For my money, bass fishing doesn’t get much better than a good hollow body frog bite. There’s just nothing better than working a frog through some pads or over some matted vegetation, and waiting for that explosive bite. No forward facing sonar, no electronics, no nothing… just drop the trolling motor, drag it around, and watch ’em explode. And it works great from the shore too. The way grass mats and thick vegetation grow and/or blow-in near the bank, you don’t even need a boat to catch ’em on a frog. Many of my biggest bass have come right under docks in a couple feet of water.
Generally the spawn kicks off topwater frog season, but it really starts to heat up for me personally in the post spawn, and for a good chunk of the southern part of the country right now, we’re in that spawn or post spawn part of the year. And if you’re not quite there yet, you will be soon.
If there is one downfall to frog fishing though, it’s the hookup ratio. You’re obviously at the mercy of the bass having good aim, but more importantly, because these baits are designed to be 100% weedless, the thick plastic bodies and flush hooks naturally work against you when it comes time to set the hook. Fortunately, you don’t have to settle for factory settings. With just a few minutes of tinkering at your workbench, you can transform a standard store-bought frog into a customized fish-catching machine.
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Here are five simple topwater frog hacks that will instantly improve your hookup ratio and help you put more bass in the boat.
1. Trim the Legs
Straight out of the package, most hollow body frogs have incredibly long, flowing rubber skirts for legs. While they look great in the water, they are the number one cause of “short strikes”—when a bass grabs the trailing legs and pulls the frog underwater without actually getting the hooks in its mouth. The simple solution is to give your frog a haircut. I actually trim it quite a bit, usually leaving about two inches or so, but it will give the bass a smaller, more compact target.
Another trick is to cut one leg about half an inch shorter than the other. This uneven weight distribution makes the frog dramatically easier to “walk the dog” side-to-side, which is a deadly trigger for reaction strikes. I don’t personally do this because I don’t have much trouble walking the dog (more on that in minute), but if you’re struggling, give it a try.
2. Boiling Water
Depending on which frog you use, if the frog’s body is too rigid, the plastic will not compress enough when a bass bites down, meaning the hooks will never penetrate the fish’s jaw. Some brands use very stiff plastic right out of the box to increase durability, but it costs you fish. The trick is to soften up the plastic with boiling water. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Using tongs, dip the body of the frog into the water for about 15 to 20 seconds (be careful not to melt the rubber legs).
The heat permanently softens the PVC plastic. Your frog will now be incredibly squishy, allowing it to collapse effortlessly the second a bass clamps down on it.
3. Bend the Hooks Up
To make frogs completely snag-proof, manufacturers design the double hooks to lay completely flush against the back of the plastic body. While this keeps you from snagging lily pads, it also keeps you from snagging bass.
Take a pair of needle-nose pliers and grab the bend of each hook. Very gently, bend the hooks just ever so slightly up and away from the body. You only need a micro fraction of an inch of clearance. Exposing the hook points just a tiny bit more makes a world of difference when you sweep the rod back. Just be careful not to bend them too far, or your frog will lose its weedless capabilities.
4. Add Rattles or Weight
When you are fishing over the top of heavy “cheese” mats, duckweed, or topped-out hydrilla, bass are relying heavily on sound and vibration to track your bait through the thick ceiling of vegetation. A silent frog can easily go unnoticed. Push the hollow body up the shanks of the hook to expose the rear hole. Slip one or two small glass worm rattles, or even a couple of BBs, right inside the belly of the frog.
The added rattles create an audible clacking noise that calls bass up from the depths. If you use BBs, the extra weight will also push the frog down deeper into the mat, creating a more pronounced water displacement track for the bass to zero in on.
5. Wait…
One of the biggest keys to catching bass on a frog is to…. wait. The explosive nature of the bite makes you want to yank the hookset immediately, but fight the jumpy urge and give that fish a second or two to take the frog back down under the water before you crack ’em. I’ll admit that it’s tough to do, but your landing percentage will dramatically improve if you’re not yanking it out of their mouth the second they come out of the water.
Frog Fishing Gear
Like all applications and techniques in bass fishing, if you want the best odds of success, you have to have the right equipment. And frog fishing is one where you really need the right stuff to have success. Hookup ratios are already pretty low, so you’re gonna want to have the tools to mitigate that from the jump. And it starts with a baitcasting rod. A medium heavy can work, but you’ll most likely want something heavy, around 7′ to 7’5,” with a strong backbone and a fast action to really drive that hook in from a long distance. Personally, I like a 7’3″-7’5″, Heavy Power, Fast Action casting rod.
Favorite Frog Rods
Here’s a few great rod options at different price points:
Fenwick Elite Casting Rods – 7’5″ H Fast – $299.95
Budget Option: Fenwick Eagle – 7’5″ H Fast – $99.95
Favorite Frog Reel
Since you’re gonna be casting and winding a lot, you’re going to want something with a higher gear ratio where you can quickly pick up line. It’s really a matter of personal preference, but you want to be as efficient as possible on the water, and whether you’re reeling in for another cast, or trying to catch up to a bass who is swimming right at you, speed is your friend.
I started using the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket a couple years back, and I’ve never looked back. At 10.1: 1… the thing screams. And then you’re gonna wanna use straight braid somewhere in the 30-65lb range depending on the kind of cover you’ll be fishing… the thicker the cover, the heavier the line. Braid floats and also has little-to-no stretch which will help get you a proper action and hookset.
Abu Garcia Revo Rocket 10.1:1 – $329.95
Cheaper option: Abu Garcia Revo SX – $189.95
Line: Sufix 832 Braid – 40lb – 65lb.
Favorite Frog Brands
When it comes to frog brands, my go-to is the Swamper Walkin’ Frog from Toad Thumper. Founded by Whiskey Myers frontman Cody Cannon, the Toad Thumper frog is just so easy to walk, is pretty durable, yet collapses pretty easily to expose the hooks. My hookup percentage is really good, and most of the time, I don’t even bend the hooks out at all. My main modification is to trim the tails down a bit, and occasionally I’ll add some weight.
When it comes to colors, I keep it REALLY simple… black, white (or silver), and some kind of bluegill pattern that has an orange or yellow spot on the belly. Since I fish clearwater, natural lakes in Wisconsin, I’ll usually pick up the gill patterns, but generally throw something dark in cloudy, more overcast weather, and then on the other hand, something white/silver on bright, sunny days. But feel free to play around with different colors and figure out what works… if you have really thick mats, I’d venture to guess that the color doesn’t matter at all.
Toad Thumper Swamper Frog – $9.99
Colors: Bad Bone, Black, Bad Gill
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