Frog Hook Set

[MoeC]

I can't figure the method of landing a bass on a frog.  I have no problems getting strikes.  I have even had a few tug or wars with fish, but so far I have only managed to land 1 out of 15.

 

Im fishing the hollow plastic models. Sexy/Poppin' type. I have bent the hooks outward a little.  I'm fishing slop and some pads/reeds.  I have a medium heavy rod (Mojo Bass 7' MH - Fast) and use braid. 

 

Its getting frustrating, because I really enjoy fishing the topwater in the slop.

Any tips/tricks/hints/voodoo are appreciated.

[BassinLou]

I can't figure the method of landing a bass on a frog.  I have no problems getting strikes.  I have even had a few tug or wars with fish, but so far I have only managed to land 1 out of 15.

 

Im fishing the hollow plastic models. Sexy/Poppin' type. I have bent the hooks outward a little.  I'm fishing slop and some pads/reeds.  I have a medium heavy rod (Mojo Bass 7' MH - Fast) and use braid. 

 

Its getting frustrating, because I really enjoy fishing the topwater in the slop.

Any tips/tricks/hints/voodoo are appreciated.

 

I can understand your frustration. 1 out 15 leaves for a lot of room for improvement. Although a frog strike a quick and violent. There is a moment in the strike, where you can see if your frog was actually eaten by the bass. When you do not see your frog anymore, cross the fishes eyes with a strong upward hookset. I know its easier said then done.. trust me i am guilty of setting early on strikes too. 

[Mccallister25]

Lou speaks truth. When you see that your frog is gone, wait a second to make sure the fish has it and give her a strong vertical hookset. My first hollow body fish scared the crap out of me, and I was very determined. Havent set a hook that hard since..

[F14A-B]

Maybe go with a heavy? Frog hooks are heavy wire plus dual hooks. I don't know,...delayed Hooksets are hard to learn, but you need to learn it if you love frog fishing....

Good luck

[Mike2841]

Most of the time for me they slurp it, and I just do a sweep set. It seems to me when there's a big slash more often than not they don't have it

[Deleted account]

Oh, I know this one, after much frustration and a long learning curve, I figured out what works well for me. Now I don't miss very many when they are biting the frog, sure there are days when they seem to just nudge it or push it, but most times they choke it. First, I use the same frog for everything, second, I bend the hooks up and out just a tad, and here's the part that's easier said than done. I don't set the hook until either a) The splash has ended, or the rod gets pulled down by the fish. The hook set is reel down quickly (really quickly) until the rod loads, and then come back hard, and keep the fish coming in one motion. The whole count 2 seconds, wait a while thing just wasn't working, now if I get under 80% or so, I'm not happy.

[JayKumar]

Tip from froggy expert Ish Monroe:

 

> If I can’t seen any color to the frog when the fish grabs it, I set the hook right then with an upward popping motion. If I see a bit of the frog, I’ll wait a second before setting the hook to give the fish time to get it down its mouth more. If you miss the fish, throw the frog right back.

 

More here in one of our BassBlasters:

http://bassblaster.bassgold.com/insta-bassin-babes-whats-a-dirty-donkey-offshore-or-broke#sthash.OZV0VsSp.dpuf

[kfelton0002]

Wait until you feel the weight of the fish and then set the hook.  If you don't pause for at least a couple of seconds you will pull the frog right out of the fish's mouth.  The best frogs I have used as far as best hookset ratio are the Koppers LiveTarget, Spro Bronze eye, and KVD Sexy frogs.. Booyah frogs are pretty soft too and the body collapses well for a good hookset.  I have had the most luck on Koppers LiveTarget and Spro though. 

[frogflogger]

Depending on the environment and strike I either sweep very hard and crank crank crank all the way to the boat - or give it the quick upward motion -if they are eating it they are choking it usually - Lip hooks are 20 - 25% of my frog caught fish. All the advice in world won't take the place of time on the water - we're all wired a bit differently and you will find your own way. My partner for years set the hook differently than I did and we both became successful frog fishermen with high hook up ratios. The most important thing is to BELIEVE IN THE FROG and keep on chuckin'.

[jignfule]

Doesn't it get you excited just reading posts about froggin

[papajoe222]

Doesn't it get you excited just reading posts about froggin

Yea, it does, especially when it seems that's all I've been throwing the last couple of weeks.

There are two trains of thought when it comes to when to set the hook and both are right, but not in every situation.  There will be times when you don't feel any weight and times when your line won't move or any other visual clue. When in doubt, set the hook.  That is where most fish end up getting off. We either set too soon, or too late. Yea, you're going to loose fish that didn't have your frog, just clamped down on the legs or whatever. There's nothing you can do about loosing those fish, you never really had them. You can tell when you're using a good hook setting technique, the fish will be hooked in the top of their mouth, back from their lips.  If the fish you do land aren't hooked there, it's time to take a good look at your hook setting abilities.

[gripnrip]

Use pliers to open the hooks a little. One thousand one then set the hook on one thousand two. .

[TrippyJai]

You mentioned that you had a few tug a wars, so I assume it's your gear. Maybe you should move up to a Heavy action and longer rod to get a better hook set.

 

If you're pulling the bait away from the fish then you need to wait a second or two until you feel the weight then set the hook.

 

If the fish is completely missing the bait then switching colour, size or style (to a non popper) might help.

[grumpydog]

Trailer hook? Stanley makes a double trailer hook that I use if conditions allow. Especially if short strikers are pulling the legs off my ribbit