The Corkie and Bait rig is a well known and used rig for drift fishing roe, shrimp and other baits for salmon and steelhead.
It is easy to tie up, but this is best done at home so you have pre-tied leaders when you go fishing.
I commonly tie this using 8 pound Maxima Ultragreen and size 4 octopus hooks. However you can size it up or down according to need, or use fluorocarbon leader.
You also need a drift bobber like a corkie or cheater. The size of drift bobber to use depends on the size of the hook. The rule of thumb is a drift bobber that just barely fits inside the gap of the hook. If more buoyancy is needed then you can stack 2 (or more) drift bobbers on top of each other.
Typical drift bobber colors to use are red, pink, black, purple and chartreuse. Each has its own water conditions that it works best in.
When regs allow it I prefer to tie this with 2 hooks.
First cut your leader. I usually tie them 4 to 5 feet long, since I can always cut them down on the river.
Second tie on the first hook, using the egg loop knot. And then slide on your drift bobber.
Then slide on the second hook, and tie it with the egg loop knot. Make sure to tie the egg loop on the second hook with lots of wraps – 10 to 15 – so the loop is big enough to hold the roe.
The finished product should look like this.
Now you are done. Take your finished leader and put it in your favorite leader holder.
For more information about rigging and lures check out the gear page.
