How do you fish topwater frogs on a baitcaster? 2024

Brett Strohl reply :

I can't keep my baitcaster from backlashing regardless, but I absolutely can't do it with a hollow-bodied topwater frog b/c the lure is so light and there is little to no resistance when I reel it it. Is there a trick to this kind of stuff, or should I just stick to my spinning rod for this?

Senko lover reply :

Make sure your brakes and spool tension are set correctly (tons of resources online for this); you should have no problem casting most hollow body frogs. I find them some of the easiest lures to bomb out there!

Also, I wouldn't recommend using most spinning rod setups for frogs.

Good luck man.

Yudo1 reply :

How heavy are the frogs you're using, what reel and what power rod? I never had an issue.

buzzed bait reply :

spro frog, regular size is 5/8oz, that's not light. i was bombing that about 50 yards or so on saturday on the baitcaster with zero issues. also helps if you're not using a super heavy rod with a hard tip. i'm using a dobyns DX704 that has enough power to fish it, but a soft enough tip to make long and accurate casts.

list out what all you're using here and that might help with the answers: rod, reel, line, frog

the reel ess reply :

My Pad Crasher isn't that light and I can cast it a mile. But I have a couple Scum Frogs and Snag Proof original that are way too light for BC equipment. They'd be best on spinning gear with 20# braid. Interestingly, I caught my PB on the Snag Proof Original.

Jrob78 reply :

A hollow body frog is about as easy as it gets. You need to tighten your brakes, tighten your spool tension until the spool doesn't move side to side and maybe tighten your drag. Tighten until you don't backlash anymore, start backing off on the brakes little by little until you get the hang of it. It's really that simple, don't make it harder than it needs to be.

Jar11591 reply :

Practice.

tander reply :

You should be able to cast any frog on a baitcasting reel. Make the right adjustments, practice, use braid.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Frogs are super easy to fish on a baitcaster if you're using standard sized frogs. They're easy to skip as well, just takes some practice.

kickerfish1 reply :

Outside of a lipless crank or spook, I can't think of an easier casting bait for a baitcaster especially with braid.

ChrisD46 reply :

Would dropping down to say a #40 lb. braid have any affect on casting a frog or do you stay with say a #65 lb. braid with no worries ?

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 5/24/2016 at 5:53 PM, ChrisD46 said:

Would dropping down to say a #40 lb. braid have any affect on casting a frog or do you stay with say a #65 lb. braid with no worries ?

50lb is my happy place for frog fishing.

Advantage reply :

What reel are you using? What power rod? What line? How are your tension brake and magnetic or centrifugal brakes set? What weight of frog? All play key roles in how it casts and fishes. Besides all of that, a little tip I saw several years ago by a frog pro is to cut a small slit in the top of the frog and add a few BB's...it adds a rattling effect as well as a little weight...then glue the slit back with super glue or even a lighter will melt/soften it enough to pinch it back together.

the reel ess reply :

On 5/24/2016 at 5:53 PM, ChrisD46 said:

Would dropping down to say a #40 lb. braid have any affect on casting a frog or do you stay with say a #65 lb. braid with no worries ?

You can get away with 30# braid most places. 50# is good for weed-choked places. I'm not sure you EVER need 65. Why? Will 50# break off in the weeds? You'd break your rod in two places first. 30# is the diameter of maybe 10# mono so you'll get the added casting distance of a lower dia. line. I intend top switch to 30 on all my BC reels next time I need braid.

buzzed bait reply :

On 5/24/2016 at 5:53 PM, ChrisD46 said:

Would dropping down to say a #40 lb. braid have any affect on casting a frog or do you stay with say a #65 lb. braid with no worries ?

i've been using 40# here lately with zero issues and i've been fishing some super thick pads too

new2BC4bass reply :

Have to agree with the others. A frog should cast the proverbial country mile with no problem. 40# is fine. I use it all the time fishing lily pads.

