MrFrost

I noticed a huge decrease in missed blow ups when I got a dedicated frog setup. I got a 7'3'' Heavy/Fast, paired with braid. There is little to no give, with the stiff rod, and line that doesn't stretch, so if the fish has a good bite, you can count on a hook set. I have dedicated a considerable amount of time to frog fishing in the two months I've been fishing. I have learned how to watch the water/cover around my frog and sometimes you can actually see movement signalling an incoming fish. It's really cool when you can see the strike coming! Being so aware, I have actually learned to really watch the blow ups, and I noticed something that I don't see talked about much, either on here, or on YouTube, so I'm not sure if I'm right, or if I'm crazy, but I have started to determine that some of the missed blow ups I've had, are actually not bass at all, and are large bull frogs. Having hooked one I can guarantee they go for the bait, lol. And I am convinced that some of the smaller blow ups are frogs attacking the bait. I have witnessed one frog literally stalk my bait, and jump from the pads onto the top of the frog! You can also bend your hooks up, not a lot, but slightly open up the angle on them, and they will catch a little better, but I don't do that to my new frogs now that I have a dedicated setup that takes a good amount of "work" out of it for me. It's definitely a learning process, but it is well worth it for the fun involved. I personally love to hunt lilly pads! Before you know it, you'll be having fun with it! I have a spot that is so perfect for "frog" fishing, I don't even need a frog anymore, lol...

Welcome fellow Illinois-an!

All it will take is one blow up and you'll get more confidence in the white. Lol. Its so strange, because I was a very strong believer that the color of my bait mattered more to me than the fish, but frog fishing is my favorite, and if I don't get any bites in a half hour or so, I will tie on a different color and just about always end up with a bite. It may just be timing and finding the right cover, but it also tends to make me a believer in color mattering more than I used to think.

That's awesome!

My local honey hole, is by definition very pressured. It's more of a pond, than a lake, and very rarely am I on the bank alone. I don't necessarily know the baits most of these other anglers are throwing, but I do know that I notice that very rarely will they change their presentation when they're getting no bite. They will usually walk the bank around the pond. So when I get there, I will ask if they're having any luck and what they're throwing. 9 times out of 10 it's a wacky rig or t-rig, and if they're not getting bit I go topwater & frog. If they are, I will find an empty spot and fan cast my t-rig.

I have SPRO, Booyah, LiveTarget, and KVD. My confidence color is yellow fading into white on the belly. I tend to favor the heavier frogs, as I can get them out to farther cover, that don't see a lot of presentations, and it tends to increase the bite for me.

Nice! Happy Birthday!

Cabela's Tournament ZX Bass Casting Rods I have two... 6'9'' MH/F Jerkbait/Topwater 7'3'' H/F Frog Rod

If the water is a foot deep or more where the weeds, grass, and/or vegetation cover is, you could try throwing a frog, if you have one.

I have a 7'3'' H/F with 65lb braid that only ever has a frog tied on and a 6'9'' MH/F with mono that always has other top water tied on, either a Whopper Plopper or a regular popper. I throw my frog rod more. But I am a top water addict. I do also carry a third setup (I'm a bank fisher) a 7' MH/F with mono that I typically keep a Texas rig on for soft plastics when top water isn't getting the bites.

The best part of yesterday, was actually getting to witness a frog jumping out of the water, in probably less than a foot deep, and a bass following it exploding out of the water as well...but the frog got away...I cast right over the blow up spot and he chocked my frog!

Me too...but those are mine, lol. To be fair, this pond never disappoints, and if you don't catch them on a frog, throw a plastic, rigged any way you want and you'll get bit.

I found a an area covered by pads, and some grass cover on the edges of the pads, and I targeted my casts to the grass cover edges, and had three blow ups before landing a pretty decent 3 pounder. It was about 86 degress with direct sun, at 4pm in the afternoon.

Current favorite and most successful lure...

I'd say my frog addiction got the best of me, as I felt it was time to upgrade my Abu Garcia Black Max baitcaster, so i went with a Cabela's branded Diawa Tatula Type-R, and put it on 7'3'' Heavy/Fast Frog rod, lol. Still throwing the Black Max for everything else I guess, lol.

