Frog - walking the dog

[Conclusion]

For the life of me I cannot get the frog to walk. Once in a while I can get maybe 2 or 3 correct motions and then it continues to purpoise. I've watched countless videos on youtube, I'm following the 'twitch, reel, slack' back and forth method. I've tried giving extra slack, less slack and I just can't figure it out. I can walk a spook no problem. I'm using a the tatula 7'4" heavy frog rod with 50#pp. I've been doing this sideways, is there any chance that's my issue and I should be doing it straight up and 'twiching' up and down instead of left to right?

[Team9nine]

5 minutes ago, Conclusion said:

I've been doing this sideways, is there any chance that's my issue and I should be doing it straight up and 'twiching' up and down instead of left to right?

That sounds like a great place to start to see if it makes a difference. I’m betting it will. Most frogs ain’t Spooks and don’t walk near as well. Seems like it would be very hard to make the sometimes tiny, sharp and precise twitches necessary with some models if you aren’t pointed right at the frog, tip down. Twitch down, slack up.

[casts_by_fly]

Do you have tails on your frogs?  The longer the tails the more they parachute and stop the sideways movement.

 

I fish them tip down and twitch them just like a spook, except that the motion is a lot shorter and crisper.  A spook is a lot more forgiving to walk since it will glide on the water more.  A shorter pull of the frog will let it almost walk in place.  Cutting the tails really short or even off entirely will make walking easier and get a little more of that glide.

[Conclusion]

Okay I will definitely try pointing right at the frog next time I get a chance. I'm using a full size pad crasher which I've heard is one of the easier ones to walk. I haven't trimmed the legs, didn't realize that would make such a difference. I'll try trimming to the length of the body or a bit shorter and see if that makes any difference as well. Thanks!

[Reel]

I'm probably lucky.  I have no problem walking a frog sideways or up and down.  You can trim the legs unevenly ( one, 1/2 inch shorter than the other ) It helps a bit.  I also use a rod that is not as stiff as yours and that makes walking also easier.

[Pogues2300]

Certain frogs walk easier. River 2 sea frogs walk well as one example. And a bit of a softer tip (not a pool cue) definitely helps. As far as your question about side to side vs up and down by all means experiment but I fish from a kayak and mostly am seated and can walk a frog parallel to the water no problem. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, Conclusion said:

Okay I will definitely try pointing right at the frog next time I get a chance. I'm using a full size pad crasher which I've heard is one of the easier ones to walk. I haven't trimmed the legs, didn't realize that would make such a difference. I'll try trimming to the length of the body or a bit shorter and see if that makes any difference as well. Thanks!

 

Pad crashers are fine, but they do come with really long legs.  I cut mine to about 3/4" 

[ChrisD46]

One topic to consider is: "How long are the frog legs" ?  When I take any new frog out of the package I like to fold the legs back over the frog and trim where the leg strands meet the tip of the mouth (usually an inch or 1.5" of the legs trimmed off)  . This may help with the frog "walking the dog" technique as less drag with shorter frog legs while still maintaining enough length to give great action to the Frog.

[fin]

I don't really understand the need to walk a frog. I love walking baits, but the only time I've even tried to walk a frog is after reading about other people doing it. It doesn't seem natural to me at all. Walking is for imitating fish behavior. Frogs don't swim like that. The only benefit I can imagine is from the rhythm, which could resemble a frog's swimming stroke. A popping type presentation would probably work just as well.

 

But I do understand the desire to accomplish what you set out to do, so carry on ?

[Dwight Hottle]

@fin the reason people walk the dog with a frog is to duplicate the action of a spook without the constant snagging that comes with treble hook baits in vegetation.  They are not trying to duplicate actual frog behavior. 

[Conclusion]

Whether true or not I keep hearing comments in videos about increased catches from using this 'proper' technique. Also on a personal level it's annoying AF to not be able to figure it out lol.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, fin said:

I don't really understand the need to walk a frog. I love walking baits, but the only time I've even tried to walk a frog is after reading about other people doing it. It doesn't seem natural to me at all. Walking is for imitating fish behavior. Frogs don't swim like that. The only benefit I can imagine is from the rhythm, which could resemble a frog's swimming stroke. A popping type presentation would probably work just as well.

 

But I do understand the desire to accomplish what you set out to do, so carry on ?

