Frogs in HEAVY weeds

[CrashVector]

Yesterday, I missed three 4+lb fish on a top water frog because the fish hit the lure, but got a mouth full of grass instead.  I waited and set the hook HARD because I knew I'd have to get thru all the grass to hook them, to no avail.  The fish spit out the grass, and my frog along with it.

 

I get that it's just a part of fishing top water, but anyone have any secrets to minimize this?  Personally, I tend to wait a hair longer than usual to let the fish get a good grip on the frog, but obviously, catch percentage goes way down when the fish has 2lbs of weeds in its mouth too.

[EWREX]

frog fishing has the worst hookup percentage out of almost all other techniques. it's always a 50/50 shot

[Buzzbaiter]

Maybe put a few small splitshot or a bit of water in the frog to make it sit lower in the weeds. The fish should find it easier to grab

[Bird]

I've not experienced all the grass consumption but understand what your say'n. 

I like to drag the frog across the mat and let it settle in any opening I can find, doesn't take much.

[CrashVector]

Just now, Bird said:

I've not experienced all the grass consumption but understand what your say'n. 

I like to drag the frog across the mat and let it settle in any opening I can find, doesn't take much.

 

That's what I do.

 

I was SURE I had the big boy lol!  Huge splash, biiig pull on the line, I set the hell out of it, he pulls back.  Two seconds later, he spit out the whole lump.

 

My frog was buried in a pile of hydrilla and fillamentous algae 

[Deleted account]

That's frog fishing, and without seeing it, there is not much I can recommend. I've had 100% hookup days, and days when I might as well have fished with rubber hooks. I like to be above 80%, or at least over 75% before I start to worry. What I found that works for me is to key on how they are biting the frog and adjust as required. Sure there are days when most bites result in the thing being gone in their mouth, and the needle nose making an appearance, but more often than not it's not quite that. A smaller frog, or shortening (to zero sometimes) the legs sometimes helps too. 

[CrashVector]

It was a small frog.  I trimmed the "legs" just in case.

[RDB]

Unfortunately that’s the negative side of frog fishing.  If your talking hollow body, you might check to see how the hooks sit on your frog.  Some brands point down & in while others sit more up which in my experience, impacts hook-ups.  If I can get away with it, I will bend the hooks out slightly, especially on frogs using thicker plastic.  The negative is they may be slightly less weedless.

 

My other modification is like you, I also trim the legs.  However, I will leave one side slightly longer than the other as I find it makes the frog walk better.  Doesn’t help your hook-up problem…just sharing my experience.

[Mike L]

2 minutes ago, RDB said:

Unfortunately that’s the negative side of frog fishing.  If your talking hollow body, you might check to see how the hooks set on your frog.  Some brands point down & in while others sit more up which in my experience, impacts hook-ups.  If I can get away with it, I will bend the hooks out slightly, especially on frogs using thicker plastic.  The negative is they may be slightly less weedless.

 

My other modification is like you, I also trim the legs.  However, I will leave one side slightly longer than the other as I find it makes the frog walk better.  Doesn’t help your hook-up problem…just sharing my experience.

Ditto

 

Also, I’ve found the type of frog will effect the hook up. 
A lot of folks on here swear by the pad crusher frog but I don’t. 
 

When I gave all of mine away and went to the Scum Frog line my hook up ratio improved almost immediately. 
They are much softer compared to others. 
 

That said, sometimes you can do everything right and they’ll still spit it. 
 

Nature of the beast 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[TOXIC]

3 hours ago, CrashVector said:

I get that it's just a part of fishing top water, but anyone have any secrets to minimize this? 

Yep.  I throw a Texas rigged DShad instead of a frog.  I may have to go get them if it’s really thick but the hookup ratio is a lot better and there’s the added advantage of letting it fall in between the mats in open holes.  

[casts_by_fly]

Hook sharpener and trailer hook if you can get away with it. About all you can do. 

[Way north bass guy]

6 hours ago, CrashVector said:

Yesterday, I missed three 4+lb fish on a top water frog because the fish hit the lure, but got a mouth full of grass instead.  I waited and set the hook HARD because I knew I'd have to get thru all the grass to hook them, to no avail.  The fish spit out the grass, and my frog along with it.

 

I get that it's just a part of fishing top water, but anyone have any secrets to minimize this?  Personally, I tend to wait a hair longer than usual to let the fish get a good grip on the frog, but obviously, catch percentage goes way down when the fish has 2lbs of weeds in its mouth too.

Man that’s a real “hard” problem to have to deal with. I was checking out the river in my back yard this afternoon, and I can say that with absolute certainty, I do not have a problem with them getting a mouth full of weeds in my current state. 
 

On a serious note, when summer comes and I do actually throw a frog, sometimes it just happens that way if your in real thick stuff. Like others have mentioned, I try to stop it in any openings and holes, thinking that it may create a better ambush spot for them where maybe all they get is a frog and not a bowl of salad with it. 

[CrashVector]

Good tips...thanks a ton!

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Mike L said:

Ditto

 

Also, I’ve found the type of frog will effect the hook up. 
A lot of folks on here swear by the pad crusher frog but I don’t. 
 

