If you've picked up a Darter and aren't sure how to rig or work it, this is the exact setup Justin Kimmel uses to fish it through the fall transition and it's simpler than most big-bait setups.
The gear
You don't need specialty big-swimbait gear for this one. A 7.1:1 to 7.3:1 gear ratio reel in a 200 size, paired with a 7'3" to 7'9" heavy-to-medium-heavy rod, covers it anywhere from a shorter, close-cover rod up to a longer one for distance work. A good jig rod or even a frog rod works fine if that's what you've got; you don't need an 8-footer. Line: 20lb fluorocarbon. 17lb gets you slightly better action, but if you're working the bait aggressively, expect to re-tie close to every hour since the bait's action wears line down fast. 20lb holds up.
Hook-wise, a 2X round-bend treble, number 1 on the front and number 2 on the back is a solid starting point though setups vary; some run a 1/0 on front with a short-shank number 1 on the back. It depends on how you're using it.
Where and how to fish it
In the fall, target fish getting around laydowns and docks as they transition anywhere that throws a shade line, big or small. Pitch or sling the bait in front of cover, and then it's all in the reel handle. This is not a bait you reel straight in reeling it straight just brings it in on a flat line. Instead, make small half-turns on shorter cranks to snap the bait back and forth.
Reading the retrieve
You can work it slow with a subtle back-and-forth, or hum it faster with more aggressive slack-jumping action both draw strikes, and switching speed mid-retrieve is exactly how you get a following fish to finally commit. When a fish shows up but doesn't commit right away, that's when you can speed it up and trigger the reaction.
The proof is in the follow-through: this exact technique, worked along a dock, produced a six-to-seven-pound largemouth that wrapped the line around structure mid-fight before coming to hand the kind of result that makes the setup worth dialing in.