Top Water Fishing.

[Kyrazzy7]

It doesn't have to be another fish trying to eat it.  Open wounds on the back could signify a bird attack, or perhaps it got too close to the bank and was hit by a four legged critter.

Ha never thought of that

[Kyrazzy7]

Here's one of the early morning frog feeders

[Kyrazzy7]

I'm still searching for those nice 6+ lbers. Feel like I might need a boat to get one though

[BassinLou]

You don't need a boat to catch 6 pounders. Although, having a boat will open up water accessibility you need to hone your craft. You have been bass fishing for only 2 months, keep learning and improving and you will stick bigger bass in no time. 

[Kyrazzy7]

You don't need a boat to catch 6 pounders. Although, having a boat will open up water accessibility you need to hone your craft. You have been bass fishing for only 2 months, keep learning and improving and you will stick bigger bass in no time.

Thanks! Yea Im trying to learn as much as possible. It's been a fun short amount of time. I need to get a scale so I can track my progress. Here's a pic of the biggest one I've caught. How much do you think she weighs

[Kyrazzy7]

She was pretty fat. Pictures doesn't do it justice ha although everyone always wants it to be bigger than it was

[AdamsEye]

Good to hear you got it worked out, and had a good day's fishing! I agree with getting a pair of hip waders, it can really open up the water for $30.

 

It's seems like boat or no boat, you had a good day. I would say you did fine without one today!

[the reel ess]

I use a 6'6" M, Moderate tip with 15# mono for topwaters with trebles. You don't need a 7' rod for this technique because you want to twitch the tip a lot. The reason they say you should loosen your drag is that line won't stretch. You can rip the trebles out of a fish when it strikes or while it's fighting with the braid. Mono would stretch some and be a little more forgiving.

 

But the frog is a different story. A longer, heavier rod and braided line give a better hooksets. 

[AdamsEye]

I use a 6'6" M, Moderate tip with 15# mono for topwaters with trebles. You don't need a 7' rod for this technique because you want to twitch the tip a lot. The reason they say you should loosen your drag is that line won't stretch. You can rip the trebles out of a fish when it strikes or while it's fighting with the braid. Mono would stretch some and be a little more forgiving.

 

But the frog is a different story. A longer, heavier rod and braided line give a better hooksets. 

 

I throw a very similar setup, only 6'8", 14 or 12lb and fast action with topwater trebles. I fish my frogs on a rod very similar to his, with 60lb braid. Kinda funny how that worked out.

 

I never fished to much topwater until a few years ago when it just grew on me. Now I probably fish to much topwater lol!

[CeeJay]

Update. I went out this morning bright and early (4a.m) an was fishing my frogs. I tryed a couple different things when casting and it seems the easier i try and toss it the farther it goes. when i really tried to whip it, it barley went anywhere so i think i worked it out. caught some good fish this morning too. also i noticed something maybe a little weird. on about the 3rd fish i caught (decent size. about 14'') when i was removing the hook from its mouth i noticed a big gash on its back. and it was definetly fresh. there was stiill a little bit of blood coming out of it. also its tail was all banged up and bloody too. are other bigger bass trying to eat these size ones? or is something else happening? i dont think anything in this lake is big enough to eat that big of a bass

 

Awesome.  Sounds like you're picking up the subtleties of bass angling very fast. 

4am is perfect, it's just so much fun to fish while most people are still sleeping.  I try to hit the water by no later than 5am. 

 

Yep, a nice and easy cast is a thing of beauty and the lure will fly far.  I use spinning tackle, but whenever I rush a cast (which happens from time to time) I lose a good amount of distance compared to a smooth relaxed cast.

 

Good luck and have fun

[Kyrazzy7]

Good to hear you got it worked out, and had a good day's fishing! I agree with getting a pair of hip waders, it can really open up the water for $30.

 

It's seems like boat or no boat, you had a good day. I would say you did fine without one today!

yea i just got a pair of waders a couple days ago. just trying to find a good spot to wade in at my lake is the next task. most of it is drop offs. 9/10 of the fish im catching are no more than 15' from shore.

[Kyrazzy7]

I use a 6'6" M, Moderate tip with 15# mono for topwaters with trebles. You don't need a 7' rod for this technique because you want to twitch the tip a lot. The reason they say you should loosen your drag is that line won't stretch. You can rip the trebles out of a fish when it strikes or while it's fighting with the braid. Mono would stretch some and be a little more forgiving.

