Charter Fishing under corks in Bay St Louis MS
Do I need to pay more? Do I need titanium wire? Will it be louder than other corks? How will it hold up? These are some of the most common questions you may ask yourself when buying popping corks. When I first set out as a Charter Captain these questions became more relevant. As some of you may know, corks cost upwards of $10-$12 each, with each company promising something new. It was for this reason that I set out to cut cost and build my own corks. After all I would be using a lot more than an a recreational fishermen. With 12 fishing poles outfitted with popping corks on my boat at any given time.
I began by researching and shopping around for bulk material at a cheaper price. I also researched materials that other companies were using to try and use things I liked about other popping corks to create my own. Nitinol "titanium" wire seemed to be very popular for its ability to recover and resist bending so that's what I used. I created a cork for a fraction of what the big names were charging and it did what I wanted it to do. Only problem was being on a charter boat these corks get used and abused. Over time the flaw of these titanium wired corks came to light, CRIMPS! The titanium wire is only as good as its crimp. I tried different crimps, but they all seemed to have a hard time biting the titanium wire and the loop would slip out at the most inopportune times. I went back to the drawing board and noticed that I wasn't the only on with this issue. In fact some of the more popular and expensive companies had abandoned titanium wire completely for stainless wire.
It was at this time that I stumbled across a father and son duo at a local tackle shop sale which were selling their corks, "Boat Monkey Floats". Upon initial inspection I noticed they were constructed with stainless wire and made lots of noise. I was also blown away by the price compared to other brand which was comparable to my cost of building my own corks. I had tried other brands with stainless wires and had bad experiences because the stainless could not recover after being bent. I purchased approximately 40 of the popping corks on a whim. After fishing a whole season with Boat Monkey Floats I am blown away. Below you will see a cork that was used all season and still going strong along side a new one.
These things are amazing. This in one of several Boat Monkey corks that lasted me all season. In fact the only corks that I had to replace were due to broken fishing lines, where I was unable to recover them. Aside from being casted thousands of times, mistaken as a lure by Bull Redfish, and thrown around the boat they are still going strong. The most surprising thing about the construction was the stainless wire that Boat Monkey uses. It's tough, easily straightened out if bent, and there are no crimps to worry about. The consistency of the wire that they use is not too soft that it's easily bent and not too firm that bends are permanent. It's just right!