Frog fishing

[N Florida Mike]

I have a couple days off around the 4th  of July . Planning to be out before daylight and fish frogs for awhile. My lake is slow for frog fishing, but you would think I’d do better than I do. I did get a 7.3 on 4th of July a few years ago on a Booyah pc jr.

The water is shallow , clear , and full of eel grass, with algae that collects near the bank in many places this time of year.

If it was you , how and what specifically would you frog fish with?

 

[detroit1]

I would use a 10' pole with my gig. Sorry mike, i couldn't help it. 

[Mike L]

Mike:

If it has a weed line or preferably a hard reed line along the shore I’d look for any openings or indentations and pitch into those first.
Then I’d cast parallel as tight as I can working my out only about 5ft or so at a time, both with your favorite popping frog.  
 

Then I’d look for any isolated patch of anything in the eel grass field casting at different angles each time. 
For that I’d change to regular frog with the longest tails I have. 

 

If no hits trying all 3 presentations, then I’d look for thinning areas of the field and start the rotation again. 
 

If all that fails throw an unweighted Magnum UV Speed Worm on top or add a 3/16 and have at it
 

Good Luck

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

[Catt]

Stanley Ribbit or Zoom's Horny Toad

[N Florida Mike]

I’ve used both before @Catt . Done best on the H. T , but lose a lot of fish with that bait. Can’t find a hook I like with it.I’ve tried hooks that were recommended and still didn’t like them.

[Catt]

1 minute ago, N Florida Mike said:

I’ve used both before. Done best on the H. T , but lose a lot of fish with that bait. Can’t find a hook I like with it.I’ve tried hooks that were recommended and still didn’t like them.

 

Like fishing a spoon, lots of strikes, lot of misses, a few fish.

 

I keep a Texas Rig handy for a follow-up cast.

[N Florida Mike]

How deep do y’all go on the topwater frogs? I don’t get bit if it’s over 4 feet deep…

[Boomstick]

52 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

How deep do y’all go on the topwater frogs? I don’t get bit if it’s over 4 feet deep…

Up here I will get bites on occasion up to about 10 ft but most of my usual frog targets are usually 3-4 max. Most our water is clear though.

 

the 2 1/4” LiveTarget is my normal goto frog but in deeper water I’ll use the 2 5/8”, or also if the pads are real thick and/or large.

[Catt]

Toledo Bend 6-8'

Local marshes 2-3' which is max depth 

[Jar11591]

I love throwing frogs into lay downs on steep banks. Often with laydowns the closer you get to shore, the more of a tangled mess the laydown is. I love throwing the frog right into that gnarly wood. Especially if there are some pads or other emergent vegetation around it. 
 

Matted milfoil/hydrilla or pad fields are also great froggin water. The more pocked with openings, the better. Standard frogs come through pads better but ill throw a popping one on the matted vegetation. When the frog hits an opening, I love to twitch in place. I just try to shake the line and it causes the frog to gently twitch and make rings in the water while staying in place. 
 

My favorite frogs are the Booyah Pad Crashers. Standard, Jr, and popping varieties. 

[T-Billy]

4 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I’ve used both before @Catt . Done best on the H. T , but lose a lot of fish with that bait. Can’t find a hook I like with it.I’ve tried hooks that were recommended and still didn’t like them.

28/30 degree 5/0 EWG with a screw lock has been best for me. I also throw em on a H MF rod. It slows my reaction time down a bit, and lets the fish get the bait better.

[casts_by_fly]

Man, I fish I could get onto a frog bite.  The past two years have been miserable for it.  This year isn't shaping up to be any better so far.  

