Crappies on Chubby Darters?

[ROOOOSTERFISH]

I actually had something hit mine for the first time this year. It shocked me so much that I missed the fish which I could not believe with two trebles down there.

Good Luck Fishing!

[mn_bowhunter]

If you can't catch active fish on the darter you are probably overjigging it. I catch lots of crappies and bigger gills on the #3 size while also having another line with alternate bait down. I hardly caught any with #3's at first, but slowed it down quite a bit and nailed em.

[Fish Fry Guy]

I used them last year for "calling in" fish as I didn't have much confidence in them. This year however, I really tried to play around with them and am now very confident in their abilities. Not so much with gills, but for crappies & perch. I have had a lot of luck this year and they seem to get the bigger fish, not the dinks I'm not after anyways. I found the key to be like this, drop it down 1 or 2 feet above the fish. Rip it up a foot or two and let it drop back down. If the fish are aggressive, they'll come up to the bait. If they don't come up to the bait after a few minutes of ripping it. I'll change to another presentation. If they are coming up though, I found that slowing down the presentation and just wiggling it, more quivering really while slightly inching it up really gets it done. They smack it good when the fish are aggressive.

[Ed Carlson]

Chubby Darters and How To Fish Them

By Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson Backwater Guiding

Salmo Pro Staff

"Team USA"

(This is an old article I did but it may help some of you with your Chubby presentation and rigging options to trigger lookers into hookers. You will notice I mention only 3 sizes, this article was when we were still testing the 2 other sizes of Chubbys...yes there once was 2 more...the #2 and the #3, the #3 passes the tests, but the #2 did not, so the #3 moved on into the line and in time the Giant Chubby was added for use on BIG predators...but that is a story for another day)

I am a big fan of the Salmo Chubby Darter line. And before anyone screams FOUL, I am also on the Salmo Team USA Pro Staff. I am because I truly believe they make the best lures in the world today. OK, with that said.....here are my Chubby Tips guys. The SALMO Chubby Darter is a unique lure for vertical fishing on the ice, or on the open water.

Unlike any other lure designed for vertical fishing, the Salmo Chubby Darter nearly comes to life in water, actually swimming with lifelike baitfish action. Most importantly though, the Chubby Darter attracts and triggers fish unlike any other vertical lure on the market. Almost any lure designed for vertical fishing can be lifted and dropped and it will catch some fish. You can play with the height and speed of the lift, the speed of the drop, timed pauses, jiggle it in place, and play with all the usual options for triggering fish while fishing vertical. Use your electronics to interpret there mood, and react accordingly.

What the Chubby Darter does differently is to extend that same area of experimentation for triggering effect into the horizontal. In fact, it extends your triggering range from an area only inches in diameter to an area up to five or six feet in diameter. Extending an imaginary line down to bottom from your rod tip, in the upstroke, the Chubby Darter is capable of shooting three feet or more out from that line. And it goes in whatever direction its head happens to be pointing at the time (just like me Eh). Then it falls, wobbling in a horizontal position, straight down before finally swinging back to center. An action entirely unique among vertical baits. The lifelike movement, action, and vibration attract fish of all sorts. I have seen walleye come up off bottom 14' to hit on a Chubby on the fall.

Salmo has developed three sizes of Chubby Darters, the Mini Chubby Darter (1 1/2 inches), Junior Chubby Darter (2 inches), both featuring the same swimming, gliding, and darting action as the Senior Chubby Darter (2 1/2 inches). Six, no seven, baitfish patterns are currently available, specifically selected for both clear and dirty water. In clear water, for example, the realistic baitfish patterns like the Perch pattern or Real Roach are favorites. In darker water, the metallic gold/orange produces very well.

(Some Hot Rigging Tip’s from In-Fisherman Staff writer and innovative fisherman Jeff Simpson) *Tipping Chubby Darters are hooking a small portion minnow meat or minnow head on the tail treble. With a maggot or two or just a small chunk of minnow on the rear treble, the lures still perform well (dangling too much bait on the bottom treble stifles the action, much like it would on an open water crankbait). Maybe a better method is to use a quality scent product or rub the lure with the slime or blood of a minnow every so often.

It's critical to use the right line. A line too thick won't allow these lures to get far enough from vertical to make much of a difference. The large and medium size Chubby Darters perform well using 6- to 8-pound test. The Mini Chubby Darter works best on a normal 4-pound line or a thinner 6-pound line. The thicker the line, the more resistance it creates against the water. Line choice is a critical element in striking the perfect balance that will create the presentation you want. Also, A tiny #14 or #12 barrel swivel placed about 3 feet up the line from the bait is sufficient to prevent any line twists. Tying a loop not or using a small snap also allows to achieve maximum action.*

What Jeff touched on in line thickness is in my eye the most critical point for good action, and bite detection. My personal preference is Power Pro low vis-green line in 8/1 for rivers and for perch. The PowerPro 4/15 is a very good choice for larger predators. This ultra thin line allows the Chubby to be all it can be.

