Anyone Want To Help The Newbs??? Frogs...

[fishingator]

As I read through all of these threads and topics I see a lot of people like using frogs. I have yet to do so successfully so I am wondering what I am doing wrong. I have the generic green guy, a sexy frog that is blue white and yellow and some other crazy contraption like frog that we bought for fun. Yesterday I used the KVD sf because the area was really weedy and had lilly pads. I didn't get much action from one area and then in another I got some hits but only one small guy really took it. I tried to wait for him but when I finally did pull on my rod he came out of the water and spit the frog. I guess I am just not sure how to fish a frog in general. My bf thinks I need to be more consistent in how I manuver it...idk...can someone help me with the basics here?

[Nitrofreak]

Like with any topwater bait you want the rod to load up first, let the fish get a good hold on it and then set your hook.

Top water frogs are a lot of fun, the two basic types are floating and swimming, the floating type are the ones you want to be able to learn how to make them walk, the other you want to reel back to you just fast enough to make their legs paddle the water and create a slapping sound as it's coming to you.

A lot of people just reel them straight back, I like to make them change direction if the fish are looking and not striking.

Around lilly pads I like the ones that float, so I can walk them around and through the pads, around grass lines I like the swimming type.

[LgMouthGambler]

Get the frog at the edge of the grass and with a slow cadence, bring it through some lilly pads or whatever cover there is. When the fish strikes, you have to give it a second before you set the hook. Alot of the time the fish will miss the frog and it will just throw it. Its a pain to fish, but it takes patience.

[fishingator]

Like with any topwater bait you want the rod to load up first, let the fish get a good hold on it and then set your hook.

Top water frogs are a lot of fun, the two basic types are floating and swimming, the floating type are the ones you want to be able to learn how to make them walk, the other you want to reel back to you just fast enough to make their legs paddle the water and create a slapping sound as it's coming to you.

A lot of people just reel them straight back, I like to make them change direction if the fish are looking and not striking.

Around lilly pads I like the ones that float, so I can walk them around and through the pads, around grass lines I like the swimming type.

This has always been a challenge for me although yesterday on the one fish I was so good. He hit it...I basically froze lol...I kept my left hand totally of the pole just to convince myself to wait. I still ended up yanking it out of his mouth in the end but at least I got to see it this time unlike many others hahaha. Thanks for the advice!

[fishingator]

Get the frog at the edge of the grass and with a slow cadence, bring it through some lilly pads or whatever cover there is. When the fish strikes, you have to give it a second before you set the hook. Alot of the time the fish will miss the frog and it will just throw it. Its a pain to fish, but it takes patience.

Are you just reeling slowly at the edge? Usually I don't have the patience but yesterday I didn't really have a choice lol.

[tomustang]

...can someone help me with the basics here?

What gear are you using? A heavier rod, some braid, and a little tweeking of a frog (bend the hooks up slightly or legg trimming) might be the trick

[LgMouthGambler]

Are you just reeling slowly at the edge? Usually I don't have the patience but yesterday I didn't really have a choice lol.

you pop the rod as if you were fishing a topwater plug. Pretty much that is what the frog is, a holoow weedless plug. Pop the rod tip a couple of quick pops, then let the frog sit a second. Then pop a couple times, then let it sit. Just remember, frogs in the wild dont swim fast in the water. They kind of scoot a bit then sit. Its when that frog sits, that bass is gonna nail it. Also they like to trap the prey, so keep it close to cover.

[topwaterrob]

Cut the tail (legs) down a bit to make it more compact. A lot of fish try to grab it from the legs which when you set up, yanks it from their mouths.

[Nitrofreak]

This has always been a challenge for me although yesterday on the one fish I was so good. He hit it...I basically froze lol...I kept my left hand totally of the pole just to convince myself to wait. I still ended up yanking it out of his mouth in the end but at least I got to see it this time unlike many others hahaha. Thanks for the advice!

lol, I know this is a hard curve to learn, HA been there done that !!

Line is your most important choice, next will be your rod, I like a beefy rod with a fast tip and I love braid when fishing frogs it has zero stretch, the thing you must remember is to keep a small amount of slack in the line when it gets hit, normally what happens is the bass will hit the frog to injure it and then take it while its stunned, pause for a second and watch your line, it will start to move one way or the other, this is where the slack you gave it comes into play, as you drop the rod tip and set the hook, the slack that you had in the line becomes extra leverage for a much faster hook set almost insuring the hooks penetrate into the roof of the mouth.

