Hi guys. Just rolled some 14mm corkball pop ups on 10mm corkballs. They came out lovely and was very excited to use them! However, they were basically like a Wafter 🤦🏼♂️ Have I made a mistake or am I missing a trick with the corkballs I've used, they were just cheap ones off eBay 🤦🏼♂️ Anyone recommend some corkballs? Or would I be better rolling 14mm on 12mm corkballs but that's a very thin layer of paste.
In reply to Post #1
Top of this bait section is a brilliant sticky thread about how to roll corkballs, definitely worth having a look at that mate
Top of this bait section is a brilliant sticky thread about how to roll corkballs, definitely worth having a look at that mate
In reply to Post #2
Just had a look. Doesn't really answer my question as it says 10mm corks for 14mm baits. This is what I'm having the trouble with
Just had a look. Doesn't really answer my question as it says 10mm corks for 14mm baits. This is what I'm having the trouble with
In reply to Post #1
Thats quite common 14mm finished bait on 10mm corkball, you can try several things 12mm finished bait on your 10mm cork but it is a thin layer. !2mm cork balls finished in either 15mm or 16mm will give you far more bouyant pop ups than what you have made.
Another thing you could try if you want to use 10mm corkballs is to add more bouyant powders to your mix
Thats quite common 14mm finished bait on 10mm corkball, you can try several things 12mm finished bait on your 10mm cork but it is a thin layer. !2mm cork balls finished in either 15mm or 16mm will give you far more bouyant pop ups than what you have made.
Another thing you could try if you want to use 10mm corkballs is to add more bouyant powders to your mix
In reply to Post #1
You don't say what size hook or rig presentation you are currently using.
You are probably doing nothing wrong, just more practise, tank tests, and tweaking.
Like most things it is a matter of consistency, accurate notes making them, and using the exact same end tackle, metal bling, to get the desired presentation you seek.
I would either use a smaller hook size, less bling or up the corkball size by 2 to 4 mm, obviously ending up with a bigger hookbait, but more buoyancy.
Happy rolling
You don't say what size hook or rig presentation you are currently using.
You are probably doing nothing wrong, just more practise, tank tests, and tweaking.
Like most things it is a matter of consistency, accurate notes making them, and using the exact same end tackle, metal bling, to get the desired presentation you seek.
I would either use a smaller hook size, less bling or up the corkball size by 2 to 4 mm, obviously ending up with a bigger hookbait, but more buoyancy.
Happy rolling
In reply to Post #5
Ive recently made some 12 mm popups on 10mm cork balls and they are only just buoyant enough.
You want 12mm cork balls for 14mm baits.. 2mm paste.
Quality of cork balls makes a difference mine were off ebay and are rubbish.
Ive recently made some 12 mm popups on 10mm cork balls and they are only just buoyant enough.
You want 12mm cork balls for 14mm baits.. 2mm paste.
Quality of cork balls makes a difference mine were off ebay and are rubbish.
Bump...
Can any of you guys help me, my hinge rigs are effectively leaning over due to the standard of cork balls I purchased a while back being poor. Using a size 5 with 14mm cork balls (12mm inside). Some are fine when testing in the margin then others seem to droop. Although I've probably got about 4 different brands I'm using. 🤣
Can anyone update on somewhere to get high quality cork balls, don't mind paying a premium.
Can any of you guys help me, my hinge rigs are effectively leaning over due to the standard of cork balls I purchased a while back being poor. Using a size 5 with 14mm cork balls (12mm inside). Some are fine when testing in the margin then others seem to droop. Although I've probably got about 4 different brands I'm using. 🤣
Can anyone update on somewhere to get high quality cork balls, don't mind paying a premium.
In reply to Post #7
I've used these in 14mm for years, they've been fine.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204039148738?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ahkY_O22R7e&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=qpbcb_gZRkW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I've used these in 14mm for years, they've been fine.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204039148738?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ahkY_O22R7e&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=qpbcb_gZRkW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Poor quality corkballs is this a new thing. Never had any problems with the balls I've used. I would imagine the majority if not all are supplied by Siesta Cork. So the quality should be the same across the board. 
In reply to Post #9
Noooooo.
You are correct about one part, Siesta supply the vast majority of carp fishing. All the major brands get their cork balls from there. If you buy Gardner, TA, ESP... They are all Siesta. All are cut from one piece of high quality cork. If you read the SHB thread you will have seen we have completely stopping selling 16mm cork ball hook baits.... Because 12mm high quality cork balls that they are made with, have become impossible to source in the quantities that we require. The old man who made them in Portugal died of Covid in 2021... Most of last year Siesta had ZERO 12mm cork balls. Between myself who speaks fluent Portuguese, and Gary Peet of the Tackle Box, we scoured Portugal trying to obtain the same quality this old man produced. We failed. What I was speaking about last year on our work thread, will just be starting to effect the market now. We no longer sell 16mm cork balls. Siesta did find a new supplier they said, but prices sky rocketed and supply in the numbers we required was no longer plausible. Bags of 5000 being rationed was no good to us. Luckily for us, this happened at a time when we now sell a tiny fraction of the cork balls which we used to. If this had happened 8 or 9 years ago it would have put us out of business over night.
