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HARD BAITS & PLUGS
Darter Plug
A Northeast US surf plug with a notched face that darts side to side in current on a slow retrieve; adapted here for inlets and rocky points.
DepthSubsurface (1-3 ft)
ActionSlow side-to-side dart
WhereInlets, rocky points, jetties
LevelAdvanced
How to fish it
- 1
Tie it on with a loop knot and go where water is moving: inlet mouths, river mouths and rocky points.
- 2
Cast across or slightly up-current at an inlet mouth or along a rocky point.
- 3
Reel very slowly and let the current do the work; you should feel a soft side-to-side pulse.
- 4
Let it swing down-current along the rocks; snook, jacks and barracuda often hit as it turns.
BigJoe Tips
- It is a striped-bass plug from the US Northeast and hard to find in PR shops; a floating minnow or swimbait covers most of the same jobs here, but the darter shines in real current.
- Wooden darters vary; test each one at your feet to see how it swims.
- Through-wired plugs with heavy trebles hold up to jacks around the rocks.
Mistakes to avoid
- Reeling it fast like a minnow; the darter needs slow speed and current.
- Fishing it in slack water where it barely moves.
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