Frog fishing

[tman599]

I am looking to get into frog fishing, and I am wondering what the essentials are. What the best type of frog to fish is, when, where, and how to fish them, what kind of line I should use, what season to use them in, etc... I fish mostly ponds from the bank, rarely going out in a boat. Also, is this the most effective topwater method?

[Choporoz]

I like frogs, but jade and others more expert at the technique will be along shortly....in the meantime....some light reading:

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/frog-bass-fishing.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/frog_baits.html

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/summer-frog-fishing.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/frog-fishing-bass.html

and when you get tired of reading...this one is just kinda fun

 

 

 

[Brown Town]

Frog fishing is probably my favorite way to catch bass. You definitely need a heavier set up with braided line. Most pros will tell you 50-65 lbs but I don't fish really heavy cover so I can get away with 30 lb braid just fine. Can fish frogs from prespawn right through the fall. Learn how to walk it and adjust retrieve based on the fish/water temperature. I used to throw exclusively Spro bronzeyes but switched over to the River2Sea Bully Wa and my hookup ratio increased dramatically.

[gim]

Frog fishing and topwater fishing in general is probably the most exciting way to bass fish out there.  Unfortunately, the fish have to be in at least a somewhat aggressive mood for it to work, which doesn't happen all the time.  It takes some practice to make yourself wait to set the hook when a bass grabs your frog.  You'll learn that as you go.  Meanwhile, do what has already been advised, get the right setup using a long, heavy, stout rod and a bait caster with braided line.  Good luck to ya

[MassYak85]

It will depend on the cover you are fishing mostly. Some people like to walk frogs in open water almost like a spook or a popper. In that case you might be fine with 30lb braid and a Medium Heavy Fast rod. For moderate/heavy cover I like to use 50lb braid and a Heavy Fast rod. I've even heard of guys using 80 or 100lb braid when fishing the California Delta but that's pretty extreme and for most of us unnecessary. I like my Spro frog, but also like the good 'ol Booyah Pad Crasher. I also picked up a River2Sea BullyWa over the winter and on first impression I really like it. The most important thing is that the frog can compress well and expose the hooks. Some guys will take the stock frogs and bend the hooks up and out a little bit so they are exposed more. I primarily use them in the summer when the fish are tucked up under pads during the heat of the day, but you can have success on them spring through fall. If you are fishing from the bank I would tell you to be very stealthy walking up to the spot. If there is cover near shore I would try and hit that before you get too close. I'd try to target weed and lilypad edges and also right along the bank. Somewhere the bass can either ambush or pin it against. It's not going to be the most effective topwater at all times obviously but I'd argue it's one of the most versatile. It can be fished in basically any conditions while many topwaters can't. 

[WRB]

Frog fishing from shore you need to plan ahead where you cast. If you watch vedio's of bass anglers fishing frogs they usually are fishing from a boat and casting toward shore as close as possible, sometimes under shore line over hanging trees etc, where bass hunt frogs. Another area frog anglers target is weed bed edges with open water pockets. 

If you are standing on shore and casting out into deeper water weed edge and a bass eats the frog how do you get the fish back to shore with 25 yards of heavy weeds to come through?

Tom

[hunterPRO1]

i like the booyah pad crasher personally. spro also makes a good frog for a little more money. the ish monroe frogs are great walking frogs.

 

around a 7'6 heavy if you fishing heavy cover and a 7' mh if in more open water (you might want something a little shorter for bank fishing)

 

20 lb mono if in more open water (or 30/40 lb braid) if in heavy cover 50-65 lb braid

 

get around a 7 speed reel with a solid drag, the speed for getting fish out of cover quickly and the power for that and hook sets

 

 

 

dont under estimate the power of a long pause, sometimes ive had bites where i didnt move the frog for over 20 seconds.

 

watch the water, if you see a wake get ready and keep working that spot untill you get him.

 

i don't walk a frog very often, normally just slow twitch, that being said do learn how to walk it.

 

like wrb said how are you going to get that fish trough that heavy cover, that is why you have to use a heavy rod and 50/65lb braid, you wont get the big fish through all that crap without it. 

 

if fishing around wood make sure not to get rapped up, theres another reason to use strong gear.

