The Clutch Darter Glide Bait has garnered attention amongst the bass fishing community for its innovative design and impressive performance in various applications. Known for its lifelike-profile and aggressive darting action, this glide bait promises to attract the biggest fish in your desired body of water.
In this review, we’ll dive into its features, performance, and overall effectiveness, helping you determine if the Clutch Darter is the right addition to your glide bait arsenal. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a weekend warrior, understanding what this glide bait offers could make all the difference in your next fishing adventure.
CLUTCH DARTER SPECS
The Clutch Darter Glide Bait features an anatomically accurate herring profile designed for high-speed retrieves. Developed in collaboration with herring lake specialist and famed tournament angler Justin Kimmel, this bait is designed to emulate the favored forage. This glide bait features consistent balance achieved through a proprietary lamination process that enhances buoyancy without adding unnecessary weight. This allows anglers to use lighter tackle and fish this bait at a faster rate of speed, ultimately creating an extremely efficient glide bait.
The ultra-thin body design enables a range of retrieve methods, producing quick darting actions when worked around shallow cover or wide glides at the end of long casts. Featuring premium hooks, split rings, and a realistic brush fiber tail, the Darter introduces a new category of glide baits that enhances drawing power with its non-threatening baitfish appearance and dynamic movement. You can even fine-tune the action and sink rate by adding wraps of wire on the hooks.
MY FAVORITE APPLICATIONS
I’ve had the Clutch Darter glide bait for around a year now, and throughout this time I’ve discovered a few scenarios where this bait truly shines. My favorite time to throw the Clutch Darter is on clearwater fisheries during the spring and fall. This is especially true on herring lakes such as Lake Hartwell or Lanier. Some of the biggest fish in the lake reside in the shallows this time of year, and covering water with a glide bait is one of the best ways to get these bass to react. The thin profile and consistent balance allow you to fish this bait at increased speeds, ultimately covering more water than you would with other slow moving glides.
As for locations, focus on areas with shallow cover such as rocks, docks and laydowns where fish tend to hide and ambush prey. One of my favorite ways to fish this bait is by quickly chopping it through open water, while employing slower glides around high percentage cover. This gives the fish a high likelihood of seeing your bait, often resulting in a few extra bites.
Because it’s a fast moving, slow sinking glide bait, I prefer to use it around shallow cover. I believe this bait’s action is ideal for targeting shallow bait chasers, while a slower moving, faster sinking glide bait may be better for deep water scenarios. Overall, the Clutch Darter is one of my go to options for any shallow water big bait application.
DARTER SETUP
In order to get the most out of your Clutch Darter, it’s important you have the right rod, reel and line setup. I prefer a medium-heavy to heavy casting rod that’s between 7 to 7.5 feet in length. This provides the ideal action and casting accuracy for throwing glide baits of this size. Choosing a rod with a fast action tip and solid backbone is another essential component in ensuring accurate casting and quick hook sets. One of my favorite rods for throwing a Clutch darter glide bait is the 7-foot 1-inch medium-heavy FishUSA Flagship Bass Casting rod. This rod has the perfect balance of weight, action and backbone to effectively fish the Clutch Darter.
Pair this rod with a larger sized, high gear ratio casting reel. This allows for quick retrieves and precise control over the bait’s action, enabling you to adjust your technique as needed. The larger spool is ideal for managing the larger line needed to fish big baits like this. I typically use either 20- or 25-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon depending on the amount of cover present. One of my favorite reels for throwing the Clutch Darter is the Shimano Curado 200 XG casting reel. This reel has the perfect gear ratio and spool size for effectively throwing this style of lure.
COMES THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
In conclusion, the Clutch Darter stands out as a versatile and effective tool for anglers looking to generate some giant bites. Its realistic profile, balanced construction, and ability to perform at various speeds make it an excellent choice for both pros and weekend warriors alike. By adding the Clutch Darter into your tackle box, you’re not just buying another lure, you’re investing in a proven method for catching giant bass other baits just couldn’t catch.
