The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Everyone with anything to sell should be so fortunate. You would think that boats, especially boats that are faster and better equipped than any ever offered before, would be the hottest topic at a Boat Show. That was not the case, however, at the Houston Boat Show last week.

“Can I show you fellows something,” an aggressive salesman asked the three fishermen huddled between two dazzling Bay Boats. “I hope so,” replied the eldest of the group, “Where do we go to find a Corky?”

We talked knots, rod actions, the perceived diversity of the MirrOdine XL versus the Catch V, forecasts of even more freezing weather and everything in between, but at some point in every conversation the availability of the Corky was discussed. It is human nature to want anything a little more when you suddenly realize that you can’t get it, but we are talking about something more akin to life and death in this instance!

From Sabine Lake all the way to Baffin Bay, only the most driven trout fishermen endure the worst weather conditions of the year in pursuit of the fish of their dreams. They are well aware of the fact that the next three months may afford them a few swings at best and they do not waste precious fishing time experimenting with lures. They make their stand with a Corky!

Paul Brown’s soft plastic mullet imitations have duped the largest trout Texas has to offer since the mid-seventies for two basic reasons. The most important being that the fish apparently think they are the real deal and secondly because so many folks fish them with confidence. Choice of color cannot be overlooked, but the combination of a slow descent and natural action sets them apart from similar lures.

Availability has always been an issue with the Corky. It eased up a little when MirrOlure introduced the Catch 2000, Catch V, and Mirrodine, all hard plastic lures that possess many of the same characteristics and dupe their fair share of big fish as well, but any trip to Houston still mandated a trip by Paul’s shop regardless of the time of year.

This fact was not lost on the folks at MirrOlure. While obviously pleased with the angler confidence in their own line of suspending lures, they began negotiations with Brown to possibly add the Corky to their stable rather than attempting to duplicate the legendary lure.

“We have always recognized and appreciated the proven fish catching capabilities of Paul’s soft plastic lures,” points out Eric Bachnik, “and we had no intentions of producing another lure that just looked like a Corky.”

Much to the delight of Texas anglers, the Browns struck a deal with MirrOlure late last year and the availability issue will soon be a thing of the past. I talked with Eric back in the fall and they hoped to have them on the racks by mid-January, but that date has been moved back a little. The reps in the Tackle Unlimited Booth said they expect to have them on their shelves by early February.

Until that happens, you are going to be hard pressed to replace any Corkys that you lose to fish or snags. Because clients often lose mine as fast as I do, I will switch to a Catch V once we catch a fish in hopes that they will eat it as well. They can be easily replaced and on the warmer days the trout will often hit them just as well. If they only want the Corky, however, we quickly switch back and I resume offering up a brief prayer for their safe return before every cast!

You cannot properly fish the Corky and not have those occasional days when you lose several lures to everything from unseen snags to popping them off due to the untimely separation of braid and fluorocarbon leader. At the same time, the clock is ticking and you have to give it your best shot with the deadliest lure in your arsenal.

Hopefully, by the time you have deposited your last one on the bottom of the lake, you will have caught and released a double digit trout and a new Corky will be as close as your nearest dealer!