Hookups With Floating Frog?

[WIGuide]

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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.

Haven't had too many issues with fish missing the bait. Sure it happens from time to time but if they're missing that much it might be an indication you need to change something up. As for the slowing down the hookset, you WANT a fast hookset. You want to drive those big hooks home right away and get that fish moving. 

[frogflogger]

The rod I use has a moderate action - it flexes down through the blank, not just the tip or upper part - with braided line you can take away the bait with a fast tip rod and when fighting a big fish in close quarters something has to give. Fishing 250 - 300 days a year and fishing frogs most of the time I came to believe the mod. action let the fish eat the frog, most fish "choked" the frog, very seldom hooked them in the lips mostly deep in the roof of the mouth usually with both hooks in them. I was fortunate to be in the everglades which is frog fishing heaven - but even in the clear deep lakes without vegetation I now fish the same technique is still effective.

It's bass fishing so everyone has their own take on it but this worked very well for me and it was a long journey to come to the mod. action which goes against the accepted stuff out there - I have several fast action frog rods that are now used for other things but not frog fishing.

The key to our hookset was to begin reeling immediately with the rod sweep to the side -- give it a try if you have a low hookup percentage it will surprise you - hopefully in a good way.

[Catt]

Rod choice is & always will be what works for you!

I personally prefer a MH X-tra Fast for frogs, I rely on my experience more than my rod or reel.

I grew up fishing the coastal marshes /swamps of Louisiana & Texas, my lure of is a Johnson Gold Spoon. Spoon or frog it's the same ya gotta let em have it, wait on the weight, & then set hook.

My buffer for braided line & an X-tra fast tip is me!

[frogflogger]

For sure, when fishing a johnson spoon or horny toad type I fish with a high tip and wait on the weight but with hollow bodies  the low rod tip position has been very efficient for me -  but as you say  what works for a person is their correct choice. It's great to get different approaches to a common goal - more bass on frogs!

[Mike L]

You got some great advise here on what, where and how to use it...

The only thing I will add is the frog you're useing.

You didn't say and that's fine, but the only frog's I use now are a Scum for walking in place and a Koppers for walking or popping back to the boat.

 

The reason is because they are the softest one's I've used.  

If I ever use another brand I make sure I open the hooks a little, No need on the Scum or Koppers.

 

 

Mike

[Shadow93]

I know its probably already been mentioned, but it is important to wait a couple seconds after the strike to set the hook when using a topwater frog.

 

I also know, that this is much easier said than done. Its so hard not to react to seeing your frog getting absolutely destroyed by a bass.

[Alpha Male]

It has been mentioned before but you will need to find a rod suited to how you fish. some like to set the hook early and use a moderate action rod, I personally prefer a fast action with a lot of backbone. I use a 7'11" Heavy fast daiwa ceilo or a 7' Med-Hvy Fast Stcroix Avid and hold the rod at 45 degrees up and when i see the strike I lower it, reel down, and when i get all the way down if I dont see the frog and feel the weight I pull straight up sharply. I use the weight of the fish to determine how hard and far to pull. Then reel back down to 45 degrees and fight the fish back to the boat.

 

There is no need to count to 2 it only takes a split second to reel down and feel if there is a fish, if you still see the frog on top leave it there and shake it for a second and then stop and try shaking it one more time. If that didnt work reel back in fast and cast it past the strike zone by about 15-20 feet and try again.

[IowaHusker28]

After fishing the frog A TON these past two years I've really found the combination that works really well for me. I use a 7'3" medium heavy rod with a fast tip and 80lb power pro braid (yea you can get away with 50 but why risk it). With a 7.1 reel.  Heres why, Anything bigger than 7'3" to me makes the bait harder to walk, and many frogs work the best with the walking presentation. I feel its short enough to make them walk easier, it also helps when you are skipping the frog into brush, trees, ect. But, with the 7'3" your not sacrificing a lot of power you will get with a 7'6" or longer. The fast tip is important, not only to allow time for the bass to eat the frog but, it also helps with walking the bait and skipping. The fast reel is almost a must. You never know what the bass is going to do in the muck or brush and getting them out as fast as possible really with help landing more fish.

 

Now I'm no expert by any means but I've tried different things and have fished it a lot. Just to further the point that you don't need a long rod. Dean Rojas, one of the best froggers in the world uses a 7' rod. Its all about personal preference and what works for you just like any other bait. 

 

ps. waiting 2 seconds may help you get some better hook ups but don't think its the only way to catch bass on a frog.