
the hook. Corkies come in sizes that range from #6 to #12. The smaller
the number is the larger the corkie is, for instance. A size six corkie
will always be larger than a size 10, which is the size I prefer to
use almost every occasion. If you can’t remember the sizes then
make sure that all corkies must fit inside the belly of the hook. So
long as each corkie fits in the belly, bend, of the hook then the corkie
will not interfere with the bite area. As you place the corkie near
the eye of the hook make sure to include putting a toothpick in the
top of it. Cut the tip off as close to the corkie as you can without
touching the line going through it. The placement of the toothpick ensures
that it doesn’t travel up the leader line as it makes its way
through the drift of holding water, and no matter how far I cast, you
can bet that fish will bite.
Casting is something many bait fishermen don’t really consider
until they see how far a corkie fisherman can cast his offering. The
more fish are pressured out from their holds the farther and deeper
you have to cast. While bait is great for feeding steelhead, it’s
hard to entice salmon when the spawning migration is in full swing to
bite a gob of eggs it has no interest in. A corkie can be cast a hundred
times without ever having to change the leader. Bait fishermen can cast
hard up to about six to seven times before they have to change bait
for no other reason than it falls apart. Bait is a great change up when
fishing for salmon and steelhead, and I’ve caught hundreds of
them using worm, eggs, shrimp, and crayfish; however, hands down, if
you’re in for the long day, bait will disappear before noon. As
a bait casting fan, I can tell you that whenever I’ve been forced
to change to a spinning situation each time fish move out of the close
holds. One of the first things I notice is how much farther I can cast
because of the hardiness of corkies and the lighter line I’m able
to use. The bigger eyes associated with spin casting rods are much larger
allowing more line to pay out with each cast dot to less friction. As
each of the components come together, from the hook consideration and
the cast, the next thing to consider is how the presentation will effect
a fish’s ability to bite anywhere along the drift.
The presentation of how a corkie is used is amazingly simple. Assume
that the river is flowing form the left to the right. Cast out between
the ten and eleven o’clock positions. Let the terminal gear of
the weight hit the water without reeling in the slack. Let the mainline
makes its way over to the twelve o’clock position before reeling
in the slack. Depending on whether you’re using a bait-casting
reel or spinning reel, put your thumb or forefinger on the mainline
for added sensitivity of any strikes. Each presentation is dependent
on how far you want to cast, how much weight you’re using, and
how far down the drift you think fish are holding. There are many anglers
who like to fish with heavier weights that go straight to the bed of
the river. That technique is called “bottom-bouncing”. Some
anglers prefer to use lighter test near the bed without almost ever
touching it, that’s called “Gliding”. Bottom bouncing
allows fishermen to fish more of the river without the threat of not
getting deep enough. Gliding is more art than science in the lightweight
of the terminal gear means that anglers have to cast further upstream
to get near the bed. When gliding, if you come within contact of the
river at any time, simply raise the tip of the rod, reel in the slack,
and continue letting the mainline drift through the hold. An attractive
quality about gliding is that each time a fish strikes you can “feel”
the take no matter how subtle it is.
The bite of how these fish strikes can come from any portion of the
drift, very few fishing techniques can make the same claim. Corkies,
properly presented, can garner strikes at the surface, near the bed,
in fast water, slow water, deep water, and shallow water. The key to
hooking fish in every portion of the drift is the toothpick. The stabilizing
quality of the “jammed” toothpick allows fish to pick up
the corkie, hook, and yarn at the same time. Regardless of where fish
hold, they will always be beneath a drifting corkie, which causes them
to look up. At the beginning of the drift, almost all terminal gear
gets in front of the corkie, so any strike that comes from upriver will
be felt by anglers the very moment the corkie hits the water since reeled
in slack enhances a straight line. The straighter the leader and mainline
are the more sensitive each strike is going to feel, and that is when
you set the hook. When using the gliding technique be ready to set the
hook, soon after it hits the water. It doesn’t mean that salmon
and steelhead will do it all the time, but it does mean that the opportunity
will be there. I’ve seen it and done it hundreds of time, sometimes
to the amazement of bait fishermen not more than ten feet from me. While
I do favor spin-casting setups, I’m also a huge fan of bait-casting
rods, reels, and bait techniques of fishing.
Everything has it’s place, and every place has a function, and
every function dictates the kind of fishing needed to be successful
at fishing, which is why it’s so important to be flexible; but
don’t forget. Corkies are tools for fishing that work great for
just about any fishing environment for Salmon and Steelhead. The spectacular
attraction is the ease of which they can be used and the universal nature
of how consistently these fish bite. To be truly successful, anglers
must take more than one kind of technique, lure, and bait to the water.
It doesn’t mean to load up vests and tackle boxes so that each
weighs too much to carry far, rather, take options and these fish will
let you know how well you’ve chosen.
Check out this summer steelhead. Take a look at the corkie (lil'
corky) and yarn on the butt of the noodle rod. The sensitive bite of
this steelhead was not sensitive enough. The moment she touched it was
the same moment I set the hook, and there she is, destined to meet the
belly of a hungry fisherman.
Look at the size of this salmon! This hard-hitting fish looks as
though corkies wouldn’t mean a thing to it, but it did. The Corkie
(Lil' Corky) setup sitting in the crook of it's mouth is the same one
he hit in the water! Corkies can literally get the attention of any
species of salmon, and a proper presentation ensures that battles will
ensue just like the one this monster put on for me; it fought for just
over an hour!
© Timothy Kusherets, 2006/09
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