Hookups With Floating Frog?

[Oldbritguy]

Last year I bought a couple of those life-like floating frogs with the two big hooks embedded between the back legs.

(Can't remember the name, but they're very well-known)?

 

I wanted something to use in the dense weeds and heavy cattails near my place. 

 

I got quite a few strikes using them, but not one single hook-up?

 

Are these lures hard to hook up, or what am I not doing???

 

 

[mjseverson24]

if you have the proper equipment and hook-setting technique the strike to land ratio can be very good. the right equipment in my opinion is a 7'6"-8' MH/F-H/F casting rod (doesn't need to be very sensitive just strong) with a 7:1+ casting reel with metal frame and gear side plate. spooled with 50-80 lb braid. the proper technique for setting the hook is (IMO) once the strike occurred and the bait is out of sight lower your tip, reel very fast till you feel weight then do a hard over the shoulder set followed with a lot of reeling. optimally the fish will ski across the water over the top of the heavy vegetation all the way to the boat. Hope this helps you out...

 

Mitch

[JeziHogg]

You might be setting the hook prematurely. Try to give it a 2-3 count before you set the hook so the fish can get in its mouth.

[Oldbritguy]

if you have the proper equipment and hook-setting technique the strike to land ratio can be very good. the right equipment in my opinion is a 7'6"-8' MH/F-H/F casting rod (doesn't need to be very sensitive just strong) with a 7:1+ casting reel with metal frame and gear side plate. spooled with 50-80 lb braid. the proper technique for setting the hook is (IMO) once the strike occurred and the bait is out of sight lower your tip, reel very fast till you feel weight then do a hard over the shoulder set followed with a lot of reeling. optimally the fish will ski across the water over the top of the heavy vegetation all the way to the boat. Hope this helps you out...

 

Mitch

I think I need a heavier rod/reel combo, plus my striking technique may to too soon, if your description is correct? I'm more accustomed to using crankbaits.

[Brian6428]

Follow the other guys advice, but also realize that frogs are hard to hook up with. In open water I probably land 80% of all strikes but in super heavy stuff its probably closer to 50%.

[jhoffman]

Its hard not to wanna just waylay them as soon as they blow up but you gotta hold back a second. I also grab the hooks and bend them out a little on every frog.

[CWB]

I use braid on a 7'6" mh flippin stick.
There are basically 3 steps.
1) Resist the temptation to swing at the sound or commotion of the hit.
2) Look and make sure the fish actually got the bait and not just smacked it and missed.
3) I you don't see the frog, see if line is moving and/ or reel up and if you feel anything, swing for the fence.
This should all take place within a few seconds but if a fish gets my frog, the only time I seem to miss is if he inhales enough slop with it to cover the hooks and prevent penetration.

[Oldbritguy]

Thank you guys.  Lots of good advice in here.  

 

As most of my rods are 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 foot slow/medium rods, I was thinking of getting a Loomis GL2 'Flip and Punch' for next season.  Does this sound like a suitable choice for this kind of situation?

 

We have a large sunken island just off my place. loaded with good-sized lagemouths (4-5lbs or so)  but its thick with tall, dense, heavy weeds, and I can only get the bass along the edges.  I'd like to get into the slop and get some more if I knew how?

 

I know they're deep in there.  I swim there all the time. . .

[BenB54]

I was thinking of getting a Loomis GL2 'Flip and Punch' for next season.  Does this sound like a suitable choice for this kind of situation?

 

 

That would definitely work and it can be used for multiple applications.

[Raul]

Those rods you own aren´t suitable for frog fishing, you need heavier power and faster action.

[geo g]

You certainly got allot of great advice from those posts.  Like other said when you see the strike DON'T SET THE HOOK until a two count.  Because you wait, you need heavy line or Braid, and a strong long pole, to yank them out of the slop.  It is fun fishing frogs and definitely a big fish bait.  The equipment you have will not get the job done.

[CWB]

Not to start an argument but counting to 2 won't do any good unless the fish has your bait. If he doesn't, and this will take patience, don't set the hook but try to get it up on top again and slowly twitch it in place. A lot of times he'll come up and blast it again, and hopefully get it. if you feel anything, even though you might think its weeds or slop, by all means hit him.

