When Do You Stop Throwing Frogs?

[Dypsis]

This was my first year throwing hollow body frogs, while fairly unsuccessful, was curious as to what makes you stop throwing them.  Water temps, the pads, grass, slop is dying back?  As always many variables come in to play (location a big part), but wanted to know when to pack them up for winter.  It would seem just like other top waters it would be successful if not very successful in fall at certain times, but really not sure when to stop.  

 

Thanks,

Matt

[Raul]

In Maryland I don´t know, down here it´s never. Besides, even though frog fishing is associated to fishing on top of vegetation you can still fish a frog in "open" water. Frogs are excellent baits for surface fishing around emergent vegetation like tule or between branchy cover where the use of other surface baits with hooks hanging from then is not possible.

[ww2farmer]

When the surface temp drops into the 40s

[gardnerjigman]

I stop throwing frogs when they quit eating them. Usually about the time all the vegetation starts to die off. But then I pick up a buzzbait! 

[BooyahMan]

This is a question I'm trying to figure out too. The latest I've caught a frog fish is in the beginning of November, and the earliest beginning of March. A lot of the time though I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time spending so effort on the frog during the "off" season. 

[Dypsis]

Sounds like I'll just keep throwing them until the stopneating, which appears to be later than originally thought.

[ClackerBuzz]

i feel like there is such a long list of lures other than the frog that are more effective in the fall. pretty much everything else in the box   it's not that they don't work....just that other things work so much better

[Smokinal]

i feel like there is such a long list of lures other than the frog that are more effective in the fall. pretty much everything else in the box   it's not that they don't work....just that other things work so much better

Absolutely! Maybe if I was Dean Rojas and could catch a bass on a frog though the ice, then I'd continue to throw it. But there are just so many other proven producers that work better when water temps fall. Why try to force a bite? I'd rather pound em.

[gardnerjigman]

Absolutely! Maybe if I was Dean Rojas and could catch a bass on a frog though the ice, then I'd continue to throw it. But there are just so many other proven producers that work better when water temps fall. Why try to force a bite? I'd rather pound em.

Nobody is telling you to force feed them frogs. Just no sense in putting them down if they are still producing. As I said. When they quit eating it, I pick up the buzzbaits for my colder top water bite.

[ClackerBuzz]

summer water temps are so high that it can really slow you down. i'm so relieved in the fall b/c the water temps are cooler allowing them to chase again. i can finally get back to chucking and winding....spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, rattletraps, swimjigs etc.

there has got to be a a fast moving/horizontal technique that you'd like to learn before the 45 deg and below temps hit and it's back to slow dragging and jerkbaits with 2 min pauses

Are you on the bank? if so spinner/chatterbaits would be my first choice

[Mike L]

The conventional thinking is that the frog bite dies when the sun gets over the trees, or at a predetermined water temp..

While those may be true in some parts of the land, it's not true in others.

Some say that a drop shot is a deep water presentation, is that true?

Again depends on too many things.

IMHO, If you learn your water and the changes it goes through during the year you may be surprised at what will work when you least expect it.

Mike

[WIGuide]

I believe the coldest frog fish I've caught was in 48* water. It was the only hit I had on it that day, and was the biggest bass I caught that day as well. However, I out-fished the frog about 15 to 1 with a crankbait, so although it still caught a fish, there were better options for that day. 

[Josh Smith]

This is my first year, as well.

 

I like to throw frogs on mat and on pads.  The matte has disappeared for the year from the lake, and I've mostly stopped... BUT I also lost my Hula Popper.  I replaced it with a popping frog since the bodies of water I fish have more weeds than they used to, and I'm generally going weedless on all my lures.

 

So, I'll likely be throwing this popping frog year-round.

 

Josh

[Last_Cast]

Nobody is telling you to force feed them frogs. Just no sense in putting them down if they are still producing. As I said. When they quit eating it, I pick up the buzzbaits for my colder top water bite.

 

+1 

exactly my plan for my trip tomorrow!