Fishing with Hollow Body Frogs One by Bassinlou

[MotherNature]

^{First Published  August 18, 2016}

Hollow body frogs should come with a warning label on the package. They are responsible for so many emotional outbursts. This one lure can leave anglers exhilarated and weeping within the same cast! To say fishing with hollow body frogs is fun, is an understatement. I felt compelled to write this article for everyone who uses or is thinking about using a frog on their next trip.



I stumbled across the frog more than 10 years ago, and I can honestly say I haven't put it down since. With South Florida as my playground, I am very fortunate to fish in such a diverse ecosystem which is highly conducive for frog fishing. My goal in this article is to provide information I learned through years of countless trials and errors; condensing these experiences to reduce the learning curve for other anglers.

Before I dive into what I believe are the meat and potatoes of frog fishing, I would like to describe my main stay for frog fishing-- the hollow body frog. Hollow body frogs come in two styles. One style is the standard hollow body frog. It looks like a normal frog with a rounded or pointed nose and one or two hooks. The second type of hollow body frog is the popping version. The features of this frog are similar to a standard frog, but it has a plastic cupped mouth. The main difference between the two frogs is the "popping" frog will make more noise than the standard frog due to its design.
Fishing with Hollow Body Frogs
Here are the points I plan to cover: How to work the frog; where to throw the frog; when to set the hook; and frog fishing gear. One thing not found in this article will be specific names or brands of frogs I use. There are many companies selling hollow body frogs, picking a frog is half the fun. They all have positive qualities and will catch bass. The concepts I will cover are universal to all brands.

How to work it

An entire article can be written on just how to work it. Stress not, I will provide a clear and precise way to catch bass. Hollow body frogs can be walked, chugged, popped, hopped, or a combination of all these techniques. Movement is the key with all of these<em>.</em> Angler input gives this lure life. The easiest and simplest move I can teach a beginning frog angler is the light twitch and pop. This one simple movement has caught me loads of nice fish. Simply cast the frog, let the rings settle. Once settled, lightly twitch and pop the frog by lightly flexing the wrist.

WARNING!!By employing this technique, there might be a sudden rise in blood pressure and heart rate as a bass suddenly explodes on the frog.

Anglers on YouTube say we have to walk a frog to be successful. Remember, my job is to teach anglers to catch fish quickly. Will walking a frog catch bass? Absolutely! However, learning to walk a frog is slowing down the learning curve I'm trying to condense. Trust me. Use what I just shared, and when the frog lands in the right place, this twitch and pop will get strikes.

Where to throw a frog

Knowing where to throw a frog is the key to maximizing success when fishing a hollow body frog. We have to throw frogs where a bass is residing. Makes sense, right? What I failed to say is frog anglers are going to have to do this a lot. However, the time it takes to come across an interested bass is condensed if anglers throw in key places.

These key places are specific types of cover bass love to ambush in. Lily pads, grass, timber, and brush are obvious types of cover holding hungry bass. The key areas I focus my attention on are pockets or combinations of one or more types of cover. For example, work frogs where timber and pads meet or where grass and low-lying brush leave gaps. The point is, and it may sound silly, think like a bass. Where would bass set up to ambush prey? Again, it may sound silly, but this is my sole focus. When fishing in a vast field of vegetation, scan the area for where a bass will more than likely be sitting.

When to set the hook

Do I land every single bass strike on my frog? Heck no! I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. However, I work on minimizing these misses by focusing on key moments. The best advice I can give anyone is to keep your eyes on the frog at all times. I can't remember how many times I have lost larger bass by not following this simple step. When a bass decides to take a frog it can be violent or subtle. More than likely it will be violent. Instinctually we are programmed to react when this happens. Anglers have to override this reflex and learn to wait. Yeah...easier said than done. Wait for a moment and confirm the frog has indeed been taken. If so, swing and set the hook HARD!! Same approach if its subtle. If the strike is a toilet bowl flush around the frog, confirm it was taken and set hard. When to set the hook takes practice. Lots of it. Keep cool and keep at it, with each strike, the odds go up to land each bass.

Specific Gear

This information will be short and sweet. Frog fishing is a brute technique and requires specific gear to be up to challenge. I let the cover be my guide. If I'm fishing in thick stuff, I use a heavy action rod. Light to medium cover, a medium heavy rod can be used. Rod length should be a minimum 7 feet with braided line, 40 to 65-pound test. My reel will be at least 7:1 gear ratio with high inches per turn.

It should be obvious; I really love bass fishing with frogs. Each topic I've covered could be its own article. I will cover more advanced frogging techniques in future articles. Like I mentioned in the beginning, I hope I conveyed enough helpful information to start putting more bass in the boat. My last bit of advice to everyone, is to keep things simple. Don't over think the technique. Get out on the water, and frog. You might be surprised what happens!!

Be sure to read my next article http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=146099.msg1626711#msg1626711

Luis C. Lagrange AKA: Bassinlou