When I gave all of mine away and went to the Scum Frog line my hook up ratio improved almost immediately. 
They are much softer compared to others. 
 

That said, sometimes you can do everything right and they’ll still spit it. 
 

Nature of the beast 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

It was a small scum frog lol

[geo g]

1). Bend the hooks up a little.  Not enough to o grab weeds, but the slightest compression the hooks will stick.

2). Don’t set until you feel weight of fish. Then nail it hard.

3). Use at least 50 pound braid

and up to 65 pound.

4). I use hi- vis braid because I’m throwing in and around heavy junk.

 

nothing better then a HB frog bite!

[LrgmouthShad]

6 hours ago, Mike L said:

When I gave all of mine away and went to the Scum Frog line my hook up ratio improved almost immediately.

I'm a fan! My first frogs were scum frogs based on your recommendations on here as well as a few others. They work excellent. Green is a hot color in my area for some reason.

[Mike L]

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I'm a fan! My first frogs were scum frogs based on your recommendations on here as well as a few others. They work excellent. Green is a hot color in my area for some reason.

Bottom right, the original size in green/pepper, is my hands down number #1 producer. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Mike L]

2 hours ago, CrashVector said:

Good tips...thanks a ton!

 

 

 

 

It was a small scum frog lol

 

Well then if your equipment is on par to what @geo g posted there is no one specific remedy that anyone can give. 
 

My favorite frog is the small original one on the bottom right of what @LrgmouthShad posted above, they don’t come any smaller. 
 

Because they are small it comes with the territory when a big mouth opens surrounded by grass, and wraps around your frog it can very well get lost. 
Your set blows it’s mouth open and the hooks can’t get through and everything comes out. 

It happens 

 

 

 

Mike

[gim]

As others have mentioned, a 50% hookup rate is about the best you can do.

 

I’ve seen my old man miss over 20 in a row.  By the end of the morning I couldn’t stop laughing. It was just swing and a miss every time.

[CrashVector]

Lol yeah I know it happens.was just frustrated bc I'm not used to missing fish much less four in a row lol

[Dvo509]

   Honestly the thing that helped me the most throwing a frog was not reeling down and waiting to set the hook. I naturally walk the frog with rod tip down and to left. For what ever reason I can put better action on the frog that way. I wish I could walk it at 6 o’clock as good as I do at 7 o’clock.  I tend to work it slow and if you are working a frog slow enough that braid is going on to your reel a little loose. So I would have a little slack in on line on the water and on my reel spool. So instead of reeling down and waiting to set the hook I thumb that spool as hard as possible and almost whip set it right when I see the frog disappear.  For what ever reason it just works really well for me and My hook up ratio went way up.
   More times than not when I lose a frog fish it’s because the fish either buried me in thick vegetation and I can’t crank the fish and all that slop in. Usually if I miss them in the hook set now they are either too small, slapping at it, or just grabbing the legs.  I am also cranking that thing as hard and as fast as I can into the boat. No playing around. 
    I would also say a hook set at 11 to 1 o’clock is very important . If you go 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock or lower that frog is going to roll in the fish mouth and you are most likely going to only catch one of the hook points. It’s a bad habit to have and fight it all the time. Instead of having both hooks penetrate to top of the fish’s mouth you tend catch the side of the fish’s mouth or even the bottom. 
 

these are just all my theories from experience. 

[scbassin]

When fishing in real heavy cover I squeeze the frog every time before casting it again to make sure there is no water in it so it sits a wee bit higher. I don't know if that makes a hill of beans but it helps my confidence.  

[Mike L]

5 hours ago, scbassin said:

When fishing in real heavy cover I squeeze the frog every time before casting it again to make sure there is no water in it so it sits a wee bit higher. I don't know if that makes a hill of beans but it helps my confidence.  

Its a good habit to have. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[CrashVector]

Good ideas from everyone.

 

I do get the water out after every cast bc I can throw it better.

 

I think my problem is the spot I was fishing to be honest.  That particular area ALWAYS has very thick grass and algae that never seems to die off no matter how cold it gets, and this same thing happened to me in this spot last year.

 

I moved 100 yards away to a less thick spot and ended up catching the next three no problem.  All four fish I missed, I reeled in a huge pile of grass and algae.

 

I'm gonna take everyone's advice though.  Bend the hooks ever so slightly, etc.

 

I can't do straight up hook sets bc of my arm, so I do either sets to the 2 or 10 o clock.

[gim]

10 hours ago, scbassin said:

When fishing in real heavy cover I squeeze the frog every time before casting it again to make sure there is no water in it

And as soon as a pike slams it, there is a slice in the side of it which causes it to take on water every cast.  LOL

[the reel ess]

Its a catch 22 with setting the hook on frog bites. You want to feel the fish before you set it. But the fish is headed back into the thick weeds with its new meal. When you set the hook the fish will use the weeds to dislodge the hooks if you actually get a hook in it. You also move a lot of weeds before the line gets tight enough to set a hook. I usually don't wait to feel the fish and just swing away. I feel like the longer you let the fish swim the less likely you are to land it. Occasionally, you can get a second bite from a bass. Rarely will you get a third. I missed a very good bass last spring twice in two casts. But I caught a 7 pounder on the frog in the early fall.