Frog Fishing... HELP!!! 2025
cteas21 reply :
Hey all,
I'm Chris and I live in Charlotte (Weddington) NC and have been cutting my teeth on local farm ponds and small lakes. I've become well versed in fishing weightless baits (senkos/flukes), Texas Rigs, Spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs and can fish most other mainstream techniques with good success. However, I can't seem to even get ONE BITE on the frog. I fish Spro, KVD Sexy Frogs, Booyahs, Livetargets etc. and modify them (trimming skirts, dots on belly, etc) but have had no success. I fish it on a 7'3 Duckett Ghost Heavy fast action rod with a Duckett 320 7.1:1 spoiled with 50 Lb braid. Have tried walking near weed edges, Skimming across surface, hopping, popping, and even letting it sit with minuscule "pulses" of the tip to make the skirt move ever so slightly. All of this and not one bite. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Thanks in advance.
Caliyak reply :
I'm going thru the same thing. Love fishing it but no success.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Do you typically have success on other topwater baits in the bodies of water you're fishing? I fish a couple lakes that just have zero topwater bite to speak of. For whatever reason, the fish will not break the surface for a lure. It's possible you're experiencing the same.
cteas21 reply :
No I don't really have much success with other top waters in most ponds. I have tried toad baits as well and they don't work as well as they should. My buddies have caught a couple on them at the ponds and I've had some blowups, but the ponds aren't really great for topwater. How can I coax them into biting?
You_Only_Live_Once_Fishing reply :
same here, just keep it up or go at the beginning or later in the day. good luck
BiteFiend reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 2:16 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Do you typically have success on other topwater baits in the bodies of water you're fishing? I fish a couple lakes that just have zero topwater bite to speak of. For whatever reason, the fish will not break the surface for a lure. It's possible you're experiencing the same.
^This... I also fish a couple of lakes that are very tough to get a frog bite (if at all). From what I've seen, this is especially true if the lake/pond gets a lot of fishing pressure. Does the pond you fish get a lot of fishing pressure? Also have you seen or heard any frogs at this pond? Not that a bass won't hit a hollow body frog if frogs aren't present, but in a highly pressured pond they might not.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 8:49 PM, cteas21 said:No I don't really have much success with other top waters in most ponds. I have tried toad baits as well and they don't work as well as they should. My buddies have caught a couple on them at the ponds and I've had some blowups, but the ponds aren't really great for topwater. How can I coax them into biting?
The bodies of water I fish that have bad topwater bites, I seem to only have good success on soft plastics and jigs. They ignore most moving baits in addition to topwaters.
lakeannaangler reply :
Some bodies of water just don't have fish willing to go after topwater. Maybe try some different places and see if you can get some.
iiTzChunky reply :
Have you tried white frogs? I've herd that when all other frogs have failed people the bass will hit a white frog they've never seen before.
cteas21 reply :
I tried a different approach. I used a frog with kicking letgs (lunkerfrog style), and it worked well with a stop and go retrieve.
N Florida Mike reply :
I'm having similar results.I do get a few blow-ups on top water frogs but don't hook 'em.Thought about using some kind of trailer hook but in the lakes I fish it would catch weeds.I also missed 2 nice fish on a sinking frog last week.I would consider the top water bite only fair at best in my home lake.Its just enough to keep me trying .
In past years I've done better.Seems like the top water bite is off this year.Maybe because if the extreme heat we've had this year in FL.
Jake England reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 11:40 AM, cteas21 said:Hey all,
I'm Chris and I live in Charlotte (Weddington) NC and have been cutting my teeth on local farm ponds and small lakes. I've become well versed in fishing weightless baits (senkos/flukes), Texas Rigs, Spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs and can fish most other mainstream techniques with good success. However, I can't seem to even get ONE BITE on the frog. I fish Spro, KVD Sexy Frogs, Booyahs, Livetargets etc. and modify them (trimming skirts, dots on belly, etc) but have had no success. I fish it on a 7'3 Duckett Ghost Heavy fast action rod with a Duckett 320 7.1:1 spoiled with 50 Lb braid. Have tried walking near weed edges, Skimming across surface, hopping, popping, and even letting it sit with minuscule "pulses" of the tip to make the skirt move ever so slightly. All of this and not one bite. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Thanks in advance.
Know of any good ponds worth fishing??