[gulfcaptain]

#1 thing, use braid.  Size is up to you but I use 30lb for my frog/flipping needs. #2, do not swing until you feel the pressure of the fish, normally when they blow up and come through the grass it takes a couple seconds to get the bait and close their mouth.  IF you swing when you see the strike you're not gonna get them. #3  use a rod with enough backbone and power.  Everyone has their own preferences, I use 2 different rods depending on situation, but it has to have enough power to pull the fish out or bring him and the grass to you. 

[Oldbritguy]

Not to start an argument but counting to 2 won't do any good unless the fish has your bait. If he doesn't, and this will take patience, don't set the hook but try to get it up on top again and slowly twitch it in place. A lot of times he'll come up and blast it again, and hopefully get it. if you feel anything, even though you might think its weeds or slop, by all means hit him.

Very interesting comment Curly: 

 

Years ago (many, many years ago) when I was a little lad, fly-fishing for trout in our local brook in Worcestershire, the same thing would happen. There would be a violent strike at the fly, but no fish on.  But sometimes, the fly would float back on the surface, and the bugger would come back and eat it for real. So I learned to wait.

 

 Now I'll have to learn to do the same for surface fishing for bass.  Interesting.  Small world, eh? 

[Wbeadlescomb]

I use a 7 foot medium heavy fast tip if I'm throwing a soft plastic frog like a seismic frog with 30lb braid. Buy if I'm fishing a scum frog type frog I'll use a 7'6 medium heavy with 65lb braid. I like a 7.1 reel with the drag tightened all the way down. Biggest thing for me is keeping the rod top high so when then bass hits you can "throw" him some slack

[Avalonjohn44]

It is easier said than done, but wait till you feel the fish.  I do better with soft bodied frogs at night where I can't quite see the bait. Seeing the strike makes me react, at night I am more apt to not do so.  Hook up ratios for soft body frog baits are not super, but this type of fishing is FUN. 

[Oldbritguy]

I use a 7 foot medium heavy fast tip if I'm throwing a soft plastic frog like a seismic frog with 30lb braid. Buy if I'm fishing a scum frog type frog I'll use a 7'6 medium heavy with 65lb braid. I like a 7.1 reel with the drag tightened all the way down. Biggest thing for me is keeping the rod top high so when then bass hits you can "throw" him some slack

 

Why do you prefer using a reel with 7:1 gear ratio?  

[Catt]

#1 thing, use braid. Size is up to you but I use 30lb for my frog/flipping needs. #2, do not swing until you feel the pressure of the fish, normally when they blow up and come through the grass it takes a couple seconds to get the bait and close their mouth. IF you swing when you see the strike you're not gonna get them. #3 use a rod with enough backbone and power. Everyone has their own preferences, I use 2 different rods depending on situation, but it has to have enough power to pull the fish out or bring him and the grass to you.

That's it!

[Maico1]

Why do you prefer using a reel with 7:1 gear ratio?

Many times the bass will just bump or swirl around the frog. So you would want to get the frog back as soon as possible to recast and work it back into the strike zone. Which also equates to a reel with a line retrieve into the 30's "inches that is"per turn of the handle.

[Catt]

When bass miss my frog I follow up with a T-rigged plastic of some type, they'll pick it up every time.

[nowicki2005]

I didn't read every reply here but I didn't see it mentioned that you can also follow it up with a punching type bait if you're fishing heavy cover right where the bass missed the frog and normally get your good hard strike instantly.

[McAlpine]

One thing that surprises me in all these posts is the suggestion to use a fast action rod. In my opinion this is the worst thing you can use with a frog. Get a good strong rod with lots of backbone and a medium action. A MH or H weight will work. You need that soft tip though to slow down your reaction. Also you'll find the frog casts far better.

[frogflogger]

I agree with McAlpine - went through many many rods looking for the perfect frog rod (for myself of course) I ended up using the Daiwa light and tough frog rod - it has a moderate action, casts frogs a mile and is forgiving in close quarters combat with the braided line. The idea that you must drag in the fish and the giant weed ball will cost you  fish - if the bass buries up go to the fish - I like a 6.3 gearing - at the strike start cranking and swing paralell to the water - this leaves the bait on the water - the same hookset I use with swimbaits - this has worked for me and it took a lot of missed fish to arrive at this technique. It might not be for everyone but I taught this technique to a lot of of satisfied clients.

[WIGuide]

One thing that surprises me in all these posts is the suggestion to use a fast action rod. In my opinion this is the worst thing you can use with a frog. Get a good strong rod with lots of backbone and a medium action. A MH or H weight will work. You need that soft tip though to slow down your reaction. Also you'll find the frog casts far better.