I bank fish, as I don't have a boat, and if I can, I like to have my son (20) or daughter (17) come along. I just started fishing not even two months ago, as it's been something I have wanted to get into for years as well as my son. My daughter comes, but she's not nearly into it as much as my son is. But she tries. They both know they're always welcome to come with me, but there are those rough days at the office, where I will just stop on my drive home at whatever pond I think of first. I work a part time most weeknights as well, so in between jobs is the times I will fish alone, when i have between 30 minutes to an hour, but if it's a night off or a weekend, my kids will be invited for sure. But if they don't go, I still am.

All great advice in this thread. All I will add, is one thing I am very aware of, is when the bass break the surface. When I hear that, I scan the water to see if I can find the ripples in the water, and I will cast over them. It's a very rewarding feeling to hunt them like that. You'll get better and better at setting your hook on the frog if you keep trying by listening to the advice given here. It's how I got better. But even still, you'll still have missed opportunities.

Definitely a top water addict. But I have to learn to throw something else sooner when the bite isn't great. I fished for two hours last night, only catching two fish, because I refused to stop throwing the frog, lol. I basically would listen for them to pop out of the surface then I would find the ripples in the water and cast over that area. Exactly how I got my two last night. The "hunt" was fun, lol.

I walked this lake bank on Tuesday, casting a green frog, with a green fading into white belly. Twice got some interest, but wasn't a blow up, more like the fish side swiped at the frog. I walked from left to right and then back left, covering as much water as possible. Nothing. Tied on my yellow frog, with a full yellow belly and had four actual blow ups, that I failed to set the hook on. It was a mix of trying to set it too early, to just not getting it hooked. Finally set the hook on the fifth blow up. I'm new to this, been fishing less than two months, but this experience alone made me truly understand why so many of you use the term confidence color or confidence bait. Sadly this last guy destroyed my yellow Cabela's Chuck It Frog, so I picked up a Live Target replacement, with a nice yellow into white belly.

Ok, then if the boater and co-angler are weighed and competing separately, I can totally understand the reason the boater got mad. I can also see why the co-angler didn't think they were doing anything wrong. I guess going forward the co-angler could ask for clarification and the boater can be more specific about the waters he wants first action at.

New to this whole thing, as I'm new to fishing, and don't own a boat. Are the fish weighed in separately? Maybe I'm not competitive enough, which makes my opinion probably useless, but I feel like if it's a combined weight just like team format, then I don't think I'd have a problem with the co-angler catching fish anywhere. Next to me, behind me, hell even in front of me as long as he's not interfering with my line! If we both win the same, then lets both do our best. But if it's a separate weight, then I kind of understand. Maybe the boater could have included, "Please don't fish the other side" when explaining his intentions, because personally I could have taken his plan as him informing me that he won't be fishing the other side until the turnaround, and it could have been a green light to fish it until then.

Welcome! I'm a former Crook County resident, no typo, but now reside a few miles West in Kane County, in Elgin. Only been fishing for almost two months, but have found this website to be a great resource, as well as the BassResource YouTube channel, Miliken Fishing, and Jon B. and APBassing, who are both local to us. Where do you currently fish?

Yeah, I work part time for Cabela's, but thankfully my position does not require the sale (or sign up rather) of a single "Club" card, aka Credit Card. Don't think I'd last a week with a "quota." I have the Cabela's "Club" card, because I like the perks, but don't agree with making someone push it. Aside from the front door greeter. Let them offer it, but let the sales staff focus on assisting the customers with their needs. I can't speak for his location, however at mine, it is NOTHING like that. Matter of fact, I have seen Customer Service associates ask the customer looking to return something for the date of their transaction so they could find their receipt since the customer no longer had it. Sure, it took the customer a few minutes of looking at bank statements on line, but they were able to return a year old rod and exchange it without their original receipt. I honestly think that Sully got the wrong associate that day, because my Cabela's (IL location) is definitely still honoring the lifetime warranty.

Silver lining...good excuse to buy more lures, lol.