Here at Frank and Frans we get asked all the time how to catch fish in the sound. We wanted to take a minute and talk with you about fishing popping corks in the sound. It's an effective way to target Puppy Drum, Speckled Trout, Bluefish and Flounder. A popping cork rig consists of a cork 18”-24” of leader material to a jig head and a soft plastic. The type of popping cork and color is personal preference as is the soft plastic and weight of the jig head. When selecting a place to fish a “dark bottom” ie Eel Grass will hold many more fish then an empty sandy bottom. Typically a water depth of 3’-5’ is going to be a good place to start. Simply cast your rig out , give the rod a sharp jerk, this will cause the jig to rise toward the surface. Stop reeling and let the rig sit for 5-10 seconds, the bite will typically occur on the fall, if you don't get bit crank 5 more times and “pop’ it again. Listed below are some of our preferred tackle setups.

Billy Bay Pop N’ Gurgle https://hatteras-island.com/billy-bay-pop-n-gurgle/

ZMan Trout Eyes https://hatteras-island.com/zman-trout-eye-finesse-jig-heads-updating/

Zman Curly Tails https://hatteras-island.com/z-man-curly-tailz/

Gulp Swimming Mullet https://hatteras-island.com/berkley-gulp-swimming-mullet/

Daiwa TD SOL https://hatteras-island.com/daiwa-td-sol-inshore-spinning-rods/

Daiwa Saltist MQ 2500 https://hatteras-island.com/daiwa-saltist-mq-reel...

Power Pro https://hatteras-island.com/daiwa-tatula-mq-lt-reel/

Pre Rigged Popping Cork https://hatteras-island.com/f-f-popper-and-jig/

Google Earth is a GREAT resource for scouting areas. The Eel Grass beds are fairly static, they do not move much over time. Using Google Earth, you can identify areas to target as starting points by finding concentrations of “dark bottom”. https://www.google.com/earth/about/versions/