Frog Frustration

[Coopdog72]

Alright everyone I'm having problems fishing the hollow body frog. I'm using a 7ft heavy fast action rod it's a johnny Morris signiture with a pflueger patriarch baitcaster 7.1. I can't seem to get the walking action down, I try to keep a little slack in the line do my little pop and point the rod tip back toward the frog reel in some slack and repeat, it'll walk every now and again but nothing constant. I'm wondering should I do more practice in my pool before I hit the water again. Any help would be awesome or should I go back to spinning gear. I forgot to mention I'm kinda new to the baitcaster

[tcbass]

Alright everyone I'm having problems fishing the hollow body frog. I'm using a 7ft heavy fast action rod it's a johnny Morris signiture with a pflueger patriarch baitcaster 7.1. I can't seem to get the walking action down, I try to keep a little slack in the line do my little pop and point the rod tip back toward the frog reel in some slack and repeat, it'll walk every now and again but nothing constant. I'm wondering should I do more practice in my pool before I hit the water again. Any help would be awesome or should I go back to spinning gear. I forgot to mention I'm kinda new to the baitcaster

 

 

I've never gotten the walking action down either even after watching many videos. I have only gotten them on hollow bodies on the initial splashdown.

 

 

My friend was using a hollow body and he just cast and would slowly retrieve it making a little wake. He got like 7 good bites the day we fished and landed 3. I wonder if he had a trailer hook if he would have landed more.

[ColdSVT]

Maybe not enough slack...

[ABW]

Have you tried trimming the legs? It helps them walk easier. Especially the Livetarget ones. Anyways, when I walk a frog its all about the wrist. It's one constant motion, and I let the butt of my rod hit the interior of my elbow. You have to do this motion quickly though. Kinda hard to explain, I'll try to find a video

 

Found the video.

 

Look at around the 9 minute mark. I do exactly what this guy does.

[Mainebass1984]

They catch big fish. Keep at it you will get the hang of it. I have got some big fish without walking it. Sometimes all you need is a steady plop plop stop or to just cast it out there.

[long island basser]

Maybe not enough slack...[/quote

I would agree with coldsvt , sounds like your doing everything else right from what you say.

With that being said I don't walk frogs at all any more , I just plop them along in and around cover .

. Been working well for me for years fishing them this way. The regular and the popping models.

Also standing up it is much easier to walk them. I sit down close to the water in my boat , so I just plop along. Lol

[aavery2]

You mentioned you were practicing in your pool, are you able to do this working the frog with the rod  tip down.

[Jrob78]

The other thing is, it's much easier to walk a frog on a longer cast.  When it gets close to you it gets tougher.  If you're only practicing in a pool, you're making it harder on yourself.

[frogflogger]

Frogs catch bass on many different retrieves - don't sweat walking it too much - keep heaving them and it'll come together and you'll catch some big ones just chugging along.

[ABW]

Try using some spooks. They practically walk themselves, and once you got the hang of it you can transition it over to frogs.

[Coopdog72]

Thank you guys for all the help and encouragement . I'll stick with the frog I think when I go fishing again I'm just using the frog until I get it down pack.

[hatrix]

Are you using braided line? Also you might be pulling to hard on your twitches. Try shorter pulls and only move the tip 6" or so.

[tstone]

I used to have a hard time walking frogs. Tried it on a few different rods until I found one I could walk it much easier with. For me I like a rod that has a softer tip. Sometimes I do better just popping the frog instead of walking it.

[Bluebasser86]

Get a Spro Bronzeye Shad, put some braid on your reel if you don't have it on it already, walk your frog like a pro  

 

The shad is just a little more streamlined than the Spro frog but it walks really well and really easy. 

[frogflogger]

Boze zz walker is on sale at tw - they are killer walking baits that go where the frog goes.

[Sam]

Please consider:

1.  Take a pliers and spread out the hooks to about 1/16 from the body of the frog. You may be able to do this with your hands.

2.  Cut one of the "legs" so it will be about an inch shorter than the other one. Makes frog walk different.

3.  Use braid but take a black marker and blacken the braid from the frog to about three feet up the line.

4.  Relax. Throw that frog, let it sit for a few seconds and then start bouncing it back to you.

5.  When you get a hit say "I got him" and then set the hook. Almost impossible but you have to practice. You have to let the fish pull on the frog before you set the hook.

