Froggin: Lessons Learned

[gnuisance]

I'm new to throwing frogs but totally obsessed. I've learned a couple things since I started.

1. Use Heavy line. When I first started reading about froggin I laughed when I saw that guys like Dean Rojas were using 80 lb braid. After losing two frogs on hooksets with 10 lb fireline I learned my lesson real quick.

2. For me, slower has been better on the retrieve. A couple times I have backlashed on a cast and while I fixed the reel the frog was just sitting in the water for a minute or two, as soon as I twitched it WHAM. it was like a bass had just been staring at it and when it started to move I got a strike.

There are a lot of areas by me that get very weedy in the summer and I an very pumped to fish them with the frog over the next few months. I'd love to hear from you guys If you have any tips.

[smallieking]

hey im not much of a frog fisherman but one tip id like to offer is to play with new frog before hitting the water. I use the broneye frog and for years the new out of the package frogs didn't hook fish as well as my older wore out ones. so what I do now when I purchase a new one I take the frog out of the package and squeeze and play with the plastic making it more pliable and softer. ill sit there and work the bait with my hands for 30 minutes or so; so I know its nice and soft and easy to flex for when a bass comes up and eats it. now I rarely miss a fish on them

[Cgrinder]

I take ~1" off the legs and bend the hooks up just a little so they aren't resting on the frog. I like the tip about working a new Spro frog; they're a little stiff out of the package.

[rippin-lips]

^^^ same here but I only trim 1 leg. It's said to let them walk a bit better.

[frogflogger]

Fish them everywhere - pads, vegetation, laydowns, clear water over deep points, fish em fast, fish em slow, don't be afraid to dead stick them for as long as you can take it - throw them on the bank and hop them into the water, throw them over tree limbs and see saw them, if not a howling gale, wind is your friend, most have a light belly be sure you have at least one in black. You're in for a lot of fun and some big fish.

[gnuisance]

In what situations do you use the black belly?

[jiggz125]

In your guys experience when are prime conditions for frogging? Sunny vs overcast and with that what color frog for which time? I have read top-water is best for early morning and towards dusk, but in my limited frog fishing late last summer, we were getting blow ups in middle of the day? Can you guys add any insight? Thanks

[BassinLou]

In your guys experience when are prime conditions for frogging? Sunny vs overcast and with that what color frog for which time? I have read top-water is best for early morning and towards dusk, but in my limited frog fishing late last summer, we were getting blow ups in middle of the day? Can you guys add any insight? Thanks

I go against the grain, when it comes to what "time" to fish a lure. In this case a frog. I will throw a frog from the time I start in the morning to the time I finish at the end of the day. 

[BassinLou]

When it comes to colors, I look to have contrast based on the type of light available during the day and clarity of the water. 

[WIGuide]

In your guys experience when are prime conditions for frogging? Sunny vs overcast and with that what color frog for which time? I have read top-water is best for early morning and towards dusk, but in my limited frog fishing late last summer, we were getting blow ups in middle of the day? Can you guys add any insight? Thanks

If you're on the water it's a good time haha. I'd have to say any time the water gets up above 60ish degress and then into the fall. I caught a few on them when the water was in the low 50's. You won't get as many bites then, but usually the ones that do hit it just annihilate it. They work well from dawn to dusk. In the summer I'd have to say best conditions would be a fairly calm day with clear skies. It pushes a lot of bass up under cover i.e. pads, mats, docks, what have you. It lets you pinpoint where they will be and target the high percentage areas. If there's quite a bit of wind and/ or dingy water a popping frog is a lot of times the better option. Being that a frog doesn't cause a lot of commotion, if there's a lot of wave action I think the bass have a harder time finding it. 

 

I'm new to throwing frogs but totally obsessed. I've learned a couple things since I started.

1. Use Heavy line. When I first started reading about froggin I laughed when I saw that guys like Dean Rojas were using 80 lb braid. After losing two frogs on hooksets with 10 lb fireline I learned my lesson real quick.

2. For me, slower has been better on the retrieve. A couple times I have backlashed on a cast and while I fixed the reel the frog was just sitting in the water for a minute or two, as soon as I twitched it WHAM. it was like a bass had just been staring at it and when it started to move I got a strike.

There are a lot of areas by me that get very weedy in the summer and I an very pumped to fish them with the frog over the next few months. I'd love to hear from you guys If you have any tips.

If you haven't tried walking a frog I highly suggest it! If you're fishing over heavy veggies, it's hard to get it to walk. I don't think it's necessary to do it when it's sitting on tops of the grass, but when you find a hole in the grass or pads throw past it. Slowly bring it towards the hole with short twitches of your rod and when the frog gets really close to the hole start walking it. It stays in their strike zone longer that way and seems to kind of annoy them into biting. 

[5dollarsplash]

When it comes to colors, I look to have contrast based on the type of light available during the day and clarity of the water. 

 

I fully agree with BassinLou on this, make it a easy obvious target.  As far as timing on when to throw a frog, I agree again.  I may have a higher frequency of hits at dusk, but somedays it works all day.  When I have my boat out I keep a frog rigged up all the time.

[BassinLou]

I fully agree with BassinLou on this, make it a easy obvious target.  As far as timing on when to throw a frog, I agree again.  I may have a higher frequency of hits at dusk, but somedays it works all day.  When I have my boat out I keep a frog rigged up all the time.

On my boat, a frog is always rigged and its the ice breaker and my go to bait. If frog is not on the menu then I resort to other applications. I may not like to, but sometimes I have to unfortunately. ..... LOL 

[frogflogger]

In what situations do you use the black belly?

I almost always have a black belly rigged and if things are slow I'll throw them for a change up - of course, if it's a dark overcast day it'll be the color I throw first.

[gnuisance]

Been doing pretty good on the frog. Here is some pics.

 

 

 

[ColdSVT]

In your guys experience when are prime conditions for frogging? Sunny vs overcast and with that what color frog for which time? I have read top-water is best for early morning and towards dusk, but in my limited frog fishing late last summer, we were getting blow ups in middle of the day? Can you guys add any insight? Thanks

I like white bellies on clear days and black on cloudy days or in low light

I especially like to throw a frog in the rain!