Do You Really Need Lily Pads?

[crankbait2009]

School me here folks.

I have been to a number of local lakes/rivers/streams and I have NEVER seen a single lily pad.

There are a lot of people that go "froggin'" for Bass. Do there need to be lily pads in order for bass to be waiting for a frog to come along? Do frogs come across all kinds of water regardless if there are pads or not?

On a side note, why don't all lakes or bodies of freshwater have lily pads????

With me living in southern Ohio, I don't think that would be the main reason. Lily pads are in the midwest, right?

[BrianinMD]

Any heavy grass or cover will work for froggin...

[logan9209]

I would love to know the answer to this one. My fishing buddy and I have thrown frogs under tree overhangs and on top of any surface substance (i.e. moss and pollen). We've gotten strikes, but never landed any bass. We're not even sure it was bass that hit them. The turtles on our lakes will chase down poppers, spooks, and frogs. So, it could have been them.

[Busy]

Have caught on frogs in open water. There doesn't need to be lily pads for there to be frogs in the area.

[J Francho]

Mr. Rojas won an event on Oneida using a frog around docks and water willow.....

[dcorp]

We dont have lilly pads where I fish in California either. I fish frogs a lot and usually cast them near cattails, branches, and heavy grass cover. I have also caught bass in open water on frogs.

[tholmes]

I've caught bass "froggin'" along the outside edge of a stand of cattails. Also among a mess of submerged stumps in about 4' of water. So no, IMHO you don't need lily pads, but they are prime spots for fishin' frogs.

Tom

[Olebiker]

You can catch bass on Zoom Horny Toad type frogs any time and place you would catch them on a buzz bait.

[gobig]

Frogs can work anywhere! There are several lakes that I fish that have very little cover and they still eat frogs.

[crankbait2009]

I guess I was swimming in my own tears for never having luck with froggin' so I just blamed the non existance of lily pads

[tomustang]

Do there need to be lily pads in order for bass to be waiting for a frog to come along?

I think the common misconception of frogs is when you see a lillypad you think frog, I bet cartoons back in the good old days implant that when you see either of them.

[CalebWVU]

I had this question too, so I'm glad you asked it. I've seen videos of people topwater fishing with frogs and it looks so fun, but there aren't any pads around here so I didn't think they'd work well. I may pick some up if DSG still has em on sale. I just need to force myself not to buy anything else while I'm there...bait monkey always gets me....

[crankbait2009]

I knew cartoons wern't doing me any good..............

[logan9209]

I would start out with soft plastic frogs like the Zoom Horny Toad or Strike King's Rage Toad. If you lose one then you're not out of much money, they act as buzz baits on the surface, and they can dive for a more versatile action.

[crankbait2009]

I have the Rage Tail toads and have thrown them a few times but never saw any action, so back in the package they went. I don;t have much luck or patience for plastic baits so that didn't help matters none either.

[FD.]

You don't need pads to fish frogs. You do need a frog to fish pads quickly. Frogs let you cover a large amount of water quickly looking for the aggressive fish. When I get a strike or catch fish I slow down and fish a worm to look for other fish in the area. There is usually more than one.

[AK-Jax86]

In NJ there were a lot of ponds with lilly pads and I use to catch bass on frogs but here in FL, atleast in my area I can't find a pond with lillys. In my backyard pond I have caught bass in open water using frogs

[ww2farmer]

Also the term "frog" is just that. To us it looks like a frog, to a bass it looks like vulnurable prey. Any where bass live and are willing to come up and hit top water baits they can be caught on a "frog".

[Nashua Nev]

i twitch mice and frogs everywhere. not just weeds and pads

[WRB]

Bill Seimentel has a frog fishing Video where he is fishing open deep clear structure with no weeds of any type and catches frog bass. The frog is white and doesn't represent a frog, it may look like a baitfish on the surface to the bass!

The mistake some anglers make is if the lure is colored like some type of baitfish or critter, than the bass must believe ithat is what the lure is! We don't know what a bass is thinking when it strikes a lure, we can only guess. Don't limit the lures presentation based on what you think the bass want; experiment and let the bass decide if a frog looks good to eat in open water or where ever you cast it.

Tom

[jonathanevans1990]

i have had bass hit a frog on open water, i think all the commotion makes them mad and they hit it. the trouble is getting a good hook set with a frog

[LgMouthGambler]

When there are bass neear the shore, a good way to get them is casting onto the bank, and walking the frog to the edge. Twitch the frog at the edge of the bank, this may get the attention of the bass. Once the frog hits the water, it has no chance.

[EddieC1981]

I fish from the shore and I have quite a few ponds with lily pads. However topwater has been difficult. I've used the frogs (I use the ribbits, ragetail toads and even the boo yah pad crasher. I haven't gotten a fish on any of them but I"ve gotten some swipes. I've got them by slowly moving the frog along the pads. But as of late I've been getting my fish out in the open and a few by the cover. One pond I just started fishing has so many pads that you would think it'd be perfect but they aren't as active on top as of late. Plastic worms weedless have been all I've been getting them on.

[crankbait2009]

well, I shall put the whole lily pad thought in my back pocket and throw the frog as if it was just another day.......................no lily pads required

[Raul]

No, you don´t need lilly pads to frog, other than water and bass you don´t need anything else to frog.