 

 

frogs are different from other top water in that they make much less commotion (the way i fish them anyway) 

poppers and buzzbaits attract fish by making a bunch of racket on top of the water, i fish i frog completely the opposite, i fish it slow steady and try to be relatively quiet with it. some times even in open water i get more bites on a frog than i do other top water baits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[IndianaFinesse]

First off, there is no single answer to your question "is this the most effective topwater method?" That depends on to many things to mention in a single post.  Frogs obviously excel in thick surface vegetation, but I also skip them underneath docks and bushes hanging over the water.  I call it "brush crashing", just skipping a frog as hard as possible into thick overhanging bushes and hoping it gets through them.  Fish them on 30-80 pound braid, with fifty being a good compromise, and a heavy powered rod.  Walk them in open water, and mix in some pauses.  It is impossible to walk them on topmof the muck, so just make as much noise as possible with long pauses in holes inside the mats.  They could be effective any time the bass are shallow and at least somewhat active, so usually summer but they can also be good during the spawn and in early fall.

[tman599]

Wow, thanks guys!!!

[CTBassin860]

If your bank fishing around a lot of trees from tight spots,or what i refer to as "combat fishing" opt for a 7'-7'3" HF rod,and a reel with an IPT about 30 give or take.Spool it with 50-65#W braid depending on how heave of cover your fishing.Grab a few Booyah Pad Crashers (black,white and a bullfrog) and you'll be on your way.Hands down my favorite way to fish.Nothing like a frog blowup!

Oh and use the 2 second rule.When that frog gets hit,count to 2 then jack em up!

[soflabasser]

The best frog fishing combo is the one you feel most comfortable with.Some people like frog fishing with a +7 foot rod,baitcasting reel,+60 pound braid, others do better with spinning gear.With that said,I have been very successful using spinning gear with 30 pound test line when it comes to frog fishing.

[Mike L]

You got a lot of excellent advise on the how and where. 

The when really depends on your water. I live in Florida so down here the "rules" are a little different. 

There are days throughout the year that I won't throw anything else and get bit in open water at high noon. 

 

Early morning and late evening seems to be the sweet spot for most of the country so I would hit it hard during those times but in a pond try it at different times and see what happens.

I know guys who stop throwing a frog when the sun comes over the top of the trees!....Don't get pigeon holed into that kind of thinking. 

 

Most guys on this forum are in love with the Pad Crasher and anything from Spro

 

They are excellent but try others to see what you like. 

I'm partial to the Scum and Live Target they all have thier plus's

 

Have Fun

 

Mike

[Brown Town]

To add onto this I do recommend modifying the frog a little bit by bending the hooks upwards slightly and trimming the legs an inch or two. Trimming the legs will help prevent the fish from short striking it and will help the bait walk easier. If you are fishing really heavy cover you can't really walk it but just pop it along until you get to a hole or any gap in the cover then try and walk it slowly almost in place. A lot of times they will follow it out of the heavy stuff and hit it where they can target it easily. 

[Jaderose]

Ok.....when I talk froggin, I'm talking about what Massbassin said above...Combat Fishing.  Tight quarters and throwing into HEAVY cover.  That thick matted snotty algae that people that DON'T frog would look at and keep on moving.  As most have said above me, you need a stout rod of your preferred length...(I've used everything from 6'6" to 7'4).  I like around 7....and a fast reel with good drag.  I'm considering one of the new Kastking Speed Demons but they are hard to find and are not Aluminum framed so I don't know.  The kind of frogging I do is HARD on equipment so I'm a little shy about buying one. My frog of choice is Scumfrog Trophy Series 5/8 oz.  I don't think color matter that much in this kind of fishing BUT I seem to do best on this one.....Natural Black and Green.

 

This has the added bonus of being one of the cheaper frogs you can buy.  I also have plenty of Pad Crashers, Live Targets, etc., but I always come back to these.  The Scum Frog lands on that matted stuff with a very distinct *plop* that is unlike any other frog.  I use them as is straight out of the package.  No need to trim as I am not walking them and I don't really want the hooks sticking up higher as that makes them more prone to snags and picking up debris.  The added weight also means you can bomb them out there with pinpoint accuracy.  I don't work for Scumfrog, btw.  If I'm just searching, I'll cast out over the mat and let it land with it's plop and...do nothing.  It might get hit immediately but most likely won't.  It has, however, gotten the bass' attention, they just don't know where it is yet.  Then I give it a pop and start working it back.  Slowly.  with plenty of starts and stops and all while shaking my rod tip to create as much commotion as possible.  I've had friends tell me that I look like I have Parkinson's disease while working a frog but it's controlled.  I'll pause it in any openings but continue the shake.  As I get close to the boat, I'll speed up a bit until I get to the edge.  There, I will stop and slowly work the frog off the edge.  Get a lot of blowups there.  I don't stop working the frog until I pick it up for another cast.  *continue in next post*

