Versamax Bolt

Recently purchased 3 versamax bolt corks. Been using them for several weeks now and loved them. They cast great and having ability to quickly change depth or lure is a big plus. That said, the wire going thru the cork broke on 2 of the corks already and for some unknown reason. I use these corks for working plastics on a 1/4 oz lead head. In both cases the wire broke while popping. I’m hopping I just got a bad batch cause I really like them but hesitate to replace if it’s an ongoing issue. Anyone else have problems with these corks?

LastCast : First time I’ve ever heard anything about one of those wires breaking , know a couple of fellas that use them. As for myself I haven’t used a cork in over 30 years, got no use for them , been doing very fine all these years with out one 🧙‍♂️🎣

I’m not a cork man don’t even have them in my boat but I’d bring them back and get a replacement. For what they charge should last quite a while. Good luck.

Last Cast,I do not use corks a lot but have used both the Bolt series and the older version and I have had no issues with the Bolt series and it is very versatile,being able to quickly alter depth.There are plenty times when popping cork is lethal on specks,just ask a buddy of mine who was tossing live shrimp under popping cork and I was using Bolt with Tsunamai shrimp and I caught probably three times as many specks as he did,perhaps the water clarity that day(extremely murky)made specks have to search to find his live shrimp but the holographic foil inside Tsunamai and not sure but think dem Tsunamai's have rattle chamber inside and both those items made a difference!!Good luck with dem Bolts,love em when I use popping cork!!

Mandevillian

Last Cast,Just taking short break from taking care of bunch of yard debris that has been collecting(with shelter-in-place mandate getting lotta yard and garden work done)and pulled SouthFork from under her nice canopy and noticed my Versamax Bolt cork on rod n reel combo I first used when you and I fished Reggio together.That cork is one neat invention and I have the first-generation Versamax with the removable top so you can add pebbles,BB's,glass beads,etc and as I am sure you know,fish feed by sight,scent,sound and anything that appeals to all those senses definitely ups the odds in favor of angler.My older son and I fished the Trestles a few weeks back(horrible conditions dat day)and I gave him a Thumping Mullet(not sure where I got that from)and I showed him the rattle chamber in that fine soft plastic and he was getting three times the bites I was getting and my soft plastic that day,a Lunker City Shaker,had gotten the attention of some fat Trestles specks not that long ago so my suspicion was that the rattle chamber allowed reds to zero in on dat Thumping Mullet and it certainly helped him dat day(water extremely turbid)!!Hope to get after some salt water fish soon,still gotta lotta yard and gardening work ahead of me and just placed order for 2020 Jazz Fest Poster(officially cancelled for 2020 and these are collector items)!!

Mandevillian

I had one break landing redfish on me last year. It wasn't very old at the time.

Well I've talked to quite a few folks since making this post and it seems malfunction of these corks rarely happens. In fact other than the two breaking on me, rperilloux is the only other one I've heard of so far. Everyone I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about these corks. Thanks for all the input

Last Cast,I used my trusty Versamax Bolt today fishing near de Wiz and no takers on Tsunamai shrimp under dat fine cork but did manage nice speck,foul-hooked on MirroDine,chicken on a chain twitch bait.

Mandevillian

Since making this post I replaced the Versamax corks that broke and no issues since. Reasonably priced online and free shipping. Haven’t used a 4Horseman but comparatively speaking Versamax is roughly half the price. Also wanted to mention I purchased an H&H big baller cork and was very pleased with it till it was claimed by the long rocks in Hopedale. It’s very similar to 4Horseman but got it on sale at academy for only couple bucks

Funny ya mention losing cork to Long Rocks as dey claimed one of my Tsunamai Glow Shrimp lures bout a year ago.I get a lotta stuff from Fish USA and Jann's Netcraft and with Fish USA,typically get free shipping with orders over $60(for me dat is usually pretty easy).I did check Tackle Warehouse for pricing comparison purposes and found that Fish USA typically had some of the latest lures,lines,etc and Tackle Warehouse did NOT!Sportsman's Warehouse often runs close-outs and I picked up fine high-speed Lew's baitcaster(8.3:1 ratio)and dat reel has been smoking grassbed reds,mated to Lews Tournament rod.Guess I could check Fish USA to see if they stock Versamax Bolts but so far have NOT lost dat fine cork(hope I did not just jinx self)and have few shoreline trips set for next week and next trip to Hopedale,plan to toss some dem Tsunamai Glow Shrimp lures under dat Bolt!!

Mandevillian

Junk! The original ones are even worse. The easy 'depth change' sales pitch is a great idea. However, braid doesn't work very well with them. And if using mono it is completely kinked and unusable after attaching it to the cork. I rarely fish with a cork but if I do... I'll stick to the ole cheapo Cajun Thunder ones. They work just the same as the 4 Horseman at half the price.

blackfishmatt,Guess I musta been either lucky or good as mine is attached to 20 lb Fins Wind Tamer and I am by no means a knot expert but tied a version of Palomar knot and use 30 lb Vanish fluoro for the leader and bear in mind,I rarely use popping corks but this set-up has been flawless,other than my long cast into the Rocks and all I managed to lose was a Tsumanai Glow Shrimp that I did NOT have tied too well(actually lost one to Rocks,one to HUGE trout-was not tied properly)and once my Tsunamai supply got somewhat scarce,tied a real good Palomar knot to attach Tsunamai to 30 lb fluro.Maybe a switch to fluro would be better choice but if ya happy with Cajun Thunder,no reason to change.I have another spinning reel combo not sure what brand of cork is on it,think it might actually be Tsunamai cork as well.I typically toss baitcaster,even with popping cork but this Quantum Smoke,mated to St.Croix Triumph rod is ridiculously smooth and strong-whips even bigger fish in NO time.

Mandevillian

I use 20 lb fluro leader from the cork to terminal end. Has very little memory if any at all. No problems kinking or anything like that after unraveling from the cork.

Last Cast,Dat fluoro is some good stuff and I saw a few commercials for Sufix Advance and was not sure if the hype was deserved.Swapped out my Vanish fluro on three of my favorite baitcasters and went with 17 lb Sufix Advance Fluro on two and 12 lb on another and so far,as my main line on those reels,dat Sufix Advance is de reel deal,NO DOUBT.Not sure which brand ya used for your leader but Vanish seemed to be decent choice and I went with 30 lb and other than my bad,not having a good enough knot to attach Tsunamai shrimp,Vanish has served me well.Again,bear in mind,I RARELY use popping corks but definitely there is a HUGE place for them,at least in my humble opinion!!Watched most current AJfishes You Tube and he and two gents fished the exact spot me and a buddy fished last Friday(N side of Hopedale Dam).The water last Friday left a lot to be desired and my fishing buddy was soaking live shrimp,lost a lot of shrimp,and all I managed was decent fat speck and know for sure I missed quite a few,all on Lunker City Shaker,Kiwi Shad in 4.5 inch,big lure but enrages specks!!

Mandevillian