Riffle Darts

How to make a diving wiggler
Simple floating wobbling lures that don't really dive are easier
Diving wigglers (Riffle Darts) are harder

Here's the start of a small wiggler. Cut some buoyant closed cell foam vaguely as per this drawing Cut a diving bill from a clear plastic tomato container. But the bill too big.

Rough the back end of the bill up with 100 grit sand paper.


Use super glue to fix the bill to the foam.

Skewer the foam on a seing needle. Wrap the foam LOOSELY with thread, perhaps lashing down a trailing feather on top.
Color the foam as needed with a marking pen.

Glue on some eyes if you want.

Paint the foam with fabric cement.

Poke a hole in the middle of the bill.

Snell a hopper hook. Put a bead on the tag end of the snell. Run the leader through a hole in the bill.

Knot a barrel swivel as close to the bill as you can make it.

Use toe nail clippers, at streamside, to tune the bill. If the flure tracks left trim the lower right side of the bill.

Skewer the hook through one of dimpling thread wraps on the body, so the hook stays aligned with the body.

Fish it downstream into a log jam.

RE> bill tuning again. Learning how to make wigglers involves trial and error. Wigglers with a slow wide wobble tend not to dive well. Wigglers with a high frequency vigration rather than a wobble tend to dive deeper. The hole in the bill effects wobble significantly. Lower down on the bill means a deeper dive. Higher up makes a wider, slower wobble. How heavy the bead effects things too. Diamond-shaped bills with a point at the lower end are easier to cast, and they work better in a current.