Having issues with Spro popping frog.

[Joshua van Wyk]

I  recently got a Spro baby poppin frog. I took it out on the water today and it got a lot of attention! I got 9 or 10 blowup but not a single hookup! Any advice would be most welcome!

[Dtrombly]

What rod and line are you throwing it on and are you setting the hook when they hit it?

[Joshua van Wyk]

1 hour ago, Dtrombly said:

What rod and line are you throwing it on and are you setting the hook when they hit it?

7ft med heavy fast action rod, with 12 pound mono. Yes I set the hooks.

[Pacoac10]

Trim the tales/legs about 1/2 to 1 inch and check hooks to make sure they are sharp. Also check that the frog body is up and forword on the rigging. If it slides back it may interfere with you hook set.

[Angry John]

Bend up and out the hooks just a little.  This is also the only technique that i only use braid.  Hope that helps

[riverbasser]

Buy a different frog, I used Spro for a few years but the plastic is the toughest of just about all the hollow bodies. Softer plastic equals easier hookups. Some will disagree but that's my experiance

[tcbass]

Lot of blow ups and no fish.....try making your own Homemade Teckel Sprinker Frog or buying a Booyah Pad Toad Runner. Worked for me.

 

 

 

[Joshua van Wyk]

Thanks guys! Will do

 

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, tcbass said:

Lot of blow ups and no fish.....try making your own Homemade Teckel Sprinker Frog or buying a Booyah Pad Toad Runner. Worked for me.

This is a completely different type of bait. If the OP is fishing targets, a fast moving bait probably not going to be a good option.

 

Switch to braid, that's going to make the biggest difference in the number of fish you hook on a frog. 

[tcbass]

6 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

This is a completely different type of bait. If the OP is fishing targets, a fast moving bait probably not going to be a good option.

 

Switch to braid, that's going to make the biggest difference in the number of fish you hook on a frog. 

 

True.

 

However, this bait also catches a lot of fish on the splashdown and can be worked very slowly.

[gobig]

I can't believe Bluebasser is the only one mentioning using braid.

[drscholl14]

DO NOT SET THE HOOK RIGHT AWAY.  I think this is one of the biggest mistakes people make when fishing a frog.  When I see a bass blow up my frog, I give it a second or two (reel down because I can't make myself wait) and then set the hook.  I used to miss frog fish all the time until I learned that.  I use Spro frogs also and don't miss many.

 

And yes, braid is the only line you should be using.

[RichF]

Are there any pike or pickeral where you're fishing?  They could be the culprit. I use Spros almost exclusively and never have hookup issues if it's a bass over 13 inches.  Pike and pickeral are just the opposite.  The splash is usually bigger, but they hardly hook up.  They just shred the frog.

 

Use braid too.  It will make a big difference.

[Joshua van Wyk]

2 minutes ago, RichF said:

Are there any pike or pickeral where you're fishing?  They could be the culprit. I use Spros almost exclusively and never have hookup issues if it's a bass over 13 inches.  Pike and pickeral are just the opposite.  The splash is usually bigger, but they hardly hook up.  They just shred the frog.

 

Use braid too.  It will make a big difference.

Nope, I primarily fish a small community pond.

7 hours ago, drscholl14 said:

DO NOT SET THE HOOK RIGHT AWAY.  I think this is one of the biggest mistakes people make when fishing a frog.  When I see a bass blow up my frog, I give it a second or two (reel down because I can't make myself wait) and then set the hook.  I used to miss frog fish all the time until I learned that.  I use Spro frogs also and don't miss many.

 

And yes, braid is the only line you should be using.

Ok, I'll wait with my hookset.  Would 40 lb braid be adequate? I see alot of people use 50 or 65 but that just feels like overkill to me.

[Dtrombly]

If they seem to be missing it try trimming the legs up a bit, also switching to braid instead of mono is a must 

[bhoff]

With frog fishing its important to let the fish fully engulf the lure before setting the hook. I usually wait a good second before cracking them. Also if hookups using that technique doesn't improve, you could try bending the hooks out (slightly) and see what that does.

[drscholl14]

15 hours ago, Joshua van Wyk said:

Nope, I primarily fish a small community pond.

Ok, I'll wait with my hookset.  Would 40 lb braid be adequate? I see alot of people use 50 or 65 but that just feels like overkill to me.

Yeah I use 40 and can't remember the last time I broke one off without it being a knot failure.  That being said, there's nothing wrong with a little overkill when you're pulling a fish through a jungle.

[keagbassr]

As others said braid and trim the legs only thing I would add is that it might not be anything you can do. I 've been getting alot of strikes on buzzbaits lately and have lost a few on headshakes or pulling off in weeds. As for the ones I've boated several were hooked on the underside of the jaw as if they are swatting at it mouth closed in a sort of territorial defense rather than feeding.