Gulf Coast Fisherman Magazine Vol 39 No 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 27
Rattle ‘Em Up
(Continued from page 22.)
loud rattle with a live bait or soft plastic
rigged below it is another effective option
for springtime winds. The added weight
of the cork makes casting in the wind
much easier, and keeps your bait stationary
in the water column a lot longer, leaving
it in the strike zone.
The line of corks made by MidCoast
products are heavy and durable, producing
a loud sound when chugged through the
water that fish can’t resist. My favorite in
the MidCoast line-up is the Evolution.
This cork is shaped like a traditional
popping cork and has a wire running
through it with a weight on the bottom to
keep it upright while floating in the water.
On the wire there are a few beads that
make a sound similar to a rattlesnake when
shaken. The round, cupped top of the
Evolution makes a popping sound similar
to that of a surface feeding fish. When
yanked on the water’s surface by the
twitching of a rod, the high-pitched rattles
get the attention of gamefish.
If using a soft plastic under a cork is
preferred, scented baits work better when
the water clarity is poor. Baits like Gulp!
Shrimp or a Z-Man scented jerk shad, can
be dynamite when rigged on a jig head
under a loud, rattling float.
Other Noisy Options
When using live bait, another
effective option is to use a Carolina rig
with a rattling weight. The chatter weights
made by Texas Rattlin’ Rigs are shaped
like an egg weight, but are made of a hard
plastic and filled with ball bearings, or
BB’s. The BB’s within the weight make a
loud, rattling sound when the weight is
hopped through water, calling in
surrounding fish.
The jig heads made by Rockport
Rattler will turn any soft plastic into a
versatile fish catching tool when gale force
winds have churned up bay waters. The
rattle chambers on these jig heads bring
soft plastics to life, giving them sound as
they twitch through the water. Rigging
one of these jig heads under a popping
cork can be a deadly combination, as well.
One more thing to consider when
fishing during strong winds is fishing line.
Two types of line, monofilament and
braided line, rule today’s market. Some
prefer mono while others prefer braid.
Although monofilament has been around
a long time, I would suggest using braid.
Braided line has almost zero stretch,
making it ultra sensitive, so anglers can
feel the slightest of bites when winds make
it hard to stay in contact with th