Froggin Advice

[Mikell]

Went froggin today, grass and slime mats for miles. They were eatin it up, at one point they hit 2 outah 3 casts BUT I could hook a single one!!! Literally I had like 15 fish hit this thing and not a single hook up.

Yes I waited that extra second before setting. I had the retrieve down pat they were lovin it but for some reason I could not hook up.

Any advice? I had to remind myself to wait that extra second sometimes but even when I did do that they still wouldnt hook up.

 

I even switched to a pad crasher jr, thinkging the larger pad crasher might have been too big for maybe a small bass that was hitting it. When i did that the bites died haha

 

Maybe I wasnt settting the hook hard enough? Usually im just flippin and pitching lil craw type baits around light cover and finesse worming, I imagine the hook setting should be different for these two techniques.

Should I use any type of motion while setting the hook? Straight up? Up yet to the side a little, or maybe a swing to the side?

 

Though I didnt catch any it was pretty awesome to see those fish go after it like that one came outah the water and rolled on it like a whale! haha

 

And I also got a brand new Lew's Tourney Pro for 130 AND my replacement rod for my broken St Croix LTB will be shipping out tomorrow, I found out. So all in all not a bad day!

[gnuisance]

THis should help:

 

[Frogfather]

1. Widening the hooks will help. 

2. In the "wait" period, you have to reel in the slack. Some don't do this enough. 

3. Make sure when you set the hook you are going straight up/12 o'clock. Off to the side will reduce hook sets. 

 

Hope this help. This is the short version of what I see folks do wrong. Maybe one will help.

 

FF

[Kevin Beachy]

I still have to train myself not to set the hook as soon as i see the splash

[Mikell]

Thanks guys thats awesome I dont believe i was reeling the slack that probably did it right there

[frogflogger]

We all have our own ideas/experiences on hooksets - 90% of my hooksets are wind like crazy and swing to the side and keep reeling, it's easier to demonstrate than to explain - I taught this to many clients and friends and it helped with their hook ups. By jerking straight up you will take the frog out and away from contention a lot of times. The bass will turn when he eats and that is the time to be cranking tight and setting the hook with a forceful side sweep and keep cranking. We've had whole days without missing a fish with this technique - of course I've had days when I missed a lot of them but it's usually on days when smaller bass are striking but not eating. It's been my experience that bass over 5 lbs. usually choke a frog if given the opportunity.

[FrogFreak]

I took my son (22yrs old) and his buddy out fishing last weekend and they were learning to frog fish. While they did pretty good waiting on the hook set, they watched me set the hook on a fish and couldn't believe how long I waited to set the hook. I like to wait until I feel the fish when they turn away. No, I don't do it every time, I still get excited and pull it out of their mouth from time to time. The point is, we think we're waiting a long time to set the hook and maybe we need to wait a bit more. The upside to waiting to feel the fish is that if you don't feel the fish and don't set the hook, the frog stays in the strike zone for a possible follow up.

 

No matter what you do, if the bass are just swatting at it and not eating it, there's not much you can do other than toss in a plastic as a follow up.

[5dollarsplash]

 

No matter what you do, if the bass are just swatting at it and not eating it, there's not much you can do other than toss in a plastic as a follow up.

 

This is the case at times.  I think sometimes you get a aggression strike (pi ssed fish) instead of a hungry fish.  I notice in a tank enviroment that cichlids will ram and chase other fish without opening their mouths, so no intention really to feed. 

 

Like FrogFreak said, try waiting to feel the fish if you can.

[Mikell]

Oh yeah man a few times i did WAIT lol even felt the line pullin which to me he was takin it but sure nuff when i set het jus spit it out

[iceintheveins]

Are you using braid?

[Mikell]

Are you using braid?

yup I always use braid for just about everything using it on a pinnacle optimus xihs on a dobyns 734c rod

[ghost]

You may want to use the lake fork frog stinger hook.

 

http://www.***.com/Lake_Fork_Frog_Tail_Hook_2pk/descpage-LFTFRHK.html

 

It's actually quite weedless, I've used on heavy mats, loose grass and open water. I only get little to no debris on the stinger hook. I do wish they would come out with one that is totally weedless,  like the VMC weedless wacky hook.

[iceintheveins]

I don't have a huge problem, when a good fish takes my frog I usually get him. I just wait for about a second. Putting some megastrike on the frog helps too so they hold on longer.

[Montanaro]

I went frogging with my dad yesterday.

I missed one...He missed almost all.

Difference being I wait at least 3 seconds. He waited about one.

Sometimes the bass hit it and have it in their lips...you yank a second after strike and odds are the frog frog is sideways in his lips and you don't stick him...If you do then the angles were just right and he is barely hooked. When you wait three seconds,at least, it gives the bass enough time to suck it down to his crushers...so when you set hook the frog straightens out and pops him in roof of mouth not lips. Look up pictures of bass caught on frogs...they are deep hooked for a reason.

Frogs are soft enough that bass hold onto them but too big for you to worry about them swallowing it like a worm. Just remind yourself that at anytime you could get a strike and to wait. Being caught off guard is the biggest reason I miss bass while frogging.

[gripnrip]

Slather a little megastrike all over the body and skirted legs.  An extra second or two will work then set the hook.  I believe when the bass doesn't absolutely choke the bait, it is crushing the frog before completely inhaling the frog.  Just my 2 cents.