How to make potent pink tuna corkballs

With the long awaited arrival of the CC Moore Corkball Roller, the ability to produce those extra special hookbaits has never been easier. As anglers, we place our faith in certain colours and flavours, special tweaks that have outwitted our most memorable catches or distinctive colours that have led to numbers of fish! While off the shelf pop- ups have accounted for literally hundreds of thousands of captures globally, the unique ability to develop and tweak special mixes in order to create those game-changing hookbaits is most certainly an edge!

Crafting those perfectly formed, custom corkballs couldn’t be easier and with a few simple steps, you will be well on your way to a batch of the finest! You will need the following to create some wonderful, potent smelling Tuna Pinks.

The Equipment

- A small mixing bowl
- A pipette
- Teaspoon and fork
- Medium egg
- 12mm corkballs
- CC Moore Corkball Roller
- CCMoore Fluoro Pink Hard Hookbait Mix
- Pacific Tuna Bait Spray Additive
- Pan of water and stove
- Towel

Step 1: Crack and whisk a medium egg into a mixing bowl. Next, add 5ml of Pacific Tuna Bait Spray additive - and for potent hookbaits, simply add an extra 5ml on top.

Step 2: Whisk the egg and liquid together thoroughly.

Step 3: Begin by adding a small amount of the Pink Hookbait Mix, don’t add too much initially, it is best to work a little in at a time.

Step 4: Start mixing the dry ingredients into the liquid, adding more when needed.

Step 5: After working the mix, you should be left with a pliable, soft paste ready for rolling.

Step 6: Leave the paste sealed in a plastic bag for 30 minutes before using, this allows the paste to firm up a little and fully absorb the flavours.

Step 7: Pinch off a small amount of paste and fill the cups in each sphere as shown.

Step 8: Take a 12mm corkball and position in the sphere with the collar around. To create varying buoyancies, simply alter the size of the corkball.

Step 9: Ensure the corkball is positioned centrally in the paste, this ensures an even layer of paste around the corkball.

Step 10: Place the spheres together and rotate back and forth, while applying a small amount of pressure together.

Step 11: Remove one of the spheres and slide the collar down, removing the cut excess paste to reveal the ‘Pink Corkball’.

Step 12: Carefully remove the corkball from the cup. Give the bait a quick roll between your palms to remove the slight ridge.

Step 13: Add the baits to a pan of hot water that has been taken off the boil and leave for roughly 15 seconds for skin to harden.

Step 14: Place corkballs on a soft towel to dry for two to three days, move around gently to remove moisture.

Extra attraction

After the process of making the Tuna Pinks is complete, simply dry them for a few days until they are firm. The baits can then be rehydrated with a small amount of the Tuna Bait Spray, for an added boost of attraction. If another colour is required, simply repeat the process with one of the Alternative Hookbait Kits, which can be used to create awesome Tuna yellow and orange hookbaits. The world is simply your oyster when it comes to rolling your own, so a little tweak here and there will go a long way in creating those ‘personal’ specials.