Froggy Thoughts 2025

Kyle46N reply :

I would love for someone to find a solution for my froggy problem. I've been fishing a small creek off the Potomac that is full of 2-4 lb bass. They are easy to catch with pretty much any soft plastic. Well, I've been starting off throwing a frog the past couple trips in hopes of getting some awesome GoPro blowups. I'm wading with the GoPro head mount (really cool video so far) Well, I get the blowups, but I'm not getting fish. These fish are exploding on the frog, but they are totally missing it. No weight whatsoever. And in hopes they would come back to it, I've tried everything I can think of.....leaving it still, moving it quickly as if it's scared. I've gone from a regular size frog to a junior size. Same results. It's hard to believe they are just not aggressive enough for frog action when you see the way they are blowing up on the frogs.

In any case, if you have suggestions....please suggest! Thanks!

junyer357 reply :

Try a frog double stinger hook.

doyle8218 reply :

Are they taking it under or are they just hitting it?

Matthew2000 reply :

How long did you wait to set the hook ?

Kyle46N reply :

That's the problem....they aren't even making contact with it. There was no weight at all. I'm not even setting the hook. I'm somewhat familiar fishing with frogs, and I have the "let em take it" mentallity down. But like I said, they are just EXPLODING on the bait and entirely missing it. Every fish is missing it, so there is definitely a common reason for it. I've never seen anything like it honestly.

Matthew2000 reply :

Try pausing and slowing down you're retrieve more. Trim the legs down a lot or get a frog with no legs, it's like a hollow and soft spook.

Kyle46N reply :

I gotta try something different. When I switched from big frog to the junior, it was a green top/white belly to an all black frog. Maybe I should try some other colors, or trip the legs more like you said. For the retrieve, that's actually when they've been blowing up on it, on the pause.

Catt reply :

When bass miss my frog I drop that rod & follow with a Texas Rig to the exact spot of the miss.

BassinLou reply :

Change colors. I would lean towards a darker shade. That might fix your problem. They are basically just bumping your current frog. However by tomorrow that could change. Good luck.

Big C reply :

I've been having the same problem, and so far have fixed it. I have been using the Lake Fork Frog tail hook, it's practically changed everything. It doesn't snag at all, and improves hookups tremendously even when they just slap or charge it. Highly reccomend it, especially since it's only $4.99 on Tackle Warehouse. While I'm spending your money, pick up a Picasso Shad Walker. When bass are keyed on baitfish it's a monster. It walks just like a Spook, but it's completely weedless.

Kyle46N reply :

On 5/26/2015 at 3:35 AM, Catt said:
When bass miss my frog I drop that rod & follow with a Texas Rig to the exact spot of the miss.

True statement. These fish are actually easy to catch on anything plastic.....especially a weightless SK Cut-R. It's not a catching issue....it's getting them to eat the dang frog for the Go Pro. First world problems....I know.....lol.

Catt reply :

On 5/26/2015 at 8:20 AM, Kyle46N said:
True statement. These fish are actually easy to catch on anything plastic.....especially a weightless SK Cut-R. It's not a catching issue....it's getting them to eat the dang frog for the Go Pro. First world problems....I know.....lol.

Some times they just don't want the frog!

They are showing interest in topwater so ya might have to change up. Try reeling that Cut-R wotm on top like a frog or maybe a Zoom Ultra Vibre Speed Craw.

RoLo reply :

On 5/26/2015 at 1:46 AM, Kyle46N said:
I gotta try something different.

Though it flies in the face of conventional wisdom, try hitting them right away (no pause).

If you're now having a hook-up problem, then you have nothing to lose.

Watch Dean Rojas and Ish Monroe, and tell me is you see any deliberate hesitation between strike & hook-set.

Needless to say, if the bass are bumping the frog with their nose, no hook-set strategy is going to work.

Roger

the reel ess reply :

I've had this happen. Sometimes they just want to kill it!

the reel ess reply :

On 5/26/2015 at 9:31 AM, Catt said:

Some times they just don't want the frog!

They are showing interest in topwater so ya might have to change up. Try reeling that Cut-R wotm on top like a frog or maybe a Zoom Ultra Vibre Speed Craw.

Or Torpedo in short rips.

kickerfish1 reply :

Assuming you are using the "right" kind of equipment? The general 7 foot plus MH or H rod, fast gear ratio reel and braid? May also help to know what frogs you are fishing? Perhaps a Spro?