WPCfishing reply :
Try casting the frog under trees and docks. See if you get bit.
Also you have to pattern the bass in vegetation areas. Use a toad for this. Work the vegetation channels and points. Always cast beyond your target and work back into it. If you get a blow up and miss cast the frog to that spot. See what happens. All this in 1-4' depths.
Keep the toad on the surface but don't burn it. One important factor is BUY Gambler Toads. Choose what ever color has worked best for you with other baits on the lake you will be fishing. Use a Stanley #4 double hook.
Vegetation is noisy when you push through it so try to avoid doing that by bomb casting. Ive set hooks at 150'. It's a blast!
BassOnKlinger reply :
This week, I dedicated it to frog fishing. I've been out 4 times and every single time, without fail, I've had the same results: Huge blowups, zero hooksets. For the record, I've fished frogs in the past and haven't had a problem with hooksets. I know all about the rookie mistake and setting the hook too soon. That's not the case. It seems that the fish are just slapping at it and not actually eating the frog. I've had two or three jump d**n near completely out of the water (crazy sight to see)! But couldn't get a hookset. Anyone experience this before and what can I do to get them to eat it?
Info:
- Bank fishing small lakes and ponds with scum and grass pads
- 7'1" *** casting w/ 20# fluoro (although I'm hoping to switch this out for braid soon)
- Stanley Ribbit frog (green pumpkin) and Live Target (black, natural green)
- Presentation doesn't seem to be the problem but I've switched it up quite a bit. Blow ups mostly occurring on the pause and not while in open water pockets (meaning, the fish probably aren't seeing the bait and are targeting a spot based on movement).
- Two times, I had the rod almost pulled out of my hands, went for the hookset.....nothing.
- Skirts are trimmed. Hooks bent outward on all my frogs.
Thoughts?
Senko lover reply :
On 8/5/2016 at 3:09 AM, BassOnKlinger said:This week, I dedicated it to frog fishing. I've been out 4 times and every single time, without fail, I've had the same results: Huge blowups, zero hooksets. For the record, I've fished frogs in the past and haven't had a problem with hooksets. I know all about the rookie mistake and setting the hook too soon. That's not the case. It seems that the fish are just slapping at it and not actually eating the frog. I've had two or three jump d**n near completely out of the water (crazy sight to see)! But couldn't get a hookset. Anyone experience this before and what can I do to get them to eat it?
Info:
- Bank fishing small lakes and ponds with scum and grass pads
- 7'1" *** casting w/ 20# fluoro (although I'm hoping to switch this out for braid soon)
- Stanley Ribbit frog (green pumpkin) and Live Target (black, natural green)
- Presentation doesn't seem to be the problem but I've switched it up quite a bit. Blow ups mostly occurring on the pause and not while in open water pockets (meaning, the fish probably aren't seeing the bait and are targeting a spot based on movement).
- Two times, I had the rod almost pulled out of my hands, went for the hookset.....nothing.
- Skirts are trimmed. Hooks bent outward on all my frogs.
Thoughts?
Fluoro is your problem, my friend. Use at least 30 if not heavier braid.
BassinLou reply :
On 8/5/2016 at 3:09 AM, BassOnKlinger said:This week, I dedicated it to frog fishing. I've been out 4 times and every single time, without fail, I've had the same results: Huge blowups, zero hooksets. For the record, I've fished frogs in the past and haven't had a problem with hooksets. I know all about the rookie mistake and setting the hook too soon. That's not the case. It seems that the fish are just slapping at it and not actually eating the frog. I've had two or three jump d**n near completely out of the water (crazy sight to see)! But couldn't get a hookset. Anyone experience this before and what can I do to get them to eat it?
Info:
- Bank fishing small lakes and ponds with scum and grass pads
- 7'1" *** casting w/ 20# fluoro (although I'm hoping to switch this out for braid soon)
- Stanley Ribbit frog (green pumpkin) and Live Target (black, natural green)
- Presentation doesn't seem to be the problem but I've switched it up quite a bit. Blow ups mostly occurring on the pause and not while in open water pockets (meaning, the fish probably aren't seeing the bait and are targeting a spot based on movement).
- Two times, I had the rod almost pulled out of my hands, went for the hookset.....nothing.
- Skirts are trimmed. Hooks bent outward on all my frogs.
Thoughts?
