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Old School Darter head jig


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  • Super User
Posted

The dart jig has been forgotten by most and renamed by a few but it’s hands down the ideal suspended bass lure. The dart jig is fished using a curl tail worm, curl down, and retrieved parallel at the depth the bass are suspended at. You cast the dart worm and count it down to the desired depth and simple retrieve with a steady slow pace. 

The trick is rate or fall with the line and dart jig weight and worm needs to be tested at known depths.

For example a 1/8oz dart with 4 1/2” curl tail worm may fall at 1’ per second to 10’ and may take 30 seconds to reach 20’ depth, you need to test to know for sure.

My old rule of thumb was 1/8 oz dart and 5# UG with 4 1/2” curl tail was 1’ ROF for 10’, to get 1’ ROF using the same line and with required 3/16 oz dart to reach 20’ at 20 seconds and going to 1/4 oz dart to achieve 30’ in 30 seconds. Knowing the depth the jig is at is important factor when dart fishing. Then factoring the wind is another. Colder water slows down the ROF. For these reasons simple test at the launch ramp and count down at known depths.

I only used smoke colors with various different flakes to change colors. Salt & pepper being the standby. Adding blue, red or gold flakes would next option. Changing to light cinnamon in lieu of smoke with blue neon was another effective color when the water was slightly off color.

Owner or Gamakatsu darter heads painted pearl white is all I use.

Presentaion is a long cast, count down and slowly reel back, no need to add action, just stop every 10 yards or so for a few seconds. Rigging is exposed hook, the worm must be straight on the hook shank.

I used spinning tackle back in the day and still do.

Try it!

Tom

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  • Super User
Posted

I've always used ball-heads for this, mainly because that's what the tackle shop had. Is there an advantage of a darthead over a ballhead?

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  • Super User
Posted

Ball heads don’t swim Darts do.

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Posted

1/16 oz darter head and a 4” grub (smoke sparkle or firecracker) has always been a favorite of mine. I’ve always preferred Phenix darts for the grub - they just seem to swim better with it, Gamakatsu for worms.

 

A buddy of mine has been throwing a 1/8 dart with the 4” Shad Shape Worm and putting up some good numbers with it.

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  • Super User
Posted
44 minutes ago, WRB said:

Ball heads don’t swim Darts do.

 

I don't understand what you mean by this, Tom --  a worm or grub certainly swims on a steady retrieve regardless of the shape of the head.  What would I notice that a dart head does differently?

  • Like 1
Posted
16 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

I don't understand what you mean by this, Tom --  a worm or grub certainly swims on a steady retrieve regardless of the shape of the head.  What would I notice that a dart head does differently?

Dart heads like the name implies, dart from side to side on the retrieve.  Ball heads pretty much just go straight.  So the dart jig head gives whatever is on it more action.

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  • Super User
Posted
49 minutes ago, ne_dan said:

Dart heads like the name implies, dart from side to side on the retrieve.  Ball heads pretty much just go straight.  So the dart jig head gives whatever is on it more action.

 

Thank you -- I don't believe I have ever seen this in action.  Will it give a side-to-side motion with a straight-tailed bait then as well? 

  • Super User
Posted

The1st jig design was the simple ball head marketed by Doll Fly. This was followed by the banana head for use with live minnows and disappeared as bass anglers stopped using minnows. I believe banana head are still  by walleye anglers.

Darts became popular out west by Dick Trask who used Mister Twister curl tail worn to swim through suspended bass. Dick also popularized the old Split shot presentation used for decades before with live bait. 

Trask dart heads allowed curl tail worm to “swim” like a live minnow either fished veritable or horizontal. Dick Trask dominated SoCal tournaments introducing Flutter Craft worms that swam better then Mister Twister one of the first curl tail worms.

Darts have a balanced weight front and back of the hook eye that allows the worm swimming motion to rock back and forth like a live fish. This swimming motion is critical to attract bass to strike. Ken Huddleston recognized this motion and incorporated the same motion in his soft swimbaits.

Give it try, it works!

Tom 

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Posted
1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Thank you -- I don't believe I have ever seen this in action.  Will it give a side-to-side motion with a straight-tailed bait then as well? 

Yes they will - used all sorts of straight tailed worms on a dart over the years. Can’t go wrong with a Roboworm or RI Flirt on a dart. OG Mann’s Jelly Worm has an awesome action on a dart too.

 

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  • Super User
Posted
2 hours ago, WRB said:

The1st jig design was the simple bass head marketed by Doll Fly. This was followed by the banana head for use with live minnows and disappeared as bass anglers stopped using minnows. I believe banana head are still  by walleye anglers.

Darts became popular out west by Dick Trask who used Mister Twister curl tail worn to swim through suspended bass. Dick also popularized the old Split shot presentation used for decades before with live bait. 

Trask dart heads allowed curl tail worm to “swim” like a live minnow either fished veritable or horizontal. Dick Trask dominated SoCal tournaments introducing Flutter Craft worms that swam better then Mister Twister one of the first curl tail worms.

Darts have a balanced weight front and back of the hook eye that allows the worm swimming motion to rock back and forth like a live fish. This swimming motion is critical to attract bass to strike. Ken Huddleston recognized this motion and incorporated the same motion in his soft swimbaits.

Give it try, it works!

Tom 

 

You dropped one of my old school secret baits. I don't fish this as often as I use to but when the bite moves away from structure and the bank, these two can be deadly when fished slowly. 

 

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  • Super User
Posted

The dart head I am talking about has a 90 degree jig light wire hook like offered by Kalin, Gamakatsu and Ower. The hook eye is centered in the dart hard shape head. The line tie location is important as it allows the head to swim back and forth with the action of the worm. The subtle swim motion triggers strike both on the fall and retrieved.

Tom 

 

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  • BassResource.com Administrator
  • Solution
Posted

Like this?

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I have a bunch of them, and they work....except in rocks.  Boy you sure lose a lot of them in rock! LOL!

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Posted
On 10/14/2023 at 9:34 PM, WRB said:

Darts became popular out west by Dick Trask who used Mister Twister curl tail worn to swim through suspended bass. Dick also popularized the old Split shot presentation used for decades before with live bait. 

Trask dart heads allowed curl tail worm to “swim” like a live minnow either fished veritable or horizontal. Dick Trask dominated SoCal tournaments introducing Flutter Craft worms that swam better then Mister Twister one of the first curl tail worms.

Darts have a balanced weight front and back of the hook eye that allows the worm swimming motion to rock back and forth like a live fish.

Very interesting to learn this history.

 

I'm a relative rookie to fishing for bass and my frame of reference doesn't go back that far.

 

I first started hearing about the Damiki Rig during the Feb 2017 Elite event at Cherokee Lake; in more recent events Damiki Rigs and similar horizontal sitting jig/fluke rigs seem to have become more and more predominant. 

 

I understand from listening to Jeff Gustafson that guys have been fishing horizontal-sitting minnow baits for quite a while.

 

@WRB what is the connection between dart head rigs and Western bass fishing in the 80's (?) and 2010+ era Damiki/moping fishing? Or none?

Posted

A lot of swimbait heads have the same effect as a darter head, just depends where the line tie is - These are what I usually use. 

Posted

Don’t be afraid to bounce worms rigged on a dart head on the bottom. This technique catches a lot of bass, especially spotted bass. And yes, you will lose a lot, but sometimes that the price of

catching fish

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