1. If the equipment is in check you can cross that off as a culprit.

2. Try altering your "Swing" when you strike as noted above.

3. Modifying the frog can help - Trim the legs, adjust the hooks, etc...

4. Try changing to a different brand of frogs.

5. Lastly I would bring someone else along with you and give them the exact setup and see how they fair. That would at least possibly help rule yourself out as the problem should they prove to be able to hook them.

If none of this works of what others have said helps chalk it up as a bad fit. Try frogging another lake or just use the standard fair of what they want on the body of water you are on.

Good luck, and if you want to post the Go-Pro or maybe I should say "No-Pro" footage of the frog blow ups but no hook ups it may help people determine what exactly the bass are doing.

Shanes7614 reply :

Sounds pretty simple. The bass are just MISSING the frog!!!! If more top water blow ups are what you are trying to film it may need a title change to something other then a frog. The stuff your fishing them in may be too thick for them to accurately home in on your frog. Maybe try a large field mouse or some type of "snake" bait sized worm. I personally tend to get the most "show" for top water baits in sparser Lilly pads or just above subsurface grasses and along predominant weed lines.

Kyle46N reply :

Thanks for all help! I'll try to put some of it together. Probably going to try some other colors/brands of frogs, maybe some other types of topwaters.

Nice_Bass reply :

What stage are your fish in on the spawn?

I find post spawn males around here tend to blow top water baits in what i assume is gry guarding mode and not a feeding mode.

Kyle46N reply :

Definitely post spawn. Could be the case.

RoLo reply :

On 5/27/2015 at 11:09 AM, Kyle46N said:
Definitely post spawn. Could be the case.

IMO, there is no better time for frogging than the post-spawn, which I even prefer to early fall.

Bear in mind though, bass are on record as missing 1 in 4 topwater strikes,

so even if your only hooking-up on half the blow-ups, you're still batting 667.

Roger

tetonper reply :

Although this is an old thread I am going to comment after my summer of mostly frogging at a lake that was crystal clear and shallow. It had to have a truly blue ribbon number of blue gill and bass in it with a ton of tall grass. They are small bass rarely making much over a pound at best but they are thick. Unfortunately I did not have a boat but the shore was great fishing till the irrigation dried it up for shore access about the 1st of Aug. But there were several weeks I fished 5 days a week for several hours. Basically had the same areas I fished every day so these fish saw a lot of my lures many times. A typical day was 7 to 10 fish but there were several days of 25+ fish and a few of 2 or 3 along with a few days they never cooperated!

I would cast into the grass as far as I could. Primarily used a Stanley Ribbit with a single worm hook, tried all sizes and types including Stanley doubles and Lake Fork hooks (they do hang up in really thick stuff). I tried a simple hook through the body, weighted hooks, TX style rigs and Carolina rigged.

Many times you would see a wake coming from as far as 10' away which surprised me. On those longer casts I could not see how the fish hit the frog. However on shorter casts or when closer to the shore it was very visual. What surprised me is how many fish hit the lure from my side of the lure or from the side. There were virtually no hookups when they hit the head of the frog short of foul hooks in the body. The side strikes were about 1 in 8 to 10 strikes, very poor hookup rate. Side strikes hooked up at a slightly higher rate with the double takes and Lake Fork hook. What became quickly obvious was the hookup rate on fish striking from straight behind was 1 in 2 or 3 depending on what hook set up I was using. Lake Fork was the best from the back with an easy 50% or better hookup rate. Although I didn't keep exact statistics hookup on the double take hooks wasn't much better than a straight worm hook going as far back in the frog as I could get it.

The other interesting thing was the Stanley's got more strikes than my hollow body but the hookup on the hollow body was better. Also, got more strikes on the weighted hook and TX rig when you would stop and the frog would sink at a fair rate. Many times with the floaters the fish would just stop and watch until the frog moved. Frog color only made negligible differences as most strikes came when the frog was moving and color changes didn't seem to make as much difference as the noise. You can't tell me a fish 10' away in the thick grass is seeing a black frog versus a green & white pattern! Almost all those fish coming that far would strike if it was moving and would not strike if you left it sitting.

