Frogs and missed opportunities

[Frogman]

I have been getting lots of good strikes in grass beds fishing with a cold steel "last hop" frog and a swimbait hook.  I use the swimbait to hook to prevent the frog from rolling over during the retrieve.  I have caught alot of fish on this frog but I have also had lots of missed opportunities like today I watched a 5 pounder hit, dropped my rod tip and waited, then set.  Had her for just a sec and it was like she just spit it out.  This has happened more times than I care to recall as well as in some tournaments where I really needed the fish.  Anybody got any ideas?

[florida strain]

Put Megastrike on it, tell Bobby i sent ya

[Dr Pigg]

using a Spro Bronzeye(my only frogs) with it's double hooks, you just won't miss many, so...it must be your hooks!  Buy a bronzeye and see :-[ :-[

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

or some snag proof perfect frogs (Made in america)   make sure you have plenty of hook for your frog and make sure its skin hooked  is my only advise. ALso set the hook only when you feel the fish not seeing

[senko_77]

First off, are you using braid?  If not then there is your answer.  Second, think about your hook set.  To be honest, most peoples hookset on frogs couldn't knock a fly outta the air.  They get so absorbed in the strike and "waiting" that they ruin it with the set.  You HAVE TO CROSS HIS EYES.  Literally try to rip the fish out of the water. 

Now the two replies above me are talking about a completely different animal.  The buzzing frogs or "toads" that your throwing and the holly bodies both should be in your arsenal.  When your ready to pick those up and give em a try, put another post up here and I can help you out along with a bunch of other real good frog anglers on this site.  The hollow body frog is one of my favorite baits and I personally throw the Spro Bronzeye frog like Dr. Pigg suggested, but you just need to try and see what brand you like.

Good luck my friend 

[Shad_Master]

When you fish with a frog, you're gonna miss some fish - the strike comes from underneath and often is meant to disorient the frog rather than chow down it - wait until you feel the weight before setting the hook and like Senko_77 says, cross their eyes when you do set the hook.

[Frogman]

Ok.... I have not been using braid but I have been setting the hook hard, I mean if he misses I have to duck cause the frog is coming.  I will switch over to braid this afternoon after I run and grab some.  What do yall think about power pro braid?  Also I have been using the buzz type frog, and I do have a couple of the bronzeyes, but I can't seem to draw the strikes with it like I can with the other one.  What is the proper technique for the bronzeye?  I feel like I am doing something wrong with it. Just bumping across the top of the grass?

[NateFollmer]

I have never used Power Pro but the people I know that do use it, love it. Personally I use Spiderwire braid (Invisi-Braid or Camo Braid). I really like the smoothness of it, but it still has a little bite.

Anyway, like Shad_Master said, usually the first strike is more of a 'stun' technique. If you don't feel that fish pull, don't set the hook. I usually let it sit after the first strike and they will more than likely come back for a second 'eating' strike . I know its hard, but you have to learn to wait until you feel that fish pulling.

[brushhoggin]

what size is this swimbait hook? try a 5/0 twistlock, like zooms horny toad hook. if you rig em right, they shouldn't turn over on the retrieve. if they do, stop reeling for a second and they should flip back over. this is all from my experience with Ribbits. never fished the cold steel last hop. if they do keep flippin over and you can't stand it, try these in the 5/0 http://www.crucialtackle.com/fishing_hooks.html. other than that, i find a huge amount in difference between using a heavy action rod and a med-heavy with frog fishing.Heavy is key. length of your rod is also to be considered. 7'3"-7'6" is ideal. these ideas, along with using braid should resolve your problem. as far as hollow body frogs, you got the right idea poppin it across grass and any other thick vegetation with sparse spots of water.i've had luck using them in open water fishing them like a popper, only moving them alot more so they can't get a good look at it. i'm like you though and have better luck with buzz frogs. hollowbody's time and place is alot less frequent than a buzzfrog's time and place. if you rig a ribbit weightless, you can fish it very slow without it sinking and still have those paddle legs churning. hope this helps

[aggiebassin]

i have only been frogging for a couple years but i do know that braid is the only way to go....especially if in and around cover.  usually you make fairly long casts when throwing frogs or toads and more often than not the bite comes near the end of your cast....mono simply stretches too much no matter how hard you set the hook to hook up reliably.  not to mention they seem to always wrap you up or dive deep in the grass.

when we first started frogging i was throwing braid and my buddy was throwing heavy mono and i was hooking up way more than him...in fact i do not think he ever actually got one all the way to the boat.... they would either never be hooked or come unbuttoned on the way back in.  now that we have done it for a couple years and use50 or 65# braid we rarely miss a fish that actually takes the bait in its mouth.  he mostly uses spro frogs and i use various brands of toads and we both do very well and have a blast.

and like senko said, you need to get a good hookset but do not need to rip his face off... my frog/toad hookset if probably a little harder than my average hookset but not by much.  the braid does most of the work for you.

[LilJakeC1]

Braid is a must when fishing frogs and toads. Another thing that I think you may be doing wrong is when you drop your rod tip you are letting the line go slack and then you don't get a good hookset with slack line. When you are fishing frogs and toads you must keep your line tight and never set the hook on a slack line.

[tdc rangemaster]

I think of froggin as kind of top water wormin..When a fish takes the bait I reel down counting to 3 and try to cross his eyes. Then i try to keep their head up and ski them over the cover all the way to the boat. this teqhnique worked well for me today as I landed a 3 pounder a 4 and a 5.. I missed a couple due to premature jerking and not waiting for the bass to inhale the bait. Sometimes its just a roll at the bait. Alot of times they come back if they miss..just fish it slow and dont be afraid of the thickest cover. Use heavy braid and a heavy long rod and you will land more than u miss.

[iceintheveins]

Don't go with anything less than 50 pound BRAID!!!! One you feel the bass has the lure, set the hook hard. I would use a higher speed casting reel and a heavy action rod. Even a 1 pounder can bury you in the salad fast, let alone a hawg.

[OH-bass614]

god i wish i woulda seen this thread last night....i was on the lake today and decided to give the bronzeye frog a try for the first time and they wacked it and i say that because i DIDNT wack them i got tons of bites in one area and saw some biggus hit it but i couldnt get a hook in them to save my life i only got a hook in one but it was a runt a made sure i waited a little but maybe i didnt wait enough.  > still caught a lot of fish fishing weed lines with a brush hog but none the size that i was gettin to bite the frog

[Vinny Chase]

using a Spro Bronzeye(my only frogs) with it's double hooks, you just won't miss many, so...it must be your hooks! Buy a bronzeye and see :-[ :-[

x2 I used a cheap cabelas frog for awhile and had the same problems. I then switched to the spro frog and havent had issues with missing fish