 

half the time a 'frog' isn't imitating a frog on the water.  Its just a random thing a bass can eat on the surface of the water.  I've never seen a glitter ball frog, but the clear/grey/silver 'frog' lures work at imitating shad.

 

Also, walking helps keep the lure in the strike zone because you can just about walk one in place without the 'plop' of a popping frog.  Sometimes the fish just want quiet and subtle (like this time of year).

[softwateronly]

22 hours ago, Conclusion said:

For the life of me I cannot get the frog to walk. Once in a while I can get maybe 2 or 3 correct motions and then it continues to purpoise. I've watched countless videos on youtube, I'm following the 'twitch, reel, slack' back and forth method. I've tried giving extra slack, less slack and I just can't figure it out. I can walk a spook no problem. I'm using a the tatula 7'4" heavy frog rod with 50#pp. I've been doing this sideways, is there any chance that's my issue and I should be doing it straight up and 'twiching' up and down instead of left to right?

 

Like @Reel said, trim the legs so one is 1/2" shorter.  If your frog has any keel to it, this will dramatically help the walk.  I do much better with a really light hand on the twitch, less slack, and an up and down (3/4 really) motion, the hard part is reeling too much while twitching.  Wind and waves can make it a losing cause as well.  This year I've only really thrown the R2S bully wa and have had great success.

 

scott

 

[Conclusion]

33 minutes ago, softwateronly said:

 

Like @Reel said, trim the legs so one is 1/2" shorter.  If your frog has any keel to it, this will dramatically help the walk.  I do much better with a really light hand on the twitch, less slack, and an up and down (3/4 really) motion, the hard part is reeling too much while twitching.  Wind and waves can make it a losing cause as well.  This year I've only really thrown the R2S bully wa and have had great success.

 

scott

 

Will certainty try trimming the legs thank you. Regarding the reel I feel like I've been doing more like 1/3 or 1/4 reel turns, am I not reeling enough? Using a tatula 150 HSL (7.3) reel as I know each reel will have different speeds.

[softwateronly]

1 minute ago, Conclusion said:

Will certainty try trimming the legs thank you. Regarding the reel I feel like I've been doing more like 1/3 or 1/4 reel turns, am I not reeling enough? Using a tatula 150 HSL (7.3) reel as I know each reel will have different speeds.

 

I over reel way more often than I under reel.  Try the 1/3-1/4 turn every other twitch.  I'm throwing a 7:1 bantam, should be similar enough.  With the bully wa and non symmetrical leg length on glass I can almost sit in one spot and walk.  Helps give time for some bass in deeper water to come up.

 

scott

[casts_by_fly]

11 minutes ago, Conclusion said:

Will certainty try trimming the legs thank you. Regarding the reel I feel like I've been doing more like 1/3 or 1/4 reel turns, am I not reeling enough? Using a tatula 150 HSL (7.3) reel as I know each reel will have different speeds.

 

Next time, try working the frog a half dozen twitches or more without reeling at all.  That will help you get the feel for how much slack you should have in the line.  If you're just lightly twitching it, the frog will only move 8-12" in that time which is a negligible amount of slack.  Having enough slack in your line is key for any walking bait.

[Mike L]

@casts_by_fly is exactly right!

 

A lot of time I’ll walk with a side arm from straight out to not quite a 45deg angle without reeling. 
That gives the frog time to get it without me overreacting to a strike too soon, plus the slack is already built it. 
Just be ready with your thumb on the reel 
 

Also, heed the advice about trimming one side of the tail. When twitching to the longer side, the frog will move to the other side on its own most times without much effort if it’s even needed. 
Some frogs are better at it than others. 
 

 

 

Mike

 

[Darth-Baiter]

i think NONE of my rod tips are flexy enough to walk a frog beautifully.  i really have to abbreviate my movements.  i can almost do better just going wild with the reel handle.  

[casts_by_fly]

8 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i think NONE of my rod tips are flexy enough to walk a frog beautifully.  i really have to abbreviate my movements.  i can almost do better just going wild with the reel handle.  

If you have a stiff tip the trick is shorter and crisper movements. My frog rod is like that. If I walk it on my lighter pitching rod it’s very different and you have more leeway. 

[Conclusion]

Thanks for all he replies, trimming the legs made a huge difference. Although not perfect my technique is working much better than it was before. Most of the time I can get it to walk and I think at this point practice will likely fix the difference.