Corkie Colors .....What Is Really The Best!!

FM2 · 02-09-2002, 10:06 PM

I was sitting here tonight tying up some rigs for tomorrows fishing and got to thinking about the colors of corkies.

I tie the same old egg loop on my hooks and vary the size of hooks and leader and then put them into my pips holders. As I was doing this I'm looking at what color of corkie to put on for "my first setup", the one I get ready on my drift rod so when it is time I can just put on a slinky and chuck it out.

I have fished corkies for years and sometimes one color works better than others. I have found this to be true but varies whether your fishing coastal rivers or inland rivers.

There are so many new color combinations available now what is the "Go To" color for coastal or inland rivers.

I appreciate your feedback :grin: :grin:

Hookset · 02-09-2002, 11:20 PM

Pearl pink. Without a doubt, best color I've ever used. Something about pink works well. On cold days fishing cold water I also like solid hot pink. Now you can buy hot pink with silver sparkels and a chartruse dot, looks like a fishy combination.

brshooter · 02-10-2002, 04:47 AM

I'll second the pink pearl nomination by Hookset. The only other thing I will add is don't overlook the glow in the dark corkies from legal fishing time to daylight. Last time out, my wife had her three fish limit before daylight down on the Nehalem using a #12 glow in the dark with a very short piece of white yarn. After daylight, pink pearl.

gottawayagain · 02-10-2002, 05:41 AM

Pink Pearl and white yarn! Might not be the best for the conditions, but it always works. I always start with that and work to what the conditions call for (bigger/brighter in high/dirty water) The metallic ones work pretty good in low/clear water. I think white yarn works the best no matter. I also think you have to have confidence in whatever you use or it won't work. You just don't try as hard or pay as much attention if you don't think it is going to catch fish.

HT Buzzo · 02-10-2002, 06:57 AM

My brother fishes exclusively clown chartreuse with orange spots, medium size and larger, even in clear water conditions.

I wouldn't be caught dead with anything that bright and big near my hook, but he catches quite a few fish on different rivers. I use mostly reds, oranges, and pinks with sparkle flake or pearl. I like the smallest size red flake above a dime-size chunk of roe for most situations, but the corky works by itself or with a touch of yarn, too.

HT

Chris Nordling · 02-10-2002, 07:58 AM

FM2,

Lately it's either been a white glo clown, even for daytime hours, or a light creamsicle color (orange/white). Cheaters have also been doing as equal damage as corkies. Again,white glo clown or orange clown have been tops. Third for me is pink. It still looks sooooo good next to great eggs [img]graemlins/lurk.gif[/img] .

The great thing about this season has been the fish's wilingness to chomp on eggs and not get

of them. In fact they have been almost [img]graemlins/icon_argue.gif[/img] over who gets the last bunch :grin:

Tight lines & smoothe drags,

Chris

Steelheader · 02-10-2002, 08:35 AM

Pink pearl has never let me down yet, coastal or inland i'll use the same. I also very the yarn color depending where I'm at and water color. A second choice favorite color is Hot pink with chartruse yarn. I also use the same colors with spin n glows just to mix it up a little.

miami82 · 02-10-2002, 08:57 AM

How do you guys setup the yarn? I'm also using the pink pearl and have heard about the yarn, but how do you set it up? Any favorite colors that work better there?

Thanks,

Miami82

gottawayagain · 02-10-2002, 09:05 AM

I just put about 2" through the egg loop, take both ends pull them across each other to mix the strands and I'm done. The yarn makes a great "handle" to open the egg loop with. As I said before....I like white. My second choice is a color called cherise. Kind of a pink/purple color.

fishin62 · 02-10-2002, 10:37 AM

pink pearl, with glitter,or peach

OneLastCast · 02-10-2002, 01:40 PM

Another way to do the yarn is after you have tied up your rig, take a piece of spare leader, double it up and push it through the corkie toward the hook. Once its through the corkie slip your yarn through the loop and pull the yarn back into the corkie. You don't have to pull the yarn all the way through, let one end of the spare leader go and remove the spare leader. This method also snugs up the corkie so it does'nt float up the line.

Pink Pearl or watermellon corkies or rainbow birdies.

OneLastCast

First Bite · 02-10-2002, 02:13 PM

My standard go to corkie is red. Pink is my second choice. I always take white yarn and tie it above the corkie on the mainline. Most important is to comb out the yarn. This makes it fluff right out and gives it more action in the water. I like the combed yarn to be long enough to come down to the turn on the hook shank.