Bait tipping the Chubby Darter for me comes in two categories. Larva tipping, and/or meat tipping. I often prefer the bottom treble be tipped with meat for walleye, in currents the rear hook, but not to excess. The scent of a wounded bait is what you wish to imitate. Too large a hunk, and the Chubby will loose it's enticing wobble on the fall. I often take several minnows and mash them into pulp and place then in a small zip-lock bag or an old pill bottle. Then when I wish a new layer of scent and some meat I dip in the Chubby and add a fleshy section to the hook that serves me best in the condition. For you "Salty" users out there, this works just the same, maybe even better. Larva tipping the Chubby for walleye and perch is a hot method. Perch especially go for this option. Tip the rear hook with 2-3 larva by just hooking them through the tip. Leave the larva trailing to help entice a fallowing sumo perch into slurping up the bait.

Drop links, these are a valuable tool in many situations. A drop link is a short section of line, 4" or less, with a hook at the end. You must remove one or the other of the trebles and add the dropper. As you may have guessed the rear dropper is often best in rivers. The bottom dropper is often very good for perch on lakes. You can tip these droppers with the same scent options as you would the trebles. Larva on these droppers is deadly on perch!

A stinger hook. A new product just out this season from Gamakatsu has really caught my eye as a replacement dropper rig. This rig is called the G-Sting. It is a circle style hook with a Power Pro loop heat shrank to the hook to secure the knot. The heat shrink is also Hot RED, very cool! Simply push the loop through the eye of the Chubby and insert the hook end and pull, and your set to go. Far easier to handle in the cold then trying to tie your own droppers! The hook is deadly on sneaky light biters like perch and sluggish walleye. The G-Sting was named the best new product at the ICAST tackle show, and from what I can see, for very good reasons. This dropper system works well on spoons too, very well.

The Salmo Chubby Darter is a valuable tool to add to you’re on ice or open water arsenal. I highly recommend you have a few on hand. I like nothing better then a good hard tug on my Chubby...Eh!

[Fever]

A little FYI... Largemouth have a certain affinity for these little gems. I iced 5 decent Bass and I missed three this past weekend Typically the bass are lethargic but the small number 3 in perch seem to get them up and about. A nice change of pace compared to strugling to catch 9-10 inch crappies. A 17.5 inch bass puts up a decent fight on real light tackle.

[NyQuiLlama]

I wonder if they'd be better on soft water, maybe jigging over a shallow reef in the spring? Anyone tried it?

[irishwalleye]

This thread started out sooooo good!! Everyone was bailing on the Darters and I was looking to cash in!! Them BAM!! So many positive reviews in a row that I am never going to be able to keep the darter success a secret.

Oh well,

Good Luck

PS -- My offer still stands, anyone who wants to get rid of their darters can send them to me!!!

[Ed Carlson]

I wonder if they'd be better on soft water, maybe jigging over a shallow reef in the spring? Anyone tried it?

Yes they work awesome at times, either vertical in presentation, on a slip float, and ...even casting or even trolled slowly and rip jigged.

When casting them you work them in a 10 to 12 O-clock jigging cycle and they shimmer and wobble down in a zig-zag vertical to horizontal pattern. They can be especially effective on rip-rap and tapering breaks. You can control them like a countdown but the fall rate is slower, so line watching is key.

I carry them in my crank selection year around.

[NyQuiLlama]

Thanks Ed, I'll try that.

I'm curious... why tie one on under a slip bobber? Do you add meat?

[Ed Carlson]

My "Slip Chubby" jigging method during warm water periods seldom requires anything added...maybe a shot of Dr. Juice..I'm a fan of that Dr. J stink..it works on eyes and many other critters too. It is more of a sight feeding active fish deal, then a sniffer deal.

My "Slip Chubby" presentation is a method to control to the inch your exact depth and also allows for a pause at that depth if needed. Deadly on spring crappies and walleyes up on flats or over emerging weed beds in the spring and again over deteriorating weeds in the late fall.

It may work wonders on bedding bass too..but I have not tried that yet. I did have some awesome luck on sumo catfish and walleye with this trick.

Think of it as precision jigging in the vertical and the horizontal.

Try it on #3's and #4's in the spring once...see if it pays off for you. Pre-Spawn walleye can really go nutso for this once you locate them.

[zepman]

Thanks Ed...I can think of many, many applications for this technique. Can't wait to try it out.

[fisherdog19]

I have caught plenty of crappies on the number 3, and even a few on the #5. Sometimes they're the only thing that will turn negative fish, and sometimes they won't hit them at all, but they do work.

[Matt Breuer]

I do something very similar during open water periods, no float though, just the slip knot so I know where I'm at after all of the ripping and darting slows down... Absolutely deadly on late-fall suspended slabs!

Crappies are indeed interested in the Darter. I remember when the #4 LOD was still in testing and we were pounding the big crappies around here on them. We pushed the bait hard for pannie anglers, and people just could not get confident enough to leave the minnow bucket at home and go out with a Chubby! Now with the addition of the mini-Darter nobody has an excuse. It's a small profile bait, and it mimics a feeding minnow. A crappie will annihilate this thing if it feels that it's forage is being threatened by the small but hungry competitor.