J Francho reply :

Depends on the frog. You aren't throwing an original or popping Scum Frog on a heavy power casting rig very far. I usually stuff those lighter frogs with scraps of Roboworms (they float) for a bit of extra weight for better casting distance. They tend to pop a little better with the added ballast, too.

Brett Strohl reply :

I was using a quantum escalade (brakes turned all the way up) and 15 lb pline flurocarbon, with a sebile pivot frog, on a 7ft cranking rod. Obviously the rod isn't "right" for frogs, but my problem was when reeling in the line would poof out b/c there was no tension.

I tried braid once but shredded it in one outing. I wasn't super happy with my reel b/c the gear ratio wasn't fast enough, so if I get a different one I'll try braid again.

I switched to a much flimsier spinning rod and didn't have any trouble hooking fish b/c the pivot frog hook setup seems to be a lot better. But I'm hoping to have a general "all purpose" setup in the future for frogs, buzz baits, and larger crank baits, since I don't have room for more than two setups in my canoe.

J Francho reply :

Wrong rod, and line. Any heavy/fast rod with 50# braid should work fine with that bait.

Frogs, buzzbaits, and cranks have very little crossover, in terms of rod type, and line type used with each. In other words, it's a tall order for one rod to do those three things.

Yudo1 reply :

On 5/25/2016 at 12:26 AM, Brett Strohl said:

I was using a quantum escalade (brakes turned all the way up) and 15 lb pline flurocarbon, with a sebile pivot frog, on a 7ft cranking rod. Obviously the rod isn't "right" for frogs, but my problem was when reeling in the line would poof out b/c there was no tension.

I tried braid once but shredded it in one outing. I wasn't super happy with my reel b/c the gear ratio wasn't fast enough, so if I get a different one I'll try braid again.

I switched to a much flimsier spinning rod and didn't have any trouble hooking fish b/c the pivot frog hook setup seems to be a lot better. But I'm hoping to have a general "all purpose" setup in the future for frogs, buzz baits, and larger crank baits, since I don't have room for more than two setups in my canoe.

I'm not familiar with the reel, but the frog weighs 1/2 oz which is plenty heavy. Fluoro and a cranking rod are completely wrong equipment for frogging. I don't understand how you're setting up your reel or how you're shredding braid. All I can say is you need braid and a proper rod. You are using the opposite it proper gear.

Brett Strohl reply :

On 5/25/2016 at 12:42 AM, J Francho said:

Wrong rod, and line. Any heavy/fast rod with 50# braid should work fine with that bait.

Frogs, buzzbaits, and cranks have very little crossover, in terms of rod type, and line type used with each. In other words, it's a tall order for one rod to do those three things.

If you can fish frogs and buzz baits on braid then I'm sure it will be fine. I don't have the space to bring 10 setups on the boat.

On 5/25/2016 at 12:44 AM, Yudo1 said:

I'm not familiar with the reel, but the frog weighs 1/2 oz which is plenty heavy. Fluoro and a cranking rod are completely wrong equipment for frogging. I don't understand how you're setting up your reel or how you're shredding braid. All I can say is you need braid and a proper rod. You are using the opposite it proper gear.

For one, I knew the rod was not "correct" and if I get the chance in the future I'll switch to a medium heavy rod. But on that same token I was hooking frogs with a much much flimsier rod b/c the lure design. So that rod would be fine honestly,I don't have to do everything like a professional fisherman with unlimited funds, but I'll probably just keep it for a cranking setup.

I shredded my braid b/c I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm just going by trial and error. I put a deep diving crank bait on it a few casts, and it pulled the line into the center of the reel and shredded it.

On 5/24/2016 at 10:27 PM, J Francho said:

Depends on the frog. You aren't throwing an original or popping Scum Frog on a heavy power casting rig very far. I usually stuff those lighter frogs with scraps of Roboworms (they float) for a bit of extra weight for better casting distance. They tend to pop a little better with the added ballast, too.

I guess I'm not super worried about my rod having the absolute perfect action. The water I fish is so pressured that catching a bass on a crank lure is like winning the lottery.

