Frog Passion. It’s in all of us
Written by: Tim Hine – Follow me on Instagram!
There is no denying the fact that we all enjoy the frog bite. Heck, there is a good chance that if it were up to us, we would catch frog fish a lot more. Unfortunately that’s just not the way things work…Whoever came up with the concept of “listening to the fish” and “giving them what THEY want” was WAY out of line! All kidding aside though, since the frog bite can be few and far between some years, let’s drill down on making your frog hook up percentages that much better.
The Frog
Your local tackle store has a lot of different frogs to choose from. Selecting the right frog to maximize your next frog fishing outing is key. Size, profile and weight are all important for a good day of fishin’. Another factor that comes into play with your selection, is confidence. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy trying new tackle. However, if I know the bites are limited, I go with what I have confidence in. As far as the frog segment goes, for me that’s the Megabass Pony Frog and LiveTarget’s hollow body frog. These two frogs offer slightly different actions and they allow me to fish them in both thick junk or open water.
The Jungle
Location and how the bass are setting up will depend on the time of year and exactly what type of cover you are fishing. For example; often times we think we need to find the thickest pads, grass and slop to find the biggest bass, but in actual fact it’s more about what the fish are relating to at that specific time. If the fish are utilizing tall grass or reeds, it doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be overly thick. There will be times when the bass will prefer clumps and room to move around, so targeting the grass points and turns along the outside edge is the first place I will look. Not only are those areas the most obvious and can potentially save you time, but if there happens to be the odd fish in the middle of the grass then catching the outside bass first won’t spook the bass on the inside.
Pads are another story. I’ll find pads holding throughout the year, with post spawn and late summer being the peak times. Now that is specific to the areas I fish, and over time I have found that each body of water will be slightly different. What is for sure though, is in the hottest months, on natural lakes with little current, bass will pull up in the morning to feed in and around the pads. If you can get to the pads and throw the frog before the sun warms the shallows, you should get on a solid frog bite.
Don’t Forget the Docks
Quality docks that hold everything that a bass will need; food, shelter and comfort, are always fun to toss the frog around. When the clock strikes noon and the sun hits the highest point of the day, docks are an obvious pattern. If you have a strong accuracy game with your casts, throw that frog to each side of the dock, slowly retrieving it and giving the bass a good look. If that dock is holding, sit back and watch the magic happen! There is something about a frog in open water right beside a dock that a bass can’t resist!
Increase Your Hook Ups
Beginners who haven’t had much experience with the frog, often become frustrated with a low hook up percentage. The anticipation of a frog blow up makes even the most experience angler want to sink that hook in ASAP! But you NEED to give it a second or two. If that bass wants your frog and commits, you have more time than you think to get a solid hook in. In general, you should give that fish at least 1 – 2 seconds to let it take the frog, and then set the hook. Heck, I have even tested timing out and waited up to 5 seconds before I set. The amount of time you have really depends on how aggressive the fish are.
If you haven’t fished a ton with a frog, a good way to look at frog fishing is similar to fishing with a bobber. You need to wait until the bobber is completely underwater before you set the hook. Frog fishing is no different. When the fish blows up on your frog, count 1, 2 and then set. This will drastically increase your hook up ratio, not to mention you will notice that you will get BOTH hooks in the roof of the fishes mouth, rather than just one, almost every time.
Froggin’ Gear
We all have our go-to equipment as far as rods, reels and line goes, but if you’re interested in a non-bias angle, I have used various rods, reels and line which includes;
Rods:
– Lew’s Speed Stick 7’3″ MH
– Shimano Crucial 7’3″ MH
– Duckett Terex 7’3″ MH
Reels:
-Lew’s 7.1:1 BB1 Pro Speed Spool
-Lew’s 7.1:1 Tournament Pro Speed Spool
Line:
– Sunline FX2 – 50lb
– Sufix 832 – 50lb
– Power Pro – 50lb
The frog game is a fun one, but it comes and goes a lot faster than we want it to. Take advantage of the time you can spend fishing the frog and it will make the frog “down time” a lot easier to deal with. By choosing the right equipment, location and being patient on those hook sets, you will maximize that desired frog chomp!