Mark

blacktail · 02-10-2002, 04:04 PM

Pink pearl, peach pearl, rocket red, black scale.

Size of corkie and color of yarn varies depending on clarity.

If I had to stick to one, it would be the pink pearl. Part of it is sentimental as I caught my first steelhead on one.

Mike

gottawayagain · 02-10-2002, 04:35 PM

OneLastCast- I like your way. I'm going to try it next out. God this board is great :grin: :grin:

Trick · 02-10-2002, 05:21 PM

I hate to give out my new killer color but what are freinds for. I don't know what it's called but it is a blended color corkie with yellow, pink, orange and red that bleed into one another. I have hooked over 30 steelhead the last 5 times out on this color with no other scent, yarn or bait. Just a straight corkie on a #1 Gami hook.

I used to be a hot pink or orange corkie with the scales user but I've adopted a new freind.

Bobs in Longview has them and I would imagine that Joes would have them too.

FM2 · 02-10-2002, 05:29 PM

Just got back from fishing today and sorry to say only 1 snagged fish on, won't mention the species but it had gills, fins and lives in the water :grin: :grin:

Great feedback and Thanks for everyone who has responded.

I got to thinking about the colors today as I was fishing with some friends on the clack today.. and maybe I'm just one of those character type of individuals :smile: ...wait, please don't anyone respond to that :shocked: but when I see things floating down the river they don't have a "pink pearl" color. I agree with everyone who posted about this color and this is what I use but looking at the water most things that float in the water are a black color. This makes me think the fish "see" something different. Why isn't black the "go to color".

Just curious about others opinions.. .which I know are free :smile: about why steelhead would be attracted to "pink pearl".

Thanks everyone for responding! :smile:

OneLastCast · 02-10-2002, 05:32 PM

So Mark

Do you use thick or thin yarn? If your make it long enough to get to the hook shank does the final product look or feel bulky? When you comb it out does it completely cover the corky?

I seem to tie a lot of rigs right on my main line while I'm standing in the river and I'm not going to attach yarn by the way I described previously.

From what I am imagining this appears to be similar to a jig with the skirt in front of the corki.

OneLastCast

SteelieSteve · 02-10-2002, 05:39 PM

Pink pearl is #1. My favorite is a discontinued color - orange with creamy pale yellow(very egg looking). Often a change of color will entice a strike, flame red with a shrimp ect. A good fisherman I know swears by green corkies.

wiser · 02-10-2002, 06:26 PM

I'll have to agree that pink pearle has been a good color over the years . Same goes for flame orange. But..... This year I have hooked over 75% and probably closer to 90% on a metallic blue that has a green with several black lightning bolt type slashes on each side. I've hooked at least 30 fish while using this color. I usually use a small piece of peach colored yarn below the corkie. Never enough to catch on the point of the hook. I've used this combination by itself, with eggs, with sand shrimp,steelhead candy eggs, Jensen eggs and with pink bubblegum worm with success. It's my go to color on the Sandy now.

TideRunner · 02-10-2002, 06:27 PM

FM2...

Good eye you have on the black "floaties". I didn't notice my favorite color mentioned, but, it's black scale. Size 12 & 14. I use it in clear to "perfect green" water. Any more color than that and I use the pearl pink. Most people trip out when they see my black set up, but, I get constistant hook ups. I use shrimp pink yarn with both those colors.

First Bite · 02-10-2002, 06:50 PM

OLC
I use thick yarn and when I'm done combing it, I like it to completely cover the corky. This has a larger profile but that's what I want. A lot of the time I'll use a sand shrimp tail tied into the egg loop with the corky/yarn combination above. I mainly use this rig when the water is up and moving with good color. I'll have these rigs pre-tied the night before and when I break off, I'll just pull one out and tie up on the spot. When the water drops and clears, then I'll scale down the offering using smaller corkies and less yarn. If you use yarn at all, try combing it out the next time and you'll see the difference.

Mark

Mark

Navigator · 02-10-2002, 09:41 PM

Pink pearl gives me the most confidence. I found some small pink pearl birdie's (at Lees Camp) a while back and they have been my top producer. Tho, I am still counting fish on one hand.

White or light pink yarn is my yarn of choice w/ this color.

