I want to become a frog fishing master....

[Mark Perry]

been a long time since a technique has got to me like this one. I simply cannot get enough of it and it is a goal of mine to become pretty solid with a frog. I am mostly talking about a floating frog. I can catch them on it but I'd sure love to hear any tips or input that you have. I can crank and pitch with the best of them but I am determined to make this a strength as well so i need all the help i can get...

[capticeman]

well mr perry you gave me some great advice in the past so hear is mine...

get yourself some frogs... I like the scum frog trophy frog... soft and a big sharp owner hook... lots of others but I got about a dozen of these...
need some 50# or 65# braid... whatever brand you prefer... I myself have been using 50# orange suffix... worked great all last year... still on there for next year... it was on sale so I bought it...
froggin rod... I like the Daiwa LT model... have 3 of them... works well... loomis has some new ones too... A carolina rod will work... I also use a shorter 6-6 heavy for tight spots docks trees... once you use the 50# braid you can use any rod you got actually...
last tip... throw it everywhere... I call it "bobbleheading" throw it around and in anything and twitch it back fast like a bobblehead... caught many a lunker with it!
one more tip from somebody living where it is white and 14 degrees out...
pack up a large bunch of lake fork craw tubes and send them to me for Xmas...

out... tired USPS letter carrier...

[Ranger 361V]

Hello Mark,

By no means am I an expert on frog fishing but I'll pass along my set-up etc. I use a Kistler "Mark Tyler" series rod 7'2"H. I prefer a 5:1 ratio reel with 30lb Power Pro braid. I always put a drop of super glue on my knot...for peace of mind I guess.

For frog colors I usually stick with a dark belly for overcast/cloudy days and a white belly for sunny conditions. The first thing I do with any brand of frog is take a couple pair of needle nose pliers and open up the gap just a tad on the hooks, not to the extreme but just a little....seems to help my hook up ratios.
I prefer the skirts trimmed to around 2inches.

I've got a bad habit of working this bait too fast so this past season I focused on SLOWING down my retrieves. Granted, sometimes a fast working bait is what they want but I found that quick twitches with {long} pauses got better results. Its all about experimenting until the fish tell you what {they} prefer under current condtions I guess....JMO

[cscoios]

Mark, I am by no means a master, but have caught many biguns' in the primrose on our home lake. I use a Loomis Carolina rig rod 7'; high gear ratio reel to get them out of cover immediately, and 65# braided line. The best tip I can give is let them swallow it before you set the hook. You'll feel all the slack go out of your line and then set the hook to the side (3 o'clock); not high in the air like 12 o'clock or you'll lose the fish.

Keep your rod tip low towards the water while you work the bait. Once you see the blowup, you'll feel a tug on the line, set the hook hard to the side. HTH

[Hogman]

Mark,
I am not a frog expert but I do have confidence in it. I had my personal best day on a Spro frog a few months ago...5 fish/24.5 lbs. I am probably a little different in my set up than most but it works for me and am 100% confident. I fish a frog on pads, milfoil, and thick vegetation. I use a 7'6" Esox Heavy/Moderate Fast (76BA) or a 8' Powell (806CB) rod. The Heavy power rod helps me get the fish out of the mess he can get in. The Moderate Fast tip is the key to give it the right action and allow the fish enough time to engulf the bait before setting the hook like most reaction bites. I use 50 or 65 lb. Power Pro. I've tried Mono and heavy Fluoro but just don't have the confidence in it. I very seldom lose a fish with this set-up and when I do it's because he got wrapped up for too long and leveraged off. You may be able to get away with a MH rod in the pads. I would recommend trying the different rods and seeing which ones work best. Most people wouldn't hear of using a Moderate tipped rod but the rod has backbone because it's a Heavy power.
I will try different things and colors when approaching an area with a frog. Just slow reeling it over the top of the vegetation seems to work best but hopping or chugging it works in certain vegetation. I think this is one bait where color makes a big difference. If a fish hits it short, I will reel it in as fast as possible and cast it back to the same place and start over. I've had very few fish hit it again just by letting it sit there. Wait til you feel it before setting the hook and drive it home hard. Get the rod up and get him on top as fast as possible. I use a fairly fast reel (6.3:1 or faster) with a good drag cranked all the way down. If you think of anything else let me know. As far as baits go, Spro 65, Spro 60, and/or Spro Popping frog. The others are good but IMO just imitations of the Spro. It's worth the money.

[Ridge Runner_20]

Hey Mark,

We do a TON of frog fishing in NorCal (Clear Lake and the CA Delta), so over the past 10+ years I've tried every brand of hollow-bodied frog known to the tackle industry. The ONE that truly sticks out for me is the River2Sea Croaker 65. The body is soft, yet durable, and the strike to hookup ratio outstanding. The only mods I make are trimming the legs approx. 1/2", thinning the strands a bit, and adding a few small glass beads for added noise attraction.

