i have been watching alot about frog fishing as i love to see how everyone fishes them. ive also heard some pro's modify their frogs as soon as they open them.
my question is, do any of you modify your frogs and if so what do you do to them?
Pretty much the only thing I do to my frogs is trim the legs a little, I usually cut off whatever goes past the nose of the frog.
Just what Catch and Grease said. I just trim the legs an inch, and that's pretty much it. I don't bend the hooks out, because that just invites the frog to hang up easier in the vegetation and/or fallen timber. It works for many but its a pita if you fish in the thick stuff like me.
^^^That's about all there is to modifying them. They're a pretty basic lure.
X2 - Maybe open hooks a little more.On 9/25/2014 at 11:11 PM, Catch and Grease said:Pretty much the only thing I do to my frogs is trim the legs a little, I usually cut off whatever goes past the nose of the frog.
no one uses rattles?
On 9/26/2014 at 1:00 AM, TBO said:no one uses rattles?
I've put little metal beads in my frogs before and caught fish but I stopped because I don't care to use rattles with my frogs anymore, sometimes it would mess the frogs action up.
Only frog I use with rattles now is the KVD sexy frog but it comes with the rattles.
My buddy will sometimes tie a second bait (a moss mouse-specifically) in tandem behind the first. sometimes they'll attack the second when they ignore the first and sometimes they go after the first. (and sometimes, of course, they ignore both). I can't say for certain how much more effective this arrangement is but at times it helps.
On 9/26/2014 at 5:08 AM, Ratherbfishing said:My buddy will sometimes tie a second bait (a moss mouse-specifically) in tandem behind the first. sometimes they'll attack the second when they ignore the first and sometimes they go after the first. (and sometimes, of course, they ignore both). I can't say for certain how much more effective this arrangement is but at times it helps.
Never heard of that one before. I guess the thought might have been inspired by the donkey rig.
I just up sized my spro hooks from 3/0 to 4/0. Looks much better and should improve hookups greatly
Trim the legs and give the body a good workout with my thumb to soften it out of the package. Other than that, the only thing I modify is my retrieve on the water.
On 9/26/2014 at 7:40 PM, Bass Junkie said:Trim the legs and give the body a good workout with my thumb to soften it out of the package. Other than that, the only thing I modify is my retrieve on the water.
I've had some frogs out of the package the body is supple and easy to depress, others feel noticably firmer. I'll try softening it up like you do to see if I can get better depression. Thanks!
I trim one leg shorter than the other to assist in the walking. I also like to add a trailer hook on the popping frogs.
The only mods I've been doing to mine is wearing them out, catching fish on them. I fish the YUM frogs, Spro, and Koppers right out of the package these days. I've done all kinds of mods, and while they make a difference one day to the next, overall I find it matters little. When the frog bite is on, throw them.
Same as above except one thing.
I got a Lunker Hunt frog from a rep to try out, and I have to say I wasnt a big fan of the stupid "realistic" legs. I ripped the realistic legs out and put regular rubber strand legs in.
Those Lunker Hunt frogs have become my favorite frog now, but only after replacing the legs. Ive had VERY good hookups with it. I can only recall a single missed fish all year.
Again, trim the legs.
But, these fish are so crosseyed, and miss so much, that I think I'll need to add a tail hook, just for a hookup.
Trim the legs, whatever hangs past the front trim even. I recently just trimmed one leg shorter, and it does walk easier for me. A lot of people don't. I wanted to see for myself if it did help, and for me it did walk easier.
On 9/30/2014 at 12:58 AM, boostr said:Trim the legs, whatever hangs past the front trim even. I recently just trimmed one leg shorter, and it does walk easier for me. A lot of people don't. I wanted to see for myself if it did help, and for me it did walk easier.
i know im no pro and have A LOT to learn. but isnt walking the bait a simple technique? (dont mean to sound rude ) ive watched videos on walking the bait/frog. they say to leave slack and snap/twitch your rod down, i do this and dont seem to have a problem. maybe im not doing it right?? i dont understand how making one leg shorter would help the walk. can anyone explain?
I can walk torpedo type baits no problem, but for some reason frogs I have a hard time with. I tried walking them plenty of times with some and not so much success. I figured I try one leg shorter, and my walking the frog improved. The cadence is a little different than walking a reg topwater bait. Don't get me wrong just making the frog twitch on the retrieve gets blow ups. I'm gonna head to my frogn' ponds soon and see if my catch or strike rate improves.
On 9/30/2014 at 2:11 AM, TBO said:i know im no pro and have A LOT to learn. but isnt walking the bait a simple technique? (dont mean to sound rude ) ive watched videos on walking the bait/frog. they say to leave slack and snap/twitch your rod down, i do this and dont seem to have a problem. maybe im not doing it right?? i dont understand how making one leg shorter would help the walk. can anyone explain?
Depends on a million things- and people say they can't walk them for all kinds of underlying reasons- most of them equipment or setup. One leg shorter than the other makes no sense to me personally, and if it's a walking style frog and I can't walk it, then I'm usually doing something wrong or the frog just plain stinks. Shorter tails can aide in the whip of the walk, but I suspect if the guy with the different length legs had cut both of them to the length of the shorter leg, he could still walk it.
Just an observation, but I don't mess with frogs for the most part except to trim the legs a little shorter if they're the jig skirting type, or maybe swapping out ruined legs for fur strips. The one thing I will be doing though once it's possible is to swap out hooks for those sick new Trokar TK250 frog hooks. Those things look SO money.
With one leg shorter, the frog always turns to one side on the slack line pause after the twitch. I guess it's *like* walking, but not the same. I have good days and bad days walking frogs. Luckily, the fish don't care how good I am at it.
That's what I'm saying, I was still getting blow ups with just twitching the frog on the retrieve with equal length legs when I couldn't walk it. I just did the shorter leg on one, and it did have a easier "walking" action.
On 9/30/2014 at 2:51 AM, J Francho said:With one leg shorter, the frog always turns to one side on the slack line pause after the twitch. I guess it's *like* walking, but not the same. I have good days and bad days walking frogs. Luckily, the fish don't care how good I am at it.
so basicly you cut one lg shorted so when you stop the retreive it turns? kinda like a lazy mans way of walking the frog?
You got it.
When a frog is on top of thick weeds, I don't think they care how well the cadence of the walking is, or if the frog is pulling one way or another. Cheap frogs will not walk as well in open water or in sparce cover, but I have never modified a Live Target-Spro-Booyah-River 2 sea Frog and I find that if I keep the retrieve steady they seem to find it better when over slop.
I have gradually switched to soft toads instead of frogs for most of my fishing, I rarely throw them anymore except for the Spro Poppin frogs which I love.
The up sized 4/0 helped last saturday. Caught some weeds but I could shake em loose and keep going.