[ 02-10-2002, 10:42 PM: Message edited by: Navigator ]

Steelie Ben · 02-10-2002, 10:57 PM

I didn't see anyone talk about my favorite color, its the glitter white with pink clown spots. I use the is combonation with white yarn on clearer water days and with bright pinkish purple yarn on off color days. My buddy and I used this almost exclusivley this year and in three trips we hooked a total of 12 fish. I only managed to land one of the three I hooked while he got the other nine.

Tilla · 02-11-2002, 09:57 AM

I know one "sneaky" guy who couldn't keep the fish off his line with a powder blue and white corkie, he was fairly consistent with it.

RipDatLip · 02-11-2002, 12:40 PM

I believe Trick is talking about the "sunset" color, and Wiser is talking about the "blue chartruese/black tiger" color.

I haven't caught enough fish to prove anything, but I've always thought the luminious peach color looked realistic.

Corkie Color Codes

Matt

FM2 · 02-11-2002, 01:10 PM

Very cool chart Rip, thanks for posting it :grin:

omnivore · 02-11-2002, 01:19 PM

A picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks RipDatLip!

Bubzilla · 02-11-2002, 04:58 PM

I'm going to divulge two of my secrets--even though I know I shouldn't. First, glow-in-the-dark isn't just for times of low light. And, it's not just effective in colored water. Second, pink is great! So are many of the others mentioned here. And when I get to hard-fished waters, they're the last on my list to try. Why? Because everyone else has used them, is using them, will be using them. It pays to be different.

That's it, I'm not saying any more! :smile:

wiser · 02-11-2002, 06:24 PM

OK, I'm going to give another one up. Maybe not much but something that might help(wiser?}. Yea, I know you old salts are wise to it but there are plenty who could use a little help. And there are so many little secrets that can help. "Why do the same guys always seem to catch the fish". Ever heard that?
When one of those productive drifts, you know... well worn paths, lots of cigarette butts(yuk), clippings of "blue stren"....., isn't producing then it's time to change not just the color of the offering but the size. We sometimes think of that and generally it's a little later in our visit and the thought is smaller. Often my thought is larger. Same offering but larger. What does that do? Moves the offering up higher in the water column. Think about how large a spoon or spinner is. A large corkie is a lot smaller. It won't scare that fish away any more than the things offered the previuos several hours did. Drifted, it presents a target in a different water column. You will be able to present your offering but still be able to detect a subtle take if you use a normal(normal 18" - 24") length leader. That's it, give a little larger corkie a try once in a while. What could it hurt, you're not catching anything anyway. :smile:

give some feel if you are usig a normal(normal to me) 18" -24" leader.

Trick · 02-11-2002, 06:56 PM

Yup, my new killer color is sunset. Thanks Rip for the link.

So many colors...so little time.

fishon · 02-11-2002, 07:16 PM

Do fish see color? I thought they were color blind.

fishon · 02-11-2002, 07:25 PM

Wiser is right about the size thing. I was fishing the wilson last week and I was using a small pearl pink corky and I fished this hole with it for about 15-20 min with out any bites so I decided to switch to a bigger corky but still use the same color and on my first cast with the bigger corky I hooked a fish. And I casted in that same spot atleast 20 times with the smaller corky with out getting a bite. The fish that I hooked was a big steelhead that snapped my line, from what I saw of it im guessing it was around 20 pounds.

RipDatLip · 02-18-2002, 05:25 PM

I just want to bring this back to the top for some more opinions. I am going to put in an order for some corkies. Are there some certain colors that produce better for steelhead vs salmon?

What about yarn color? Do you prefer it to be the same as the corkie or be the opposite? Also, what color is your favorite yarn color?

Matt

Bubzilla · 02-18-2002, 05:42 PM

Might want to also consider that sometimes the best Corkie is no Corkie. There are many circumstances where other drift bobbers are better. Personally, I prefer Cheaters with bait, and sometimes even by themselves. Birdies were great--down to my last few dozen--and so were Okies--down to my last hand-full. I wouldn't overlook Cheaters, though. Everyone's so Corkie crazy these days, though, I'm affraid they'll eventually be the only option. For some things, Spin-and-Glows are the ticket--if you can handle the cost of losing a few while drift fishing. Having different sizes and colors of Corkies is a good idea--I have probably four or five hundred in my boat box--but having other kinds of drift bobber is great!