 

Mike- back to your original question, I'd fish it the same as I do anytime I think a frog is the answer.  throw it up onto the bank and start popping it back to the boat.  I fish non popping frogs in thick grass (though I fish them tip down so they make a bit sploosh a lot) and I start by fishing them fast.  Every couple casts I'll change my retrieve speed or how hard I'm popping it until the fish start responding.  Regarding depth, I'll bring it back a couple feet into open water past the last vegetation.  Doesn't matter how deep.  If the fish are on a frog bite they are usually close to the surface under the weeds.  We used to fish ponds that got matted in the summer the full width and catch fish right in the middle of the biggest mats (over 15' of water).  Eventually you find out where they are sitting.  Sometimes its 6" of water with their nose on the bank.  I love those days.

[Big Hands]

20 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I’ve used both before @Catt . Done best on the H. T , but lose a lot of fish with that bait. Can’t find a hook I like with it.I’ve tried hooks that were recommended and still didn’t like them.

 

In a seemingly rare moment of ingenuity and lucidity "Randy" recently offered what looks to be a good tip on the Zoom Horny Toad when he suggested taking scissors and making a few angled cuts into the side of the bait so that it has more give when a bass clamps down on it. I am also interested to know if anyone has had a chance to fish the Zoom "Uni Toad"? I'll be trying one of these with a flashy swimmer when I can get my meat hooks on one and see what it does. The Horny Toad works, but I agree that it probably is a mouthful.

[N Florida Mike]

A very good frog imitation bait is the zoom Z hog. I have done better with it than any other frog - looking bait. It’s soft too, so hookups are more reliable. 

It could be classified on the creature bait side too I reckon.

[the reel ess]

21 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

How deep do y’all go on the topwater frogs? I don’t get bit if it’s over 4 feet deep…

Yeah the only place I get bites on a frog are depths where a bass on the bottom could detect a surface lure. I fished a very shallow pond last summer. It's in a nature preserve with no less than 6 old ponds in a chain so I was able to be alone. The place looked like a frog fishing postcard. I couldn't buy a bite on it. I ended up getting all my bites on a weightless stick worm. Sometimes they simply will not go for the topwater but they're still there.

[Glenn]

 

[WRB]

Earlier this year I lost my only frog and had to improvise using Yamamoto Sanshouo (133-06-926) with 3/0 4107 Cover Shot hook with success. Not a toad, it’s a wide body salamander, give it try!

Tom

[the reel ess]

4 minutes ago, WRB said:

Earlier this year I lost my only frog and had to improvise using Yamamoto Sanshouo (133-06-926) with 3/0 4107 Cover Shot hook with success. Not a toad, it’s a wide body salamander, give it try!

Tom

The Rage Craw will also do the job.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, N Florida Mike said:

A very good frog imitation bait is the zoom Z hog. I have done better with it than any other frog - looking bait. It’s soft too, so hookups are more reliable. 

It could be classified on the creature bait side too I reckon.

 

I throw a Ultravibe Speed Worm or Craw with better success & hookups than frogs.

[N Florida Mike]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

 

I throw a Ultravibe Speed Worm or Craw with better success & hookups than frogs.

Same here. But they love that Z hog. Get a lot of bites on it. Can’t find it in the store so I need to order some…

[papajoe222]

A couple of suggestions. Use a frog with a pointed nose like a Mann's. It'll come through the eel grass better than one with a wider snout.  More importantly, experiment with your retrieve. Not only the speed, but the pauses. My most effective summer retrieve in vegetation involves 4 o 5 quick jerks followed by a long pause.  I've let it sit for over a minute before the fish would explode on it.  If you've ever spooked a frog from the bank, that is exactly what they do. Other days they want it with long jerks, short jerks, frequent pauses and even burned back, so experiment.  Frogs are not just early morning/evening topwaters. Don't be hesitant to try them mid-day.

[N Florida Mike]

That 7.3 I caught with the booyah pc jr. just sipped in the frog. I had thrown it between a dock and patch of grass. I heard a splash behind me, turned to look, and when I looked back , the frog was gone. No splash. There was the slightest ripple coming from where the frog had been. When I set the hook , the fish swam conveniently right by the boat just under the water. She had her mouth open and I grabbed her lip as she went by!