Harry Kee, by email
QI’ve been trying to make my own cork ball pop-ups but I’m struggling to get the paste to stick to the ball properly and the result is a disaster. Can you give me some tips?
AHi Harry. I’ve had the same problem in the past, so here are a few tips to help you to overcome the problem.
Firstly, don’t make your boilie mix too dry. I like to make my pop-up mix slightly wetter and stickier than that for a bottom bait mix, so that it sticks to the cork ball better. I then rub some oil on my hands to stop the mix from sticking to them (vegetable or hemp oil both work).
Another option is to coat your cork balls in egg white, then give them a few minutes to dry out slightly before applying the boilie mix.
The third option (and my preference) is to place a teaspoon of sugar in a cup, pour two teaspoons of boiling water over it and stir until dissolved. I then roll the cork balls in this, which makes them sticky, before again leaving them to dry out for a short while.