6.  Every four or five casts take the frog and squeeze the water out of it.

7. Put some scent on the frog. From MegaStrike to a spray. Just put some scent on it and keep adding scent after every ten or so casts.

8. If you throw the frog in the pads or grass have it act like a frog.  Stop it and let it rest on a pad leaf or in the grass for a few seconds. Think like a frog but don't try to catch bugs with your tong.

9.  ALWAYS HAVE YOUR NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS WITH YOU WHEN FISHING FROGS AND TREBLE HOOK BAITS.

10. Throw that sucker everywhere, in open water, next to wood, piers, boat docks, grass, pads, rocks, under trees, etc.

11. Use an underhand cast to have more control.

12. If you want to skip the frog under docks, piers and cover you can always use a spinning rig. Spinning rigs and frogs can make a deadly combination.

13. A white belly may be best but black can work. Add a touch of orange nail polish under the front eyes if you wish.

14. And tie your knot directly to the frog's hook eyes.  Do not use a snap as it can drop the frog's nose and catch a lot of slop and grass.

15. As for knots, tie whichever you feel comfortable.

 

Now go out and throw some frogs.

[Sam]

Let me add.....

16.  65-pound braid with no leader. You don't need a leader for a frog.

17.  Use the rod's tip to make the frog walk or bounce the top of the water. 

18.  Keep rod tip pointed at the water when retrieving the frog. Just bounce it a little as you reel.

19.  You can also reel in in short spurts as you move the rod's tip.

 

Experiment. The fish will tell you if they want the frog and if so where.

[Sam]

And one last suggestion:

Always have two or three of each color with you in case the bass tear up the plastic frog.

Just one more thing to add to the list.

[Loop_Dad]

My 2 cents:

 

1. Try doing with rod tip down almost to vertical rod up side position if that helps.

2. How does your frog sit on the water? Flat or head up? or something else?

3. Are you possible snapping too slow and/or too soft?

 

I have different kind of frustration which is hook-up ratio. I've been tinkering with modification including double stinger set up, but not yet to find the magic pill yet. When I saw this thread's title, I thought that's what this was about

[BassinLou]

Sorry I got to this thread late. I saw frog and jumped right in. I was frog fishing yesterday as a matter of fact, and many of the suggestions that have been given to you is spot on. I quite honestly, did not want to walk the frog yesterday. The fish were hitting at ambush points seconds of the frog hitting the water. All I had to do is twitch twice and the frog was gone. The key thing is however is that approach is what worked yesterday. Next time the fish may want some more action before they commit. Keep practicing walking the frog if that is important to you. I have learned over the years, when frog is on the menu you are going to catch fish. Keep at it. 

[tcbass]

I'm trying this single stinger hook on my Ragetail Toad solid body frog.

[iceintheveins]

The twitches are SLIGHT on slack line, and all on the wrist. Almost like you are lightly tapping a table with your wrist. Twitching too hard will take all the slack out of the line and it won't walk.

[Loop_Dad]

I'm trying this single stinger hook on my Ragetail Toad solid body frog.

 

That looks very good. I was thinking the samel thing, except I wanted to use a frog that floats (does rage tail frog floats?), so that I can pause. I ordered some Ribbit floating frog. Hope it has enough floatation.

[tcbass]

That looks very good. I was thinking the samel thing, except I wanted to use a frog that floats (does rage tail frog floats?), so that I can pause. I ordered some Ribbit floating frog. Hope it has enough floatation.

No. This one doesn't float. It sinks. But it catches a lot of fish on the sink too.

[hatrix]

The twitches are SLIGHT on slack line, and all on the wrist. Almost like you are lightly tapping a table with your wrist. Twitching too hard will take all the slack out of the line and it won't walk.

Thats basically what I had said. You are probably twitching to hard do not realize it. Move your tip as little as you can and see what happens. They all kind of walk different and some are better then other. also the action of your rod and line make a difference to. If you mess up the cadence or twitch again to soon or something it wont walk back to the other side and it can get stuck where it will keep wanting to walk either right or left over and over and not go side to side. 

 

Also sometimes I push some splitshots inside the body. If the frog keep wanting to nose up and like jump out of the water when you twitch it that will help and bit and it also gives it a little bit of rattle.

 

I forgot that you should not think it would be a good idea to push one of the long drop shot weights inside the frog. It went in great but I totally destroyed the frog trying to get the dumb thing out. Stick with some small splitshots if you go that route or suspend strips. Those things are amazing at times.