Darter for Open Beach Use

[ProfessorM]

I just finished machining an in between size darter I feel will be perfect for that shallower application. Also the next to smallest darter that Musso made, wood of course, was ideal for that application too. George luvs them. He uses basswood I use AYC. I am finding that lighter wood like ayc is an excellent material for darters. I used to use a heavier wood like maple and birch, which i still use for my larger Pichney style darter. The fact it is light allows for it to rise up once the retrieve is slowed or stopped pretty quickly but still digs and swims surprisingly good once it gets under.
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[numbskull]

You will have a hard time finding a better darter to do this than the wooden wide Musso 6" plug. The three hooks are annoying but nothing works better that I have found (including the gibbs 3 hook, 2 hook, and the plastic superstrike). I have made two hook versions of this plug but am undecided about its effectiveness so far.

The small 5" 2 hook musso plug thay Paul mentions is an outstanding plug that will outfish any other darter I've copied, but the wide 6" 3 hook plug is better if you are seeking big fish.

The wide musso is a versatile plug since you can also fish it in any type of current but the big Pinchney/BM plug is probably better in this situation.

The trick with using darters in shallow still water has more to do with the retrieve than the plug. You need to practice by day over shallow sand while standing on a low rock or jetty so you can see what you are doing. You give the plug a small tug then 2-3 very slow turns of the handle so the plug dives about a foot, then stop it shake it, take up a little slack, shake or twitch again, pause, and restart the sequence. You will see the plug struggle on top, start to dive then fatigue and float back to surface where it struggles again. Looks exactly like a dying fish or squid that is feeding on small surface stuff. The hits are big surface hits that you typically see/hear out there in the dark before you feel 'em.

The trick with modifying darters to run shallow mostly involves where you place your line tie. The further back the deeper and wider it goes. To a lesser extent the weight is a factor. Each darter shape has a small weight range (usually less than 1/4-1/2 oz) where it will work well. You need to figure this out (too heavy will roll) then use the lightest weight you can get away with.....altough this is more important if you plan to use a slow steady retrieve than the start and stop technique described above.

[numbskull]

This picture....which I have posted before.....shows the musso family.
The plug on the left is a Pinchney clone, the top plug a small Gibbs clone (itself a very good plug), the rest are variuos musso's. The plug on the right is the one you want.........and if I could only have one plug to fish at night that is the plug I'd choose without regret. In yellow or parrot.....although purple is also real good.