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Darters are a greatly underutilized plug (I am just starting to realize). Sure there is the standard throw it out there at 11oclock up current, drive it down with two or three sweeps/tugs, then start a slow retrieve with pauses and tugs as it sweeps by you thing, or you can get all advanced a rip it deep then slow it and swim it back up to the surface thing, but there is a third way that is worth experimenting with.
Take your darters to a shallow swimming beach by day, one with no current, and try fishing one like it was a needle, only with more rod tip shaking and twitching and frequent pauses. Not every variety will work, but certain types of darters (the Gibbs and wide wooden Mussos do) will stay very close to the surface (within a few inches) look all the world like a fish struggling on the surface to dive back down, making it a few inches down, then floating back up. Get the idea down, then some night in still water when you're getting bumped or tapped on a needle, give it a try. The hit will come when it is paused.
Another variation that worked the only time I tried it in the canal (while the current was cranking) was to toss it out there and not retrieve at all, just shake it like you were working a pencil by day, keeping it working (but not coming in) as it sweeps past you. Once it gets down stream you can try a slow retrieve, but this will take you deep and bang up the lip when you hit the rocky edge. Instead you crank real fast and try to roll the plug out so it will come to the surface and you can skitter it in.
Finally, if you look at pictures of the old time legends hanging out at Race Point, notice that they often all have darters on their rods. Probably something in that.
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