Thread: Bubble rigs and popping corks

Ok, so I spend a fair amount of time in the marsh fishing reds and speck trout. Most of the time using a popping cork with 15-20 pound braid for main line and 20-30 pound fluro for leader line. I have fished the pier probably 10-15 times total over the last several years and learned about the bubble rig. I rig it the same as the piping cork accept I’ve swapped to 50# mono as the leader to try and reduce cut line. All that being said I have had trouble with both, especially bubble rigs get dang tangled on cast. What is the optimal main line and leader line to reduce tangles as much as possible.

Thanks.

Sounds like you’re doing just fine. I usually leave about 30 inches of leader between bubble and straw. Same setup with braid and 50lb mono.

Try dropping down to a good grade of 40# mono, say Ande, and make your leader no longer than from your finger tip to your elbow. I’ve had good results with that set up...

With that said. Others will have way more experience than me.

I get tangled on bubble rigs. It happens. That said, I use 40# seaguar to tie with. It seems to help if you use an 8 ft rod, which lets me use a longer leader 36” or so. I pull small plugs, xrap or yozuri most of the time to target bigger Spanish and even kings. With the plug they don’t seem to get the leader much. Look behind you, then make sure the bubble is swinging away from you while you lean forward to make a sweeping instead of a popping cast. It seems to keep down tangles some. I also stop it before it hits the water so the plug has a chance to get where it belongs. Still get tangled. I am completely flexible when fishing for Spanish on the bubble. If a guy is catching them down the rail and I can’t catch them when I move to his spot, I change to what he’s throwing. Greatly prefer fishing live bait with light tackle, but the sharks.....

I “feather” the line with my finger just before it gets to the water at the end of a cast. That provides enough resistance that the straw swings past the bubble/cork and straightens the line out. I’d say that reduces my tangles by 80%, unless I’m throwing into a decent wind.

Do you attach the plug with a swivel or straight to the line?

I use a swivel on the bubble rig to tie to the mainline, but some don't. I tie the floro leader straight to the plug's split ring nose, if that makes sense. The split ring lets it move. I hooked two kings -- smaller but well legal -- at Okaloosa pulling small plugs behind the bubble with a floro leader....both of them hit the plug dead center. Unfortunately, flipper got them both and all I got was the head and my bubble rig and plug back. Flipper is kinder in that regard than sharks -- they eat the fish's head also and take your plugs and rig.