Thill Crappie Cork

By Darl Black

Don’t let the name crappie “cork” fool you. The Thill Crappie Cork is a well thought-out and properly designed float that can help you put more crappies in the livewell.

Crappie fishing around cover requires accurate casting and precise depth setting of the bait below a float. While many crappie anglers simply clip any old bobber on the line, a fixed float (held in one spot on the line) makes for sloppy and inaccurate casts due to the tumbling effect of the separated bait and bobber.

Slip bobbers (or slip floats or slip corks) are the better way to go. With a slip bobber the line runs through the center of the float. As you prepare to cast, the float slides down the line to the baited jighead /hook. With the bobber and bait close together, it is possible to fire accurate, long distance casts right to the honey spot.

The weight of the jighead/bait pulls line through the bobber at splash down. The bobber stops sliding up the line when it reaches the preset bobber stop. The stop can be set for any depth from a few inches to six feet or more.

There are a number of different bobber stops, but I prefer the “stop knots” made of colorful braided line. The knots are pre-tied on small straws, and are slid off the straw onto the line. The knot is slid up the line to the desired position before being drawn tight. You can trip the tag ends – leaving enough to loosen and adjust the stop knot to change the depth setting of the float.

The process is to slide the straw on the line and push the stop knot off. Next slip a small stop bead on the line, followed by the Crappie Cork. Finally the bait hook or jighead is tied into place on the end of the line. Slide the stop knot up the line to the desired setting and pull the tag ends tight.

Thill Crappie Corks are offered in different sizes, with each size capable of supporting a specific weight. Sizes include 1/16-oz, 1/8-oz., 1/4-oz. and 3/8-oz. The colorful top makes Thill Crappie Corks highly visible to the angler.

Don’t go crappie fishing without Thill Crappie Corks.

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