J Francho reply :

On 5/25/2016 at 1:02 AM, Brett Strohl said:

f you can fish frogs ~~and buzz baits~~ on braid then I'm sure it will be fine.

I would never fish a buzzbait or a crankbait on braid. Most people's problems with frogs stem from using the wrong rod and line. A MH/F or H/F rod with braid is pretty much a must. This is one case where you cannot fit a square peg into a round hole. You can usually purchase extra spools from the manufacturer - that's what I did when I did a lot of shore fishing. Then you can carry 2-3 rigs, but have twice the versitilty.

On 5/25/2016 at 1:02 AM, Brett Strohl said:

I guess I'm not super worried about my rod having the absolute perfect action. The water I fish is so pressured that catching a bass on a crank lure is like winning the lottery.

Then why the focus on a "cranking rod"? Makes no sense to me. Get a stiff, heavy power rod with a fast action if you want to fish frogs. A cranking rod isn't in the zip code of a frogging rod. There are very few similarities.

You don't have to be a pro to get it right, but don't ask for advice, if you insist that what you're using is fine. It's not, why else would you ask for help? I mean, we're trying to help you, and you're shooting down all the best practices being suggested for frogs.

Yudo1 reply :

I totally agree with j francho. You asked for advice and admitted you didn't know what you were doing. Well we're trying to help a brother out.

Brett Strohl reply :

On 5/25/2016 at 2:03 AM, J Francho said:

I would never fish a buzzbait or a crankbait on braid. Most people's problems with frogs stem from using the wrong rod and line. A MH/F or H/F rod with braid is pretty much a must. This is one case where you cannot fit a square peg into a round hole. You can usually purchase extra spools from the manufacturer - that's what I did when I did a lot of shore fishing. Then you can carry 2-3 rigs, but have twice the versitilty.

Then why the focus on a "cranking rod"? Makes no sense to me. Get a stiff, heavy power rod with a fast action if you want to fish frogs. A cranking rod isn't in the zip code of a frogging rod. There are very few similarities.

You don't have to be a pro to get it right, but don't ask for advice, if you insist that what you're using is fine. It's not, why else would you ask for help? I mean, we're trying to help you, and you're shooting down all the best practices being suggested for frogs.

Hey, not to single anyone out but this is a very difficult forum to use b/c people seem to focus on specificity more than utility. Plus if I know I'm doing something "incorrectly" people feel the need to point out that I'm doing something wrong, after I already pointed that out. This isn't helpful unless I'm being offered the advice of why one pole casts frogs better than the other. Which no one offered, b/c I doubt there is a reason. I get the vibe that the culture on the forum is not as helpful as other forums I've used, which can be frustrating.

Also my problem was with the line, not the rod. Is a frog rod going to affect the way the reel and line works? Probably not. If I can cast frogs on heavy fast, or medium heavy then I can cast them on a cranking rod. Again, the focus on this forum tends to be on extreme specificity and not on utilitarian principles which would be more helpful for a person like myself.

It looks like my problem is the line is poofing out, while I'm reeling it in, because I'm not using braid. If I can pull through weeds on a spinning rod, and more importantly set the hook, then I'm not going to be very worried about the stiffness of a casting rod because even my cranking rod is stiff enough. I stated this twice, but apparently it is still very very important to tell me my pole is all wrong. This absolutely isn't helpful information, which you might be able to tell, is frustrating when I just want to know how to make the reel spool tightly when I real the frog in.

As far as fishing a buzz bait on braid, a lot of the instructional videos I'm watching people are either using braid or fluorocarbon. People are using cranking rods, med/fast rods/ or medium heavy rods. I'm sure there is more than one way to skin a cat, just like I can frog fish effectively on my flimsy spinning rod, or even my cranking rod, if I really want to. Can you make one rod work for multiple techniques? Probably, and that is why a lot of people in instructional videos are saying 7ft med/heavy is a good utilitarian rod. But again this forum seems to be all about specificity, which is why I'm having trouble finding the info I need, and people seem to be surprised when I'm getting frustrated.