Lizards worked the most consistently through the summer though. I used worms, tubes and minnow patterns but no hard baits as you really had to be weedless as possible if you didn't want to be hung up inside of 5 or 6 casts. The fish seemed to hit equally on floating versus TX style and hookup was exceptionally high because you just waited till they swallowed it and rip it. Easily 70 to 80%. Here they preferred green pumpkin with sparkles followed by black and red. What did surprise me on the lizards was the fish rarely blew up on the lizards when I just floated them. But I almost always fished them pretty slow as that is what the fish were attracted to.

What surprised me the most was the minnow imitations. Swim over and look at it and swim off far more than any of the other presentations. I altered retrieves, types, colors and sizes. Just was not impressing these fish.

Lizards got far more strikes than anything even though the area isn't known for lizards and is generally considered a tube lake by the locals. Frogs were an easy 2nd and like many I get excited every time there was a blow up. Saw almost no frogs in the area and only a few toads. You could hardly find a frog lure in any of the local stores, Wally World, Sportsman's Warehouse and K-mart carried the most gear. And lizards weren't much more common, I used primarily KVD Lizards.

When I get back to TX next week I will use more lizards fished with more slow retrieve than jerking motions. I will use TX rigged frogs from time to time and let them slowly sink after a buzz on top.

All that said, everyone ought to find a lake that is crystal clear and watch the fish. The learning experience was phenomenal. It really helped me to understand why they miss so many frogs. Most assuredly I will still fish a ton of frogs as my personal best 26 1/2" post spawn female was caught on a frog blowup when I was still learning how to convert from a WY trout fisherman to a TX bass guy and had never fished a frog in my life at that point!

Yeajray231 reply :

Try a soft plastic frog like the rage toad. My hookup ratio is always better with this style than it is with the hollow body.

"hamma" reply :

Cut the frog off the line, tie on a black/blue 1/4 oz bass jig and add trailer of choice (jig and pig) preferrably with a rattle,..soak it with scent,...cast it out and before it hits the pads be already reeling, and keep reeling, maybe stopping on a large pad, here or there,..when the fish blows up on it and misses, if the jig didnt already fall thru the hole made,..wiggle that jig between the next 2 pads so it falls under,... jig it a couple times. Watch the line for the "tick".

Keep ya line wet!

soflabasser reply :

On 9/29/2016 at 4:37 AM, Yeajray231 said:

Try a soft plastic frog like the rage toad. My hookup ratio is always better with this style than it is with the hollow body.

Good choice. Another good choice is the Zoom horny toad.

Finnz922 reply :

make sure you have a solid hang over and the delay from that should give you enough time to set the hook on them after they take it .

Nah, JK. The key is to make sure you feel them on the line and that they actually have taken the frog. I would also suggest trying different colors. I have thrown a white belly and had blow ups and misses, but switched to black belly only to catch the heck out of them.

primetime reply :

Its the Go Pro. Leave it at home by accident and I bet that is the day when they want a frog. Always happens when I catch a big fish, I reach for my phone and realize I left it in the car....

I know what you are saying,I have ponds where I live full of 10-14" bass and I have never had them consistently take a hollow body, they nudge it and that is 99% of time. Even the 45T size. If you are getting bumps on top, and you do not see Bass breaking the surface, then you know the bass are in the area, but are not feeding on top, so it is just not going to be a good frog day most likely. Fish in shallows are usually feeding on craws, fry, panfish, or frogs etc....but if they will not hit either size, try a popping frog, chart or orange belly, or as mentioned a buzz toad....Some days you can't force feed topwater lures, I know because I always try, but I have walked areas with a frog and had bumps, swirls, and on way back to car I put on a texas rig or jig, spinnerbait and clean up...If you can get a Floating Jerkbait or minnow in any area, you can fish that topwater or down to 4'. If lots of weeds, you only need to slowly reel, usually they hit it b4 rings are gone, or on first shake....

But the few times I have had a go Pro for filming, I have never had good topwater fishing until one day it was not filming while we thought it was, but it was not on. We were so upset when realizing the mistake, but the Go pro can mess things up. Frogs to me are like wake baits, when they work they work, but when they don't they don't. Hope that helps. I would try horny toads, or 3-4" swimbait reeled on top for blowups...Paddle tail swimbaits will draw them in shallow water. It works all the time, 50% of the time.

Master Bait'r reply :

Smaller frogs, bigger hooks. Works like a charm!

Hoping the big guys take note at some point and make it easier to throw them, it's definitely a pain to make your own all the time.

8944

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