Frog season is upon us.
The beginning of summer marks a lot of things around the country… better weather, kids are out of school, all that good stuff… but for us bass anglers, it also marks the start of frog season. Of course, it’s all dependent on where you live… the folks down in Florida, where summer never really ends, have been fishing a hollow-body frog for a couple months now. But now that June is here, it’s pretty much frog season across the country. In Wisconsin where I live, I just started picking up the topwater techniques and I’m already having a ton of success.
But ask just about any bass angler you know and they’ll agree, there’s nothing like a topwater bite, and nothing like dragging a frog across the water and watching big ol’ bucketmouths burst out of the water and hammer them. No electronics, no nothing… just drop the trolling motor, flip it around, and watch ’em explode. And the best past? 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.
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So let’s get to it, here’s your crash course on hollow body frog fishing… Riff Outdoors’ Frog Fishing 101 and class is in session.
Favorite Frog Rods
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″, Heavy Power, Fast Action casting rod.
Here’s a few great rod options at different price points:
Budget: Fenwick Eagle – 7’5″ H Fast – $99.95
Mid-Price: St. Croix Victory Casting Rods – 7’4″ H Fast – $159.99
High Quality: Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS – 7’4″ H Extra Fast – $319.99
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.
Last year I started using the Abu Garcia Revo Rocket 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
Budget Option: Shimano SLX A 150 8.2:1 – $99.99
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 I don’t bend the hooks out at all. My only modification is to trim the tails down a bit… it seems to cut down on the short strikes.
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
SPRO Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog 65 – $11.99
Colors: Midnight Walker, Killer Gill, Albino
Berkley Swamp Lord Frog – $10.99
Colors: MF Bluegill, Bone, Maverick
How To Retrieve
There are a few different methods to retrieve your frog, and while you can technically just straight retrieve it in open water and still get bites here and there, you’re gonna wanna use the rod to impart some action on the bait. The “Walk the Dog” retrieve is the most popular and involves a series of rod twitches that make the frog move side to side on the surface… the same way you work a topwater walking bait. To do this, twitch the rod tip downwards while simultaneously reeling in slack line.
You can also “Pop” the frog. Some frogs are designed to pop or splash water when twitched. This can attract bass by mimicking a struggling frog or baitfish, but you can also pop a walking frog by keeping the line a little tighter. Similar action as the walking method, but the tighter line just pops it up and down vs side to side. And regardless of how you work it, pausing is key. After a few twitches or pops, pause the retrieve. as bass will often strike during the pause. Mix it up, make note of what works, and keep doing that.
When I’m in really heavy cover or lily pads, I like to drag it over the top and then park it for a second or two in the water pockets or thin spots… it gives the bass a chance to strike in a higher percentage location.
Heavy Cover Locations
Fishing a hollow body frog is all about the heavy cover. Just use your eyes to spot areas with heavy vegetation where other lures might get snagged. We’re talking about lily pads, grass mats, and weed beds. Bass also like to ambush prey from under overhanging branches or around docks so look for shade when the sun is high.
Getcha some!
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