Frog Fishing

Frog fishing is nothing new to the world of bass angling. Bass are known to eat many critters
from fish and insects to amphibians and mice. Due to the ambush nature of bass, frog imitators
can trigger awesome explosive strikes. When they hit a frog, they are not trying to play with it,
they try to smash it!
First a bit about the frog. hey breed in late
spring to early summer. his tends to be the
time when most bass are entering the post
spawn period. When water temperatures
reach the low !"#s the frog fishing starts to
get good. hese
amphibians breed in
water that is slow
moving to absolutely
still. hey are most
active during warm
weather and go
dormant when it gets
cold. $fter bass spawn, they need some
chow. %how them a frog and hold on to your hat. hree frogs represent our study& the common
green frog, it#s sub'species the bron(e frog and the leopard frog. hey all behave the same, but
their difference in coloring will help with lure choice. )ach species can vary from brown to
green to adapt their camouflage to their home. Frogs, and other amphibians, are extremely
important members of the ecosystem. hey prey on insects, slugs, snails, spiders and even other
frogs and they prevent an over population. hey provide an important food source to turtles,
birds, fish and some land animals as well. o us they offer a great bass fishing lure and you don#t
even need to go catch them. here are great artificial frogs that save you from the nasty business
of catching and impaling them on hooks. he fake ones are much more weedless too.
When to use the frog
Frog activity begins to increase with breeding and feeding. As the water warms into the 60's
and summer approaches frog fishing comes into its own. *sually from midday to dusk and
through a portion of the night is prime time. he sun warms them up and gets the bugs moving,
which is their lure. he song of croaking and peeping frogs at night should tell you to go top
water frogging. +ight fishing with frogs along weed mats and lily pads can be heart stopping. $ll
those soothing night sounds interrupted by a violent explosion is ,uite a rush! $ny low light
condition helps fishing, but frog fishing can be different.
Where to use the frog
-f bass choose to stay shallow, they will seek shade like lily pads, thick grass and docks
during midday. he frog activity is increased with intense sun so head to thick cover or at the
edge of it to land those bucket mouths with a frog. Frog fishing with an artificial will get you into
some awful places. %kip it right up under overhanging trees and docks. .itch it into thick tangled
weed mats and moss. $ny vegetation near undercut banks, or breaks in grass cover along the
shore are great targets. here really is nothing complicated about frog fishing and it#s a blast.
/ook for frogs, try to match their color, and add your own hopper to the mix.
0ou can cover lots of water effectively with three baits. First, use a kicking soft plastic frog like
the Stanley Ribbit to cover the outside edge of lily pads, water lilies, grass mats and pond scum.
1ast past your target and work it to the edge with a steady ,uick retrieve. Don#t let the bass get
too good of a look at it. $dd a pop to the retrieve every few feet also. 2ere#s a picture of the frog
to use...
heck out the Ribbit at work!
hat frog will produce explosive strikes day or night. 0ou are after the most aggressive bass that
are patrolling the more open areas where you are frog fishing.
he second bait is the S"R# $ron%e&'ye Frog. his will get the hit from more passive bass
that are waiting in ambush. his frog stays in the strike (one longer and also produces crushing
strikes. 1ast this right up on shore and work it past pockets in bull rushes 3reeds4 and past lily
pads with a good canopy for shade. Work it right down the edges of docks and skip it up under
too. -t is best not to throw it right on the spot you think the bass is hiding. -f you can get parallel
to a line of weeds or reeds and docks, cast down the edge and slowly work it back with long
pauses and pops. his will aggravate the heck out of the bass. he pop after a long pause will
usually bring a violent strike and you may even fall out of the boat. What a rush! 5emember to
give 6ust a second or two to let 7r. Bucketmouth eat it.
he third bait is not a frog at all. his is your 8shotgun rod8. he purpose is to have a bulky soft
plastic to throw in if the bass misses. his change up bait will D)F-+-)/0 put more missed
fish on the hook. *se a 9oom Brush 2og, 5eaction -nnovation %weet Beaver or another creature
bait on a heavy :;" wide gap hook. 2ave a heavy bullet weight pinned in place on heavy braided
line. )ither let the missed frog sit in place, or retrieve it. .itch your creature right on top of the
bass that 6ust hit the frog. 2e should take it instantly because he is already worked up about the
frog.
his is 6ust what .ros like Dean 5o6as and akahiro <mori do when fishing shallow, and it
works. akahiro <mori used this : step techni,ue when - rode with him as a 7arshal at <neida
lake. 2e won that day and it was a real education to watch a pro pick apart hundreds of yards of
shoreline!
(ear
Frog fishing will get you into extreme tests of your gear. 7ost of the time line invisibility is not
even a factor. -t is all about strength. A bait caster is a must have rod. $t least = feet in hea)y
action with a ,uick tip. $raided line from *0 to 6+ pounds is standard. *se a high gear ratio
reel, =&> or faster to get that bass out fast! When the bass hits, wait 6ust a moment until you feel
his weight then set the hook, 2$5D! /ift up to keep him from heading to the bottom, and this
will minimi(e weeds that come along for the ride. angled weeds can double the weight you
have to pull in, and increase the chance of the bass getting off. 0ou need to pull bass out of weed
mats like you are pulling stumps! Don#t be gentle and don#t waste time.
$ great frog fishing line up comes %.5< fishing gear. hey have the ,ean Ro-as .$ron%e&'ye
Frog/ at ?ander7ountain in several different colors.hey have long tassel tails that can be
trimmed to change the way it swims. he shorter the tail, the more it @walks the frogA. he
longer the tail, the more the front will plow under and chug on the surface. ?amakatsu B;" wide
gap hooks straddle the sides of the bait and give a good top 6aw hook up. he body of the
Bron(e')ye collapses to reveal the hooks for a good set, but prevents weeds from catching on the
retrieve. -t swims well in open water with an enticing side to side @walk the dogA motion, and
can be hopped from pad to pad 6ust like the real thing.
(reat deals on (ulp frogs 0ere!
$nother great top water is the 5apala %kitter
.op. %everal different species are represented by
the colorings but this is far less weedless. his
belongs in openings in weeds and grass, or along
the deep weed edge to call up bass from below.
he 5apala %kitter .rop is another great frog
lure and should be fished in the open or in small
pockets. 0ou will definitely be in trouble in
heavy weeds with either! he vibration from the
propeller will get attention especially when the wind reaches the shallows.
he old stand by $rbogast Citter'Bug when down si(ed can be deadly. 1ast it near the edge of
the weeds or grass and let it sit a second or two. ?ive it a pop, and let it sit again. 0ou should
only need to pop a few times to get some action. -f not, move on or throw a weedless back in a
bit further.
With a bit of knowledge about frogs and a few of these lures, you#ll have hours of great fishing.
hey are so much fun though, you might fish a spot too long. ?enerally if you don#t get hit or see
signs of moving bass in the first two casts, you should move on or change the speed of your
retrieve. -n the hot summer shallows, faster is better and you get harder hits when you give it to
them fast. Bass don#t need much encouragement to take frogs. hat#s part of the reason frog
fishing is so much fun. 0ou owe it to yourself to give it a try!