There are lots of other types of cork balls from less reputable suppliers on the market, that are not made from one piece of high quality cork. Some cork balls, are made from gluing cork granules together. About 15-20% of the total product is toxic heavy glue. These are far cheaper to buy, but the buoyancy is absolutely crap and I would never put them near any hook bait I'd ever cast out...
Be careful what you buy.
Noooooo.
You are correct about one part, Siesta supply the vast majority of carp fishing. All the major brands get their cork balls from there. If you buy Gardner, TA, ESP... They are all Siesta. All are cut from one piece of high quality cork. If you read the SHB thread you will have seen we have completely stopping selling 16mm cork ball hook baits.... Because 12mm high quality cork balls that they are made with, have become impossible to source in the quantities that we require. The old man who made them in Portugal died of Covid in 2021... Most of last year Siesta had ZERO 12mm cork balls. Between myself who speaks fluent Portuguese, and Gary Peet of the Tackle Box, we scoured Portugal trying to obtain the same quality this old man produced. We failed. What I was speaking about last year on our work thread, will just be starting to effect the market now. We no longer sell 16mm cork balls. Siesta did find a new supplier they said, but prices sky rocketed and supply in the numbers we required was no longer plausible. Bags of 5000 being rationed was no good to us. Luckily for us, this happened at a time when we now sell a tiny fraction of the cork balls which we used to. If this had happened 8 or 9 years ago it would have put us out of business over night.
There are lots of other types of cork balls from less reputable suppliers on the market, that are not made from one piece of high quality cork. Some cork balls, are made from gluing cork granules together. About 15-20% of the total product is toxic heavy glue. These are far cheaper to buy, but the buoyancy is absolutely crap and I would never put them near any hook bait I'd ever cast out...
Be careful what you buy.
In reply to Post #10
I love and hate corkball pop-ups.
You need to properly sieve your base mix before mixing to make sure that there are no large lumps or ingredient pieces.
The bait needs to be very carefully rolled to make sure that there are no gaps for water to penetrate in through the skin.
12mm cork balls is the standard for a 15mm bait, but the shortage of decent 12mm cork balls mean I have gone to 10mm for a 12/13mm boilie, or a 15mm for an 18/20mm pop-up, or even started using Pop-up mix baits.
Strangely enough, the production of corkballs also ties in with wine bottle corks, and the ageing of the cork.
The waste cork product becomes agglomerated, a mix of cork and glue. They are used for some wine bottles, but only in a wine that is not to be properly aged.
The agglomerated cork can also be used for corkballs.
There are less cork wine bottle stoppers being used because of cork taint, a mould either in the oak cork bark, or from the cork being 'infected' by the mould after bottling. The mould could be coming from pesticides used.
Most cork used worldwide is produced in Europe: Italy, Spain and Portugal, although Algeria is a minor producer.
Angling is a minor user of cork, as 68% of the cork produced is used for wine.
Any market shortage and fishing will suffer.
I love and hate corkball pop-ups.
You need to properly sieve your base mix before mixing to make sure that there are no large lumps or ingredient pieces.
The bait needs to be very carefully rolled to make sure that there are no gaps for water to penetrate in through the skin.
12mm cork balls is the standard for a 15mm bait, but the shortage of decent 12mm cork balls mean I have gone to 10mm for a 12/13mm boilie, or a 15mm for an 18/20mm pop-up, or even started using Pop-up mix baits.
Strangely enough, the production of corkballs also ties in with wine bottle corks, and the ageing of the cork.
The waste cork product becomes agglomerated, a mix of cork and glue. They are used for some wine bottles, but only in a wine that is not to be properly aged.
The agglomerated cork can also be used for corkballs.
There are less cork wine bottle stoppers being used because of cork taint, a mould either in the oak cork bark, or from the cork being 'infected' by the mould after bottling. The mould could be coming from pesticides used.
Most cork used worldwide is produced in Europe: Italy, Spain and Portugal, although Algeria is a minor producer.
Angling is a minor user of cork, as 68% of the cork produced is used for wine.
Any market shortage and fishing will suffer.
In reply to Post #10
If you haven't already, you could inform with https://www.vanalten.eu/, customized cork products, balls included. I used to buy granules from them, they are not doing small quantities
If you haven't already, you could inform with https://www.vanalten.eu/, customized cork products, balls included. I used to buy granules from them, they are not doing small quantities