darter attempt #1
 

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...000/darter.jpg

well i think i got it just by going off pics ive seen on the message boards...the first lip is a 35 deg and the top of the plug is a 15 deg...any tips?

Not that I have any experience making one but I think they are supposed to have 3 separate surfaces on the large diving plane.

Google the following - with the quote marks:

"Here it is....The ENIGMA Machine!!!"

yeah i see what you mean on the top has to angles then kind blends together...ill try this one the way it is and see how it swims since i already cut it too far...

Add a second plane at a lesser angle just behind the first one. Get your line tine 1/4" back from the top lip. Not sure what wood that is, looks like pine or something. Birch makes the best darter. Just like the Danny Pichney darters.

I say you did pretty good there.

as a rule ther are 3 angles, each angle is half of the previous angle...

Example.. 30:15:7.5:blend to back.. ..as Salty said, birch makes the best darters... large 8" dartes can be made of maple... on smaller sizes I've had good sucess with spruce..

That also appears to be a straight dowel and not a turned shaped body?? That will not help the action any if thats the case?

I think more than the 3 angles (as I have great darters with one angle) more importantly is to have a taper to the front of the body of the darter. If you taper it slightly from the last 2/3rds of the plug forward you will usually have greater success. If your gonna use that wood (which looks like pine) I would weight it at that spot as well. When you have it all done proper make 200 and see that only 47 dart and you will understand my summer.

Welcome to darter hell!!!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter03.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter02.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter01.jpg

its pine dowel from homedepot for closets. i kinda sloped the angle more and finished it off...all i have is table saw, band saw, and a belt sander.

i also made this poper/zara spook...not sure how its gona work but its big like 9 inches...so i guess ill catch somthing big if it swims. :)

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/popper01.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/popper02.jpg

that slope looks better

nice start

now that mouth cut, the bottom cut needs to be 45 degrees, you'll find that angle will be your best start.

try it in birch if you can

yeah i think i fudged up on the mouth...whats the point of it, does it really need a beak or can i just cut it straight?

I just go by how other darters work and that beak has a lot to do with the water flow as the plug sways and goes through the water.

darter hell is a time consuming trial and error type of plug building, sometimes you nail it, and other times the plug looks exactly the same and it's a dud.

good luck

there is lots of info on the forum about darters

Ive never really fished them so are they supposed to swim in a Z pattern? i have a plug that i made that swims in a Z pattern when i was 17years old im 27 now. ive caugt a few fish on it...ill dig it out of my tackle box and take a pic of it...and i also have some pics of fish ive caught too. its way different looking than anything ive seen on here. i tryed to copy a z plug so it doesnt really look like that either. first thing in the morning ill get it posted.

heres the darter that i made way back when and caught a few fish on.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter05.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter04.jpg

and heres a smaller one i made the other day

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter07.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m...0/darter06.jpg

I think those would be classified as "Lipless Swimmers" as opposed to darters? Just my .02 cents. Lipless swimmers can be just as finicky if not more so than a darter!:uhuh:

it does swim in a zig zag pattern so wouldnt that make it a darter?

most darters go thru the water like a drunken sailor

you don't want them to roll over obviously

There's an episode of On The Water that was half plugging with a local plug maker and half in his shop making his plugs - took him like 20 minutes from start to finish. They key was the type of wood and the placement of the weight. The wood seemed to be more important.

Not sure if they have an archive you can get to?

justinhill, that pine dowel looks to be HARD PINE. I get dowels there also, but look for DOWELS ,they have a big selection, not the LONG 6 to 12'closets dowel. but the 4' ONES they have PINE, OAK, POPLAR.
If your looking for BIG DIAMETER ones, go to LOWE'S they have 1.1/2 an 2" at least around here they do.


GOOD LUCK GOOD PLUGGIN:smash:

yeah it the closet dowel you can buy in 20ft if you want...ok cool thanks ill check out lowes.