Color selection can be a bit tricky. I always start with the Yellow Head color, and if that doesn't work, try the Yellow Head color, then as a last resort, try the Yellow Head color. In short, it's probably my favorite, and if there's a frog bite of any kind, it has yet to fail me. I do also like the Coot color, and Ghost as well if the water is especially clear.

As for equipment, I fish the frog on a Powell 704 CEF rod (I prefer a bit shorter rod than most), with a 6.3:1 Quantum PT reel and 65# Power Pro braid. Some might also consider the rod action a bit light for frogs, but I find the slightly lighter tip allows the frog to walk a bit more easily (this rod does have excellent backbone, however). Also, the frog is about the only topwater technique that I prefer a fast action rod, primarily because the bait is so often fished in or around heavy cover. The faster tip gets the head turned that much more quickly, and I feel the ability to gain initial control, especially on a big fish, is crucial.

The last area that separates frog fishing from most other topwater is the initial strike/set. Like all topwater fishing, the delay after the initial strike is critical, but IMO, so is the hookset. Unlike fishing a Spook or other treble-hook topwater bait, I really slam home the frog hook with a cross-his-eyes jig-type hookset. Again, getting the head turned is key, and being that the frog is more akin to a single-hook type bait, there's little danger of the hooks tearing free.

Take all this for what it's worth ( ), but it does come from years of experimenting/fishing these silly things. Best of luck!




RR_20


Modified by Ridge Runner_20 at 8:23 PM 12/20/2009

[cmclairday2]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mark Perry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">been a long time since a technique has got to me like this one. I simply cannot get enough of it and it is a goal of mine to become pretty solid with a frog. I am mostly talking about a floating frog. I can catch them on it but I'd sure love to hear any tips or input that you have. I can crank and pitch with the best of them but I am determined to make this a strength as well so i need all the help i can get... </TD></TR></TABLE>
Mark, I am a frog master, but there is no way I'm telling you anything about frog fishing...
Seriously all these guys have hit the nail on the head. Fish the thing like its your job, even on days where you dont feel like you should. Get enough frogs that you can experiment with skirt lengths, belly weights, even colors and throw them.

[swilliams]

i'll throw my 2 cents in as well. i like several types. you already got the right rod (735C - docks, points, retaining wall/736C - mats, pads, grass lines, log jams)

i use the river2sea in black/yellow head (around shoreline grass, mats or overcast), brown/red (around bream, beds, all purpose) and white (anytime shad are present or schooled up.) it has the best hook up ratio and walks the easiest of any i have used. you also don't have to fool with the legs because they are already "frogs hair" rubber rather than the thick round rubber and have more action than other frogs. just stick you a rattle or two in there and it's good to go. i like the small size around docks after the spawn and in the fall. i like medium size pretty much all year. if i am on lake with known big fish, i will throw the big size around docks and mats. only fault on the river2sea is that for some reason, their hooks need touching up often right out of the pack. about one out of every three or four frogs will have a dull hookpoint in my experience, but they are easy to touch up.

the tru tungsten frog skips better than any i have used due to the hard bottom and drains the easiest. hooksets are a problem unless you open up the hooks on it. it comes with rattles and a built in drain hole so you don't have to keep mashing the water out. i have also had 2 out of 7 or 8 that i bought have dull hooks.

spro has a good frog that hooks up well, but it fills with water quick unless you drill a drain hole and has the thick rubber legs. hooks are always sharp.

i have used the snag proof bobby's perfect frogs as well, but i think they still need some modifying. there is a good video on monster tackle i believe on how to modify them (change out legs, rattles, etc.)

as for fishing, i have had a lot of luck skipping them under docks and working around retaining walls and bluff walls when shad were balled up. also the normal places like grass lines, log jams, "dust clouds" where a lots of trash piles up, drain pipes, etc. i also like working the brown/red around bluegill beds or spawning bass. i have had them really kill it.

just my thoughts, hope it helps.

[swilliams]

also, add some mega strike to the top and bottom of your frog. they hold on a little longer and get more hookups.

[THKUSTOMS]

The New TT frog is MUCH softer with a bigger hook as Ive had to bake the originals to soften them up a bit, but I always try and bend the hooks up just a touch so they are not flat against the plastic..Frogs seem to always land belly down so it shouldnt be a problem.50-60lb braid and learn how to skip them FAR back under trees and or cover.
I won a tourny this year throwing a popping frog near the shore as that seemed to be the ticket as everyone else was throwing the walking type frogs with a lot less success. I usually stick to the white, green and black colors and everything else can stay on the racks.