Senko Lover said it... take off that Fluro. That's one of your culprits right there. Go with a minimum of 40lb braid. 50lbs is ideal on casting outfits.
BassOnKlinger reply :
Thanks guys. I'll swap the line out before I go again this weekend.
What about the fact that I can see the fish slapping at it, but not actually eating it? I know some bass will hit a frog to stun it and then come back to gulp it. But my experience this week, aside from a couple exceptions, has been bass hammering the frog but not actually gulping it. The line won't matter in this situation since the bait isn't even in the fish's mouth. So what causes these situations? I thought maybe it could be presentation or even frog color, but I'm not sure.
primetime reply :
I find I tend to fish Frogs to fast at times, or if using a popping version I work them to hard. I am not a big believer in "Walking a frog", I like the concept which keeps the lure in the strikezone longer, but the key to Frog fishing imo and I do it alot, is SLOW. Sometimes you need to really slow down, have long pauses and barely move it, and you often need to get the frog in places where you may lose a few....
Bass in Summer will not alway's chase a fast moving bait, they need to be sure they will get it if they are going to burn energy. I find if I make better casts, skip it, and then work it slowly, I almost always do better. I like to twitch it 2-3 times so it just sashays in place and then kill it, wait, shake it a bit, and sometimes if you think a fish is watching it, speed it up gradually as if it was panicked and then sometimes you get a strike.
In the Summer, fish are not always willing to break the surface.If you don not hear panfish in the pads popping, or see any movement or topwater action, it may not be a good Frog day, I am guilty of trying to force feed the frog many days, and if I want to fish faster, I go with a buzz toad as a Ribbit on top is hard to beat, or something with less noise like a Mann's toad or Larew 3 leg frog which is not as loud. Waking the Horny toad is another great option if they are not breaking the surface, I only care about 3 colors..Dark-GP to Black, Whites, or something with a chart belly, or Orange Chin like the KVD color GP/Orange which is one of my favorite frogs since the rattle helps in weeds imo.
Size can also matter. But usually slowing down and making casts to the right places will get results, but you need to be willing to lose a few frogs if fishing shorelines. Just my take but sometimes I need to know that I am near fish before I quit, Usually in cover bass will be grouped up so I have had days where I go 2 hours without any strikes and then 10 minutes makes the day worth it, Summer is tough no matter what you fish .
cteas21 reply :
Hey all,
Thanks for all of the help! I really appreciate it. I dedicated the summer to frog fishing, and became successful; and let me tell you, FROG FISHING IS FUN!!! I started out trying a *** frog in the ponds where they wouldn't hit much else, and because of the more realistic presentation, the bass smashed it. I used toads as well, and those worked wonders. The biggest tip from y'all was that some ponds just don't have frog bites, to fish the frog slower, and to use it around key areas to pick them apart. These tips helped a lot, and while I didn't land any 4+ pounders this summer on the frog, I nailed some good ones with it, and am excited to use the frog in the future.
Thanks for the help!
papajoe222 reply :
I just wanted to jump in and welcome you to the forums. Don't be a stranger.
It sounds like you are a fairly versatile angler when it comes to different lures and presentations. If you haven't already learned this lesson, take note: 'The fish will tell you what they want and what they don't want. You just need to learn how to listen.' Don't beat yourself up attempting to get bit on what you want to catch them on. If it isn't working, find something that is. Your enjoyment of the sport will increase and your frustration from not getting bit will decrease.
Catt reply :
Sometimes they just don't want a frog!
What did work was "speed reeling" Zoom Horny Toad, Ulta Vibe Speed worm, Rage Tail Cut-R worm.
The bass didn't want the typical stop-n-go, walk-the-dog retrieve, they wanted a faster steady retrieve... I give that!
Mike L reply :
You got some good advise here, the only thing I can add is even tho a frog bite can last all day in some waters, in your case get there early...I mean just before the sun comes up..Hopefully you're just missing the bite.
Mike
wdp reply :
On 12/12/2016 at 10:55 PM, Mike L said:You got some good advise here, the only thing I can add is even tho a frog bite can last all day in some waters, in your case get there early...I mean just before the sun comes up..Hopefully you're just missing the bite.
Mike
Or, I was gonna say get there late during summer. If you can't get a topwater bite at dusk during summer months, it ain't a topwater lake.