But again, my problem was with the reel and how it was spooling up. Nothing whatsoever to do with the rod.

On 5/25/2016 at 2:12 AM, Yudo1 said:

I totally agree with j francho. You asked for advice and admitted you didn't know what you were doing. Well we're trying to help a brother out.

I feel like people are being rude and now you are saying people are "just trying to help." It's one of the reasons I don't ask a lot of questions on here to begin with.

Jrob78 reply :

If you spent more time explaining your question and less time complaining, you might get an answer.

"Line poofing off your reel when you reel in," doesn't make a lot of sense. That is your question, right?

Brikon reply :

A big mistake alot of people make whenever, they are learning to use a baitcaster, is they dont tighten the line enough whenever they put line onto the baitcaster. They spool up line onto the baitcaster and put hardly any tension, so the line goes on a little bit loose. That is a very common reason why people get backlashes.

Try casting out as far as you can and try pinching the line with your fingers as you reel it in that usually helps a bit.

*Also your line might be a bit to heavy for the size of lure your trying to use .

Advantage reply :

On 5/25/2016 at 12:26 AM, Brett Strohl said:

I was using a quantum escalade (brakes turned all the way up) and 15 lb pline flurocarbon, with a sebile pivot frog, on a 7ft cranking rod. Obviously the rod isn't "right" for frogs, but my problem was when reeling in the line would poof out b/c there was no tension.

I tried braid once but shredded it in one outing. I wasn't super happy with my reel b/c the gear ratio wasn't fast enough, so if I get a different one I'll try braid again.

I switched to a much flimsier spinning rod and didn't have any trouble hooking fish b/c the pivot frog hook setup seems to be a lot better. But I'm hoping to have a general "all purpose" setup in the future for frogs, buzz baits, and larger crank baits, since I don't have room for more than two setups in my canoe.

The problem with using fluoro is that it's heavy and will sink, making it harder to control the frog and get good hooksets. Braid works best cuz it floats.

I throw mine on a 7'6" XH rod with 65lb braid and can launch it a country mile. But I have a pretty good reel too (Lew's that's @ $160 range).

new2BC4bass reply :

I get "fluffing" on many casts. That is the line wants to loosen and lift outward on the spool because the spool is spinning faster than the line is being pulled out. I am like others.....I do not understand how line can "poof" on a retrieve even with a light lure. Sure the line may be a little loose, but....poofed? Fluorocarbon is normally stiffer than mono so it won't wind as tight. Try some KVD Line and Lure Conditioner to soften it. See if that helps.

I've never heard of shredding braid on the retrieve. I don't care if all you know to do is crank the handle. I mean you cast lure out, retrieve lure in. No way is that going to shred braid. Check the rod's guides with a cotton swab. There should be grooved or rough spots on at least one of the guides. I see no other way to destroy braid casting and retrieving a frog. Unless it is the reel itself causing the problem. Check the line guide for roughness or grooving. The problem definitely isn't because you aren't an expert with a baitcast reel.

So you only have room for two rods. The spinning rod sounds plenty capable of fishing cranks.....even though it seems crankbaits are a waste of your time. Sell or give away the baitcast cranking rod you have and buy a MHF rod. You will now have two versatile rods with a wider range of capabilities than the current two you are using.

Let us know if you find any bad spots on the rod or reel.

Bluebasser86 reply :

You can get a rod and reel that will do a lot of different things for relatively cheap. A 7' MH/F with a 6-7 ratio reel with 40-50 pound braid will fish your frog and buzzbait (along with T-rigs, jigs, hollow belly swimbaits, senkos, bladed jigs, spinnerbaits), just fine. Is it perfect for all those? No, but that setup is about as multipurpose as it gets.

Then you can use your current setup for cranks, traps, and jerks and you'll be good to go.