 

I agree with McAlpine - went through many many rods looking for the perfect frog rod (for myself of course) I ended up using the Daiwa light and tough frog rod - it has a moderate action, casts frogs a mile and is forgiving in close quarters combat with the braided line. The idea that you must drag in the fish and the giant weed ball will cost you  fish - if the bass buries up go to the fish - I like a 6.3 gearing - at the strike start cranking and swing paralell to the water - this leaves the bait on the water - the same hookset I use with swimbaits - this has worked for me and it took a lot of missed fish to arrive at this technique. It might not be for everyone but I taught this technique to a lot of of satisfied clients.

 

Both of you guys have your terms mixed up. There are two ratings on rods, the first is power and the second is action. Power describes the strength or backbone of the rod, or how much pressure it takes to flex a rod. Rod action describes the taper of a rod and thus where it flexes. For instance a a moderate action rod starts tapering deeper into the blank and with flex further down into the blank most of the time down to the middle. An extra fast action rod will only taper towards the tip, usually in the first 6 inches or so. 

 

Back to froggin' given the heavy slop you fish them in and the big hooks they have on them you usually want at least a medium heavy power rod and that's considered a little light, but you can do it with those. Quite honestly a heavy power rod is a better option. It will give you enough power to drive those two big hooks home on a bass and get them turned to hopefully bring them up onto the slop. Sometimes even with a big rod you won't get them turned quick enough an you'll just have to go get them. As far as action goes, you generally want a fast action in a froggin' rod. An extra fast action rod doesn't usually offer enough tip to get good distances on a cast, and a lot of times will limit you hookup percentage. In comparison, a moderate action flexes down into the blank so far that a lot of times you won't get as much power into your hook set as you need. Overall, a heavy power fast action rod will put more fish into your boat. 

 

Why do you prefer using a reel with 7:1 gear ratio?  

A 7.1 or higher gear ratio will help you to pick up slack when froggin' if you're fishing it real shallow a lot of times the fish will hit an run away from the bank or in other words right back at you. A high gear ratio will help you pick up that slack that they creates. Also, the faster retrieve will help you to bring in a bait in quicker if you miss a fish and the bait comes flying back at you. It allows you to reel up quick and fire another cast right back in there. 

 

Lastly, you need to be fishing a frog with braided line. It's no stretch qualities will help with your hookset, and braid will also slice through vegetation.  

[McAlpine]

Both of you guys have your terms mixed up. There are two ratings on rods, the first is power and the second is action. Power describes the strength or backbone of the rod, or how much pressure it takes to flex a rod. Rod action describes the taper of a rod and thus where it flexes. For instance a a moderate action rod starts tapering deeper into the blank and with flex further down into the blank most of the time down to the middle. An extra fast action rod will only taper towards the tip, usually in the first 6 inches or so.

Back to froggin' given the heavy slop you fish them in and the big hooks they have on them you usually want at least a medium heavy power rod and that's considered a little light, but you can do it with those. Quite honestly a heavy power rod is a better option. It will give you enough power to drive those two big hooks home on a bass and get them turned to hopefully bring them up onto the slop. Sometimes even with a big rod you won't get them turned quick enough an you'll just have to go get them. As far as action goes, you generally want a fast action in a froggin' rod. An extra fast action rod doesn't usually offer enough tip to get good distances on a cast, and a lot of times will limit you hookup percentage. In comparison, a moderate action flexes down into the blank so far that a lot of times you won't get as much power into your hook set as you need. Overall, a heavy power fast action rod will put more fish into your boat.

A 7.1 or higher gear ratio will help you to pick up slack when froggin' if you're fishing it real shallow a lot of times the fish will hit an run away from the bank or in other words right back at you. A high gear ratio will help you pick up that slack that they creates. Also, the faster retrieve will help you to bring in a bait in quicker if you miss a fish and the bait comes flying back at you. It allows you to reel up quick and fire another cast right back in there.

Lastly, you need to be fishing a frog with braided line. It's no stretch qualities will help with your hookset, and braid will also slice through vegetation.

=====================================

No I completely meant what I put above. MH or H power rod with a medium action. I rarely fish frogs across giant mats of weeds because I don't want to spend my day watching the fish miss the bait. There are far better methods of fishing these mats. To me a frog is an edge bait and that is where it shines.

Medium action to buffer the braid and slow the hook set.