As you set the hook always make sure the hook set is in the opposite direction of it's swimming, if it is swimming left, sweep your rod to the right in an upward motion, if it is coming straight at you go straight up, make sure your hook sets are really quick with the wrists when you do set.

Hope this helps.

Good luck and be safe !!!

[Mike L]

All excellent advise...

The only thing I can add is look hard at the hooks and how they lay on the frog.

On most that I use I open them a just little so the the point is just barely resting on the body. I do get hung up some if I'm pulling it through very thick pads and trying to hit small spaces between them, but overall it has helped.

Also to me the pause is it.!

When it hits the water on the initail cast don't move it right away. Let it sit till all the ripples settle, then just twitch enough to turn the nose.

pause again then start your jerk, pause cadence.

Mike

[WookieeJedi]

They tend to miss the frog a lot. Sometimes, I think they are just smacking it out of anger. I had a few good frog bite days a few weeks ago, and another member asked me what my strike to hook-up ratio was. It was at least 10 to 1. A lot of action, but not so many hook-ups per strike. usually, if I get one to take a swing, he will hit it again. Sometimes immediately, sometimes I need to move off for a few minutes, but eventually the fish will make solid contact. For me, it is the most exciting ways to fish. Many times you see the fish come after your lure from 20 feet away, only to have him blow it up 5 times before you get the frog back. Just try your best to wait until you get a solid tug before dropping the hammer. A good frog bite is a gift from God.

[fishingator]

What gear are you using? A heavier rod, some braid, and a little tweeking of a frog (bend the hooks up slightly or legg trimming) might be the trick

Well I only have two rods...a pfleuger lady trion (which is what I was using) and my "lucky" walmart special lol. I believe I have 10 lb braid on the pfleuger although I'm not 100% on that.

[tomustang]

Well I only have two rods...a pfleuger lady trion (which is what I was using) and my "lucky" walmart special lol. I believe I have 10 lb braid on the pfleuger although I'm not 100% on that.

I know that the lady combos come in two types, ultralight and mediums. For frogs it's better to have a heavier rod like a Med-Heavy or Heavy for getting that hook set and dragging them out of the slop. When I was looking around for a frog setup the most used lines were 50-65lb braid.

There's a link on here that was useful when I was looking into frogging last year http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/frog_baits.html

If you don't want to go the heavier route you can choose soft plastics with a texas rig, there's a lot of options for them

[Catt]

Poor execution of proper hook setting can not be corrected by changing tackle

There is no reason why you can not hook and land fish with your tackle ad long as you execute a proper hook set.

I throw hollow bodied frog, solid bodied frogs, & weedless spoons on mono!

[SirSnookalot]

I'd practice with a fluke rigged weedless and no bullet weight. I find it every bit as effective as a frog, easier to work and a much better hook up ratio, and will fit your present set up better.

[fishingator]

Thank you all so much! This is some of the education I need lol. Sooooooooooo...next question is...if I DID want to have a frog set up, what would you recommend? I'd like to keep it simple since I am not sold on frogs yet anyway lol.

[WookieeJedi]

I would use a minimum of 30# braid, with a heavy to medium heavy rod at least 6'6" long (7'6" is better), and a baitcasting reel with a fast retrieve (6.5:1 or better). The braid will cut thru weeds better than other line, the longer heavy rod is for leverage, and the high-speed reel will help get the fish out quickly.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

I love working frogs hollow bodied or soft plastic texas rigged. The hardest is the wait making sure he's got it before you set the hook. I use a MH rod with a baIt caster 6.5.1 and 65 lb braid to get them out of this Kissimmee grass. Then I do like my husband told me, when I set the hook : "I better have a bass or it's lips attached."

I also try different ways of working the frog. I'd throw it, pop it once or twice, then let it sink. Sometimes its resting against submerged grass like a real frog may while it's getting its bearings. Then I'll twitch it or swim it under water. I usually get pounded when it first twitches or I see my line moving. I'll hop it from pad to pad, letting it rest between, or run it on top. Just vary your retrieve to something the bass hasn't tuned out.

[Sam]

Get on John's email list and buy his video.

Call into his Tuesday night conference call.

He loves frog fishing.

johntorsch@hogbass.com

[Sam]

Check out his web site, too.

His video was filmed by his wife while holding their baby son. You can hear the kid in the background.

http://www.hogbass.com/