Frog season is upon us. The beginning of summer marks a lot of things around the country... better weather, kids are out of school, all that good stuff... but for us bass anglers, it also marks the start of frog season. Granted, it's all dependent on where you live... the folks down in Florida have been fishing a hollow-body frog for a couple months now. But now that June is here, it's pretty much frog season across the country. I'm up in Wisconsin, and the frog bite has been FIRE lately now that lily pads, duckweed, and grass mats are providing cover from the heat. And let's be honest, is there a more fun bite than dragging a frog across the water and watching big ol' bucketmouths burst out of the water and hammer them? I don't think so. No electronics, just cruising around and using your eyeballs to spot visual cover... it's a blast. And hell, the way grass mats and thick vegetation grow and/or blow-in near the bank, you don't even need a boat to catch 'em on a frog. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cub6Ck2OCGJ/ So let's get to it, here's your crash course on hollow body frog fishing... Riff Outdoors' Frog Fishing 101 and class is in session.
Best Frog Rods
Like all applications and techniques in bass fishing, if you want the best odds of success, you have to have the right equipment. And perhaps more so than other techniques, not having the right stuff can really hurt you when you're trying to land fish with a frog. Hookup ratios are already pretty low, so you're gonna want to have the tools to mitigate that from the jump. And it starts with the rod. A medium heavy can work, but you'll most likely want something heavy, around 7'2" to 7'4," with a strong backbone and a fast action to really drive that hook in from a long distance. I recommend a 7'4", Heavy Power, Fast Action casting rod. Here’s a few great rod options at different price points:
Budget: St. Croix Bass X Casting – 7’4″ H Fast – $135.00 Mid-Price: Shimano Intenza Casting Rods – 7’4″ H Fast – $159.99 High Quality: Dobyns Champion XP Casting – 7’4″ H Extra Fast – $269.99 Frog Reel
Since you're gonna be casting and winding a lot, you're going to want something with a higher gear ratio, but it's really a matter of personal preference. Just the other day, I had a bass hammer my frog, and swim STRAIGHT for me... I tried to pick up slack as fast as I could, but he was able to throw my frog right before I could net him. Since then, I've been experimenting with the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket and so far, I love it. At 10.1: 1... the thing screams. I also recommend straight braid somewhere in the 30-65lb range depending on the kind of cover you'll be fishing... the thicker the cover, the heavier the line. Braid floats and also has little-to-no stretch which will help get you a proper hookset.
Abu Garcia Revo Rocket 10.1:1 - $ 329.95 Budget Option: Shimano SLX A 150 8.2:1 - $99.99 Line: Sufix 832 Braid - 40lb. Retrieval
There are a few different methods to retrieve your frog, with the "Walk the Dog" method being one of the most popular. This involves a series of rod twitches that make the frog move side to side on the surface... the same way you work a topwater walking bait. To do this, twitch the rod tip downwards while simultaneously reeling in slack line. You can also "Pop" the frog. Some frogs are designed to pop or splash water when twitched. This can attract bass by mimicking a struggling frog or baitfish, but you can also pop a walking frog by keeping the line a little tighter. Similar action as the walking method, but the tighter line just pops it up and down vs side to side. And regardless of how you work it, pausing is key. After a few twitches or pops, pause the retrieve. as bass will often strike during the pause. Mix it up, make note of what works, and keep doing that.
Where To Fish It
Fishing a hollow body frog is all about the heavy cover. Just use your eyes to spot areas with heavy vegetation where other lures might get snagged. We're talking about lily pads, grass mats, and weed beds. Bass also like to ambush prey from under overhanging branches or around docks so look for shade when the sun is high.
Frog Selection
When it comes to frog brands, the Dean Rojas Bronzeye from SPRO is a staple across the board, but I've been using and loving the Swamper Walkin' Frog from Toad Thumper. Founded by Whiskey Myers frontman Cody Cannon, the Toad Thumper frog walks like a DREAM compared to others I've used. When it comes to colors, I keep it REALLY simple... black, white (or silver), and some kind of bluegill pattern that has an orange or yellow spot on the belly. Since I fish clearwater lakes in Wisconsin, I'll usually pick up the gill patterns, but generally throw something dark in cloudy, more overcast weather, and then on the other hand, something white on bright, sunny days. But feel free to play around with different colors and figure out what works... there's no hard rule.
Toad Thumper Swamper Frog - $9.99 Colors: Bad Bone, Black, Bad Gill
SPRO Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog 65 - $ 11.99 Colors: Midnight Walker, Killer Gill, Albino
Strike King KVD Sexy Frog - $10.99 Colors: Black, Bone, Watermelon Green Pumpkin Black Getcha some! https://www.instagram.com/p/CoNAz4nr9pe/
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