Speaking of small profiles, the mini-darter is great for getting smaller pannies to bite, but remember that the smaller you go, the less action you get. This is the reason the #2 was never put into play. If you get confident in the mini, step up to the #4, it's the perfect combo of size and action!

I realize it's tough to shy away from what typically works for you when primetime is approaching, and marks are showing up on the Vex. People often tell me that they try the Darter up until the first marks show up and they don't bite, so they switch to their trusty spoon/minnow head combo. Take a night and devote it to trying something new. Trust me, if you're using the Darter and you're thinking it's going to work, chances are it will.

[Ed Carlson]

I agree Matt, the #4 offers more action in light casting situations. I used the more suptle #3 when they need more look'n time and a pause is helpfull...as in cold early spring conditions.

This end use of the Chubby and the Salmo Zipper are very overlooked lure presentation options. I have a whole file full of tricks with the "Zipper", it is a deadly walleye bait.

If I get my way we will see a half sized version of the Salmo Zipper in the not so distant future. I think it will explode on the ice fishing world once it hits the ice and open water too for that matter.

Opportunity is only limited by your imagination...Eh!

[Fever]

Nailed the crappies last night. caught limit in about 30min. Jigging #3 perch cubby and dead sticked a crappie minnow on the other. they were lovin the Darter though. Thay showed more interest in the darter than the small forage minnow tipped with euro larva... Good times.

[opsirc]

I think they ketch alot of fisherman

[Ed Carlson]

I think they ketch alot of fisherman

Heads up irishwalleye ...I think ya got a live one here!

LOL!

[irishwalleye]

Originally Posted By: opsirc

I think they ketch alot of fisherman

Heads up irishwalleye ...I think ya got a live one here!

LOL!

Here opsirc, opsirc, opsirc!!! That luminescent Blue Dace in your tackle box is just itching to be sent to ME!!!

The customer service and gander is really started to be annoyed with my calls for that little bugger!!

[Ed Carlson]

The LBD exclusive I designed for Gander sold out so darn quickly this season. Zip-Gone!!

I'm trying to get them as an addition to the Salmo Chubby color line permanently, so they are available from all vendors, it is a proven color pattern now and well worth the addition.

If your a LBD Chubby fan be sure to tell Salmo USA to add it to the selection if you wish to see it around in the future!

[irishwalleye]

ED --

I am pretty sure that I am trying to put your kids thru college with the LBD --- it would be my only lure for March had any of the ones I bought in november had remained attached to the end of my line.

Remember, when Jr is off to Harvard, that I get the tax deduction for donating all that money!!!

Well done me boy

PS -- Salmo is getting pretty annoyed with my requests for that color too, so I think I better stop reminding them how much I like it

[NyQuiLlama]

I was just at Gander in Duluth and there were several luminescent blue dace chubby darters in both #4 and #5. They are on an endcap in the ice fishing section. Maybe the tales of their wonder haven't reached this far north yet. I did notice that pattern had the biggest dent in the supply... always a good way to tell which color/pattern is the one to get.

[Bottle Fish]

I did notice that pattern had the biggest dent in the supply... always a good way to tell which color/pattern is the one to get.

My secret is out.

[Ed Carlson]

I wish I made something from it..but honestly I do not. Just promoting a lure I have high confidence in is all. I punch a clock and draw a paycheck like the next guy. It is a joy to see a pattern I knew would rock get to the public and in the field and do well, there is a great deal of satisfaction in that for me.

It's far less satisfying when a guys ideas suck. I admit...been there..done that too. LOL!

One color or pattern does not make a lure, it is the lure that makes the color work. In another area it may be all about the Hot Perch, and in another body of water the Gold Metallic Orange is king, so the LBD is no miracle pattern...just a good one in a line of very good ones from Salmo.

The artisans behind the lure that make it all work well, that is the real truth and the secret.

[Bottle Fish]

First time I used one tonight and I will say that they work great for bringing them in. Like a magnet. As for catching any fish that is a different story, at least so far.

[Ed Carlson]

It takes practice to learn the triggers with the Chubbys, fish are "Moody" critters...tease them up and if they are in the mood to play they will take a poke at it.

Lookers like crappie like a tiny tail teaser scent offering, like Red Gulp maggots or Glow Gulp spikes. A tiny crappie minnow head is always good, just do not overburden the #3 with too much meat or Gulp or it will not work properly. And as always do not tie direct to the Chubby, use a fast snap or a loop knot to insure proper action.

Another Backwater Eddy 3# and #4 Chubby Darter Teaser trick for panfish and other lookr's but not hookr's is..... I tie a bright yellow slip float knot on the shank of the rear treble hook on the Chubby...hot pink works too. The trick is leave a 1' tail on it so it acts as a teaser....now add a scent to the knot material. They often can't resist taking a poke at that wiggl'n string thingy...that smells Oooo..Sooo..Good.

I highly recommend Little Atoms #9 secret scent, or Dr. Juice.