Sounds like you're getting some bites tho. As far as missing the couple of blowups you are getting, make sure you give the fish a sec or two to really take the bait, then rear back & set that hook hard - like you're wanting to jerk him outta the water. Somebody else may have already mentioned this, I didn't read thru all the posts.
I fish with buzz frogs (horny toads & ribbits) more than I do hollow bodied frogs. But, the biggest lesson I learned about 8 or 9 yrs ago was to immediately lower my rod tip/angle when I get a blow up, then pause for a good second before setting the hook. Dropping the rod down gives em a little slack line so they don't feel resistance & pull away from the bait. Sometimes, I can see my line swimming off to the left or right, before I set the hook. But when I set the hook, I set it hard - like laying the wood to em. This will def increase your hookup ratio. But, even then you're gonna miss a few. That's part of it.
wdp reply :
On 12/12/2016 at 8:05 PM, cteas21 said:Hey all,
Thanks for all of the help! I really appreciate it. I dedicated the summer to frog fishing, and became successful; and let me tell you, FROG FISHING IS FUN!!! I started out trying a *** frog in the ponds where they wouldn't hit much else, and because of the more realistic presentation, the bass smashed it. I used toads as well, and those worked wonders. The biggest tip from y'all was that some ponds just don't have frog bites, to fish the frog slower, and to use it around key areas to pick them apart. These tips helped a lot, and while I didn't land any 4+ pounders this summer on the frog, I nailed some good ones with it, and am excited to use the frog in the future.
Thanks for the help!
Frog fishing is def one of my favorite ways to fish. I love buzzing a Ribbit or Horny Toad around grass and lily pads. ?
I saw somebody else suggested using the Stanley double frog hooks. That's a big +1 from me. Those hooks work great on the Ribbit frog. There a little more tricky to get positioned on a Horny toad, but will work if you get the hook just right. I've never tried the double hook on a gambler toad but would think they would work fine.
As far as set up, I know a lot of people recommend 50-65# braid. But I've never had any issues using 30# power pro on a 7' MH rod paired with a 6.3:1 reel.
Happy frogging! Sounds like you're already hooked. ?
gmoney13 reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 11:40 AM, cteas21 said:Hey all,
I'm Chris and I live in Charlotte (Weddington) NC and have been cutting my teeth on local farm ponds and small lakes. I've become well versed in fishing weightless baits (senkos/flukes), Texas Rigs, Spinnerbaits, Carolina rigs and can fish most other mainstream techniques with good success. However, I can't seem to even get ONE BITE on the frog. I fish Spro, KVD Sexy Frogs, Booyahs, Livetargets etc. and modify them (trimming skirts, dots on belly, etc) but have had no success. I fish it on a 7'3 Duckett Ghost Heavy fast action rod with a Duckett 320 7.1:1 spoiled with 50 Lb braid. Have tried walking near weed edges, Skimming across surface, hopping, popping, and even letting it sit with minuscule "pulses" of the tip to make the skirt move ever so slightly. All of this and not one bite. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Thanks in advance.
You are not doing anything wrong, but don't skim it across the surface. Wlak the dog, although it is hard on weed edges try to walk it. The gear is perfect and Spro frogs, hands down are the best at walking and just good frogs. Keep fishing the frog and overcast days are better. Don't get discouraged becuase it is hard to hook the fish when you finally get the bite.
Ohitsmeagain reply :
Try different Color frogs. whenever the bass aren't biting a natural color frog I switch it up and use a White. That seems to get the trick done for me.
RichF reply :
To the guys getting blowups but not hooking up - Are there pike or pickeral in your ponds/lakes? I fish frogs a lot and have a ton of success doing it. Nearly every time an actual bass hits, I get him. Pike and pickeral are a different story though. They will blow up hardcore on my frogs but RARELY hook up. Their splashes are almost always much bigger/louder than any bass but I think their intention is to actually "stun" the bait not eat it. This could be a big part of the problem.
Heron reply :
On 7/20/2016 at 2:16 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Do you typically have success on other topwater baits in the bodies of water you're fishing? I fish a couple lakes that just have zero topwater bite to speak of. For whatever reason, the fish will not break the surface for a lure. It's possible you're experiencing the same.
I can relate. The topwater action around here is so unreliable, that I don't even do it unless I have to.
related Fishing Tackle topic
previous topic
next topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.