Jaderose reply :

My froggin set up is an old PQ on a 6'6" MH/F Extreme rod. Strung up TIGHTLY with 30 lb. PP Slick. If you couldn't cast that a mile, you need more practice with a BC....which is ok. Best time to practice with a BC is winter when you don't care about actual fishing. I think I have the brakes pretty much shut off and the drag turned all the way up. I want to get those girls outta the muck FAST.

the reel ess reply :

Florocarbon is a little stiff for baitcasters. You can use it of course, people do, but you have to put it on with some tension to get it to take the spool's shape. Braid is as limp as you can get. I think that Bama Bass (of the YouTube channel) uses heavy mono for frogs in clearer water. I only use braid for almost all applications that aren't trebles. You'd be better off with 20# mono than 20# floro for 2 reasons. Mono floats and it's less stiff than Floro. You need to learn to walk the frog like a Spook and I can't imagine doing that with florocarbon. Another good reason for the limp quality of braid. On the bright side, if you do spool that rod up with braid, it can double as your jig/T-rig rod, assuming you didn't buy a pool cue (stiff). If you want them to do double duty, get a MH/Fast. I have an dedicated XH/Fast 7'3" Cabela's Frog model now and I'm not sure I like it yet. I liked the tip of the MH better.

Being any good at froggin', which I don't claim to be, requires some special hardware. That's just how it is.

Boonie Vang reply :

No brakes used on my revolution elite 8, with upgraded abec7 from hawgtech and no backlash, throwing bronze year frog 65, but tighten the tension knob enough so thereal won't be any free spool

desmobob reply :

If you're using the cheap (but effective) original Scum Frog, you could help yourself by switching to their "trophy series" (or something like that) frog that is heavier. Scum Frogs are probably the lightest frogs out there. That could be part of your problem.

And don't get the wrong idea about this forum! There are more helpful people here than you can shake a stick at! :-)

Tight lines,

Bob

J Francho reply :

You pretty much can get away with three conbos to cover most anything. A 7'ish MH or H, fast casting rod with braid. A medium extra fast 6' to 6-8 with mono or copolymer, and a medium fast spinner, main spool with fluoro, backup spool with 15-20# braid. No one is saying turn pro, get 20 rods, and unlimited access to lines. Just trying to get new guys over the learning curve. Mea culpa.

the reel ess reply :

On 5/26/2016 at 8:25 AM, desmobob said:

If you're using the cheap (but effective) original Scum Frog, you could help yourself by switching to their "trophy series" (or something like that) frog that is heavier. Scum Frogs are probably the lightest frogs out there. That could be part of your problem.

And don't get the wrong idea about this forum! There are more helpful people here than you can shake a stick at! :-)

Tight lines,

Bob

I got all my frogs out and weighed them on a small food scale.

The Pocket L unker Frog was 1/8 oz. I haven't used it, but when I do it'll be on a spinning combo.

The Pad Crasher junior was 3/16 oz. I would have guessed more. I haven't cast it yet.

The Snag Proof Original and the Scum Frog were 1/4 oz. I would have guessed less. 1/4 oz., while not ideal, is heavy enough to cast on BC equipment. I use 3/16 oz bullet weights on the same rod with no problem. But for some reason, these are almost impossible to cast. Probably due to the size and wind resistance (drag) vs weight.

The Pad Crashers and SPRO were 1/2 oz.

The L unker Frog standard size was 5/8 oz.

pverdugo53 reply :

On 5/24/2016 at 3:22 AM, Brett Strohl said:

I can't keep my baitcaster from backlashing regardless, but I absolutely can't do it with a hollow-bodied topwater frog b/c the lure is so light and there is little to no resistance when I reel it it. Is there a trick to this kind of stuff, or should I just stick to my spinning rod for this?

You can't. Ask advice from more experienced fishing buddies plus there are a lot of great tutorial videos out there. I'm willing to bet that frogs aren't the only bait giving you trouble.

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How do you fish topwater frogs on a baitcaster? 2024

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