 

But the frog is a different story. A longer, heavier rod and braided line give a better hooksets.

so do you think the set up i have now is more geared towards poppers and other top water lures? and that i should get a little longer heavier rod for frogs?

[Kyrazzy7]

Awesome.  Sounds like you're picking up the subtleties of bass angling very fast. 

4am is perfect, it's just so much fun to fish while most people are still sleeping.  I try to hit the water by no later than 5am. 

 

Yep, a nice and easy cast is a thing of beauty and the lure will fly far.  I use spinning tackle, but whenever I rush a cast (which happens from time to time) I lose a good amount of distance compared to a smooth relaxed cast.

 

Good luck and have fun

hey thanks! growing up in alaska ive been fishing all my life. but bass fishing is a totally different beast. its been really fun so far. especially watching them breach the water while slamming a frog!

andd it was nice going super early. i had the whole lake to myself! im gonna go again in the morning!

[Shanes7614]

so do you think the set up i have now is more geared towards poppers and other top water lures? and that i should get a little longer heavier rod for frogs?

The setup you have now is plenty of length if your catching most fish within 15' of shore. Heavy braid is the standard due to frogs being used in heavy cover and able to get a solid hook set. A lot of problems associated with missed hook sets is most guys have the mentality they need to "bomb" their bait as far away as possible and then wonder why they can't transfer that energy to the fish for a solid hook set. Practice your accuracy over distance 99% of the time. With accuracy and consistency comes distance on its own. Pay more attention to stealth and approach and your numbers and weights will also improve. Learn to use your combo as a TOOL of the trade. All aspects and angles. Practice backhand forehand underhand overhead and all angles in between and you will also find yourself placing baits where most people can't. I was taught as a kid to carry the mentality of... It's not the size of the hammer you use but how you use it is what counts. There is plenty to learn on here and some good advice as well as plenty of downright BS. If in doubt, try it out!!! What may not work for someone else doesn't mean it won't work for you. You'll get a lot of satisfaction when your using substandard equipment and out fishing these guys with their 1000$ combos.

[BassinLou]

Thanks! Yea Im trying to learn as much as possible. It's been a fun short amount of time. I need to get a scale so I can track my progress. Here's a pic of the biggest one I've caught. How much do you think she weighsimage.jpg

 

That's a nice fish. As far as a guess of the weight? I quit playing that game a while ago. Lol... What I have learned over the yrs, is to carry a decent scale, that way, when the big one hits, you can have an accurate weight. I take it one more step and carry a ruler as well. And... never forget your cell phone for the pics. You know what they say. "pics or it never happened" . Lastly if I would have to guess on the weight of your fish, based on the thickness and size of the mouth, I would guess under 4lbs. Best of luck to you. 

[the reel ess]

so do you think the set up i have now is more geared towards poppers and other top water lures? and that i should get a little longer heavier rod for frogs?

Yes. But I don't have a setup specifically geared for frogs either. I just rigged up a 7' MH Falcon rod with a Mod Fast tip that I bought from a friend used, half price. It's really a big crankbait rod and not the ideal setup. But with the braid, I feel it'll get the job done until I can get a Hvy/Fast. I've already been using this combo with 17# floro for T-rigs and it's had plenty of backbone for hooksets. It'll get me by for the rest of this frog season. 

 

Short of buying a rod made specifically for frogs, most people look for a flipping/pitching rod that's a little shorter and with a little bit more mod tip. I've walked the bank frogging at my friends' pond using a MH spinning combo with 17# Fireline. I landed exactly half the fish that bit that day.

 

If you get another combo for frogs, you can reel the braid off the other rod onto the new one. For the topwaters, you can get by with cheaper mono line.

[Kyrazzy7]

Hey thanks a lot everyone for all your insight and help! Much appreciated! I've got the cast distance issue worked out. Now I'm gonna start trying new techniques.

[ChrisD46]

From The Bank :

 

Frog Rod : 7'0" ~ 7'3" MH with #40 lb. braid (work the rod to the side)

Topwater : 6'0" ~ 6'8" M with #30 lb. braid plus a #12 lb ~ #15 lb. mono leader (work the rod down to the side or bottom depending on length)