Jaderose

Welcome to frog fishing. This was me for days, weeks, and months on end when I first joined the freaks that LOVE this aspect of bass fishing. I've always said Frogging is like Chess. Easy to learn...hard to master. I'm NOT a master but I'm above average at it out of shear experience and stubbornness. When people ask about Frogging, they usually get a bunch of rote answers back...Count to 3, bend out your hooks, trim the legs to walk better, etc. The first 2 are simply wrong. Counting to 3 will usually cause you to miss. You can bend out the hooks but you will see very little to no gain on hook up and start picking up more debris. Trimming the tails WILL make the frogs walk better so I keep a couple with the legs trimmed basically OFF. Those walk great. The key to getting good hook ups on frogs is timing and the only way that I know of to get that timing is through hours of throwing frogs. One day it will just click. Until then, it's frustrating. But here's the thing....you know those fish are there. You've seen them. Plus, I all but guarantee those are some of the bigger fish in the lake. Those big lunkers are lazy and have figured out that they can lay under all that mess and pick off easy meals. Frogging is kind of a subset of bass fishing and not everyone does it so those fish aren't seeing a lot of pressure. You get access to fish not everyone is gunning for. I wouldn't expect everyone to be a obsessed with it as I am but I would encourage everyone to make it a viable technique in your arsenal because when the frog bit is on, there is nothing better in my humble opinion

100% reaction. When you are talking heavy mats they can't even see the lure. This is why I laugh when see all the colors and "super realistic" this and "hand-painted" that and the high prices that go with them. Find the frog (or toad, or mouse, or (lol) duck, that you like the ACTION of and use that. I base frog choices off of SIZE and ACTION. I couldn't care any less about what they look like.

Are there any fish in it?

You're gonna miss fish when you throw a frog. The FISH are gonna miss the bait when you frog. Bluebasser is right when he says (basically) that there is no "count to 3" technique that works all the time. It's all timing and that timing takes practice. May I ask what frog you are using? I throw Scum Frog Trophy Series but have recently purchased some Spro King Daddy and had such a great hook-up ratio that I intend to explore the full Spro line. It's a frustrating, exciting technique that takes a while to get good at. It's worth taking the time. When you're chugging in a frog across a mat and see and hear that toilet flush sound that indicates a lunker and you feel the weight on your line? Nothing is better

Use a spinning reel

Do I even need to answer this? lol I did do pretty good with a Spook yesterday in the early morning.

I was surprised, too. I'm generally not a person that is prone to shiny and flashy. The bait and gear monkeys do not have their claws in me. I have no need for this reel but I sure do like it.

Diawa Morethan. Why? Reasons......

This. You bought it and it isn't right. Take it back and get another one. Not sure how this is even a question.

Source please. I would love to hear why the trolling motor plug I changed out probably 10 years ago in my Bass raider and ALL the wiring I did in my Jon boat is wrong. No offense but there is a "different train of thought" for virtually everything these days.

pop, pop, POP! pop, pop POP!

None of my set-ups are high end. My Frog Rod is one of the older Tatula rods and it's perfect in my hand. My BC's are PQ's and JM Signatures. My spinning reels are a President and a Shimano something or other that someone FOUND and gave me. I could afford to upgrade my gear but don't have any reason to. MY PQ's have actually gotten BETTER through the years. The Sig on my Frog Rod is ok. If anything were to be upgraded, that would be the one. All the rest suits me just fine. The "found" Shimano is probably my "best" reel and I like the President more. Fish what ya like and can afford. The bass don't care.

I like a good ol' Hula Popper.

Someone mentioned youtube. Unless you have some oddball, the chances are pretty good you can find a high quality video on tearing them down and cleaning. The number one piece of advice I can give is DO THIS IN THE WINTER DOWNTIME. Otherwise you will be in a rush and you will screw something up. First few times takes patience, concentration and time. Make sure you have plenty of all 3 or send them to DVT. It's not hard. It's just "fiddly".

Curious as to why so heavy on the braid? I use 50lb on my frog rod

My pattern is pretty simple. Early morning/Sunrise - Topwater. Little later in the morning....work some brushpiles and structure both deep and shallow with appropriate lures. From about 10:30 on? Frog. Work those heavy mats and if they have spots of shade, even better. 2-4pm. (Depending on frog bite) Realize I'm dying and need to get out of the sun.

My setup from top to bottom. 1. Bobber stop 3-6" up line from hook. 2. Bullet weight. Whatever weight for whatever I am doing 3. One lightweight chrome or gold bead 4. One glass bead. Whatever color seems appropriate for conditions, including clear 5. Hook/bait I picked this up from a buddy several years ago. Having those beads in there gives it a little *click* sound. I don't know if it actually does much but I've caught a lot of bass with this set up.

I pretty much always fish alone but there are 2 old buddies that are part of the boat brigade on the little lake I fish. These guys gotta be in their 70's...both skilled fishermen and they are BRUTAL to each other. It's constant smack when they are on the water. I'm always glad to see them because I know it will be entertaining. I'm not immune either. They've given me hell when they've had a good day and I haven't. They SOUND like mortal enemies but are life-long friends. They sound like 2 13 year old boys learning how to cuss and razz each other. They're great!

Exactly. I was in one about a month ago killing a little time messing with gear and baits. 9am on like a Tuesday. Probably 6 people in the whole store. One of those vacation people started walking towards me and I held up my hand and said politely, "Please do not bother me about a vacation" She started her spiel anyway. I just turned around walked away from her and out the door. Momentarily ruined what was an easy carefree morning for me.

Why in the world would you use braid as backing line?

somewhat yes. Maybe not the best comparison. The difference I was referring to is refinement and features. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with inexpensive (notice I didn't say cheap). I would happily fish with a Silver Max all day long. My own gear is by no means top of the line. More expensive gear is made of better materials. Is more refined. Is more suited to whatever job you buy it to do. and is more reliable. With basic maintenance, it will last a life time. a more expensive reel will have a better drag system and better, smoother bearings. Not just MORE bearings. I DO believe these benefits begin to become negligible the higher you go in price range. To me, the difference between a $250 reel and a $400 reel are not enough to make me buy the more expensive one, unless it had something I need for a specific technique that I wanted to do. The difference between a Silver Max and something like a Curado would be pretty significant, though. Although I know nothing about DC reels, I know of NO conventional BC reel that does not require thumb usage even with the brakes set perfectly. If you really don't want to learn how to properly use a BC reel, get spinning reel or a Zebco. No shame in either. Reels are tools. They can used correctly or not.

I go to a BPS if I have time to kill and one close by, but I no longer go out of my way to go to one anymore. I usually leave empty handed because their prices on baits are ridiculous. I inevitably get a gift card or 2 from family or friends at Christmas and use those to stock up on Stik-O's. I do have some rods and reels from them and always enjoy using them and will solidly recommend to anyone that asks. Other than that, I just have no use for them much anymore. I don't need their vacations. That's all they seem to want to sell anymore

What's the difference between a Yugo and a Rolls Royce? They both get from A to B.

my work here is done

The one that feels best in your hand and suits your purposes. Sounds like a smart alec answer but I've bought major equipment (rods, reels, etc) sight unseen before and been disappointed. Do some research and then go find examples if possible. I seriously doubt you are going to get a bunch of answers that will point you in exactly one direction. All brands have their fans.