 

 

[Jaderose]

After I've searched to see if anyone is home, then I will start targeting.  Stumps.....laydowns......overhanging brush.  If the middle of the day, I will cast into shaded areas.  Anything that looks "bassy".  When you get good at it you can call your shots.  Land your frog on the bank and work it into the water.  Land it on top of laydowns and jump into the water.  Anything to cause a frog like commotion.  When you DO get a blowup, your immediate instinct is to set the hook.  You will lose that fish.  I won't give you an exact pause time because it changes every time but when you feel weight, set the hook UP.  If you hook it, use that stout rod and fast reel to get that fish out of there FAST.  You do not want it going down.  If you miss the fish...STOP!  If your frog is still in the general vicinity let it sit there and start working it again.  That fish is still there and she's already taken one shot at it.  She'll take another.  If you pulled the frog out of the area, regroup and cast back into the area and give her another shot at it.  Frogging is deceptively simple.  It's a very easy technique to learn but requires hard dedication to master or really even get good at.  I'm good at it.  I am NOT a master.  It is also not a "numbers" technique.  It's a "big game" technique that happens to be amazingly fun and can also make you think about quitting fishing all together, at times.  Try it!  Don't let it get you down and keep chucking that frog.  The first time you put it all together and you pull a 6 lber outta there, you'll be way more hooked than that bass.

One other thing....I use 40 lb braid but I also use Norman Speed clips.  Why?  I cast into some GNARLY places and get hung up.  99% of the time I can get it free but that 1% that I lose the frog I do not want to also leave 20 or 30 yards of braid behind as well.  I try to respect the water I am on and the fish and other creatures that live there.  I can break that clip before I break that braid. 

[Mike L]

Excellent post Jaderose!!

 

 

 

Mike

[Clinton john]

Lots of good info on this, here is my take.

 

Rod 7-7'6 Heavy action and fast tip.

 

Braided line, I use 30# no matter where I'm fishing but started out useing 50#.

 

I use the spro frogs sometimes but have better results with ribbets, I use all the diffrent sizes.

 

Like others have said give it a few seconds when it gets hit, when you reel out the slack and feel the bass chomping on your frog and feel its weight, bare down and cross its eyes when you set the hook.

 

Fish a bunch of colors to find what works best for where you fish.

 

When the sun is high fish it tight to flooded brush and log jams as well as thick grass pads.

 

I fish frogs from early February all the way till November most times.

[Jaderose]

If you take nothing away else away from this thread, take this.....Frogging is just like any other technique.  It requires adaptability.  If you applied the techniques I describe to a small lily patch or some submerged grass, it would be like bringing a cannon to a knife fight.  It wouldn't really work.  A lot of contradictory info up there but none of it is wrong.  It is based on conditions and the person's individual preferences based on years of experience.  Myself included.  I don't think I caught a fish the first year I tried frogging.  But the blow ups!!  Oh man...I knew I had to keep going and now it's my favorite technique.  Nothing else is even close and it has opened up a very productive parts of a lake that are closed to others that don't have it in their arsenal.  Good luck!!  Here is another pretty good video from the Bamabass folks.  They are frogging lovers, too and have a TON of great and fun videos like the one Choporoz posted above.

 

 

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Lots of great advice.  I am more on the grasshopper end of the learning curve than some of the more experienced people here that are more masterful.

I tried it for the first time last year and it was a blast.  I also used the Lake Fork Frog "Tail Hook" which I think helped me get more hook ups.  I am not affiliated with the Lake Fork company in any way, which is evidenced by the fact that I am still waiting (over 2 months)for this part of my order to arrive from Cabelas.  This company must be pretty small, or they can't keep up with the demand.  I have some of these left over from last year, so no big deal.  Just waiting for some backups, because these worked for me.

Good luck in your frogging efforts; I think you will really enjoy it.

[iiTzChunky]

I love a good booyah pad crasher. Top water strikes are the most exciting thing in fishing. I usually like to go late evening just as the sun starts to set. Seems to be the time when I'll get more top water strikes. Just make sure to let the bass get 2 seconds to get ahold of the frog before you set the hook.