gobig

As suggested swimbaits, frogs, punch rigs, senkos ect... will all work. Look for points formed by the weeds. Also the fish will still relate to structure.

In my opinion Snag Proof hands down makes the best standard hollow body frog on the market. The Bobby's perfect frog is the best all around but I like to use the phat frog in open water or any area you can really walk a frog. It walks super easy.

I don't think he wants to punch for bluegill. I would use a regular punch rig just match the color best you can. Based on what you described I would use a color like grass cutter or tax man from paycheck baits. As far as the plastic, something like a pit boss or a beaver that has some bulk to it.

This should help.

Frogs can work anywhere! There are several lakes that I fish that have very little cover and they still eat frogs.

snag proof bobbys perfect frog

Wait until you lose one. As mentioned I have some that are worth twice what I payed for them, the others I payed all the money for.

They get more money for the baits this way.They do limited runs and jack the price up, people who have no job buy them up in no time, then all of the sudden like a freakin magic show they end up on ebay for twice as much money. I have baits that would sell for double what I payed for them new because some moron is willing to pay it. This is a regular practice for 3:16 baits and now it seems Ken is doing the same. Everyone goes into a frenzie. It is a bunch of BS. I often wonder the relationship of the online sellers to the manufacturing company.

A reel set does not work in all situations, it also does not require a light wire hook as mentioned in the video. When done right it generates almost twice the pounds per square inch that a normal hook set does.

Mark Zona nailed it. When I first got into throwing big swimbaits I read an article by Bill Siemantle and Mike Jones explaining hook sets. At the beginning of the article they mentioned that less then 10% of bass fishermen used a reel set in day to day fishing. In the article they did testing on the various hook sets and the PSI (pounds per square inch) generated by each. There are several factors that come into play, spool size, gear ratio, line type and rod length. With the right combination there is an obvious advantage. As mentioned in other posts this is something I have applied to most techniques. Below is a quote from the article. I would post a link but It wont let me. If you want to find the article you can google "reel force the right stuff."

1/2 oz is generally the lightest jig I throw and its a open hook with a yamamoto twin tail. Most of the time I use 3/4 to 1oz. on skirted jigs. I don't care if I am fishing 6 inches of water or 60 ft.

If you don't want to bring along a leather jacket, gloves, a welding hood and a pair of torches this is by far the best way to go. Quote MultiQuote

It is really hard to say what I would do with out knowing the what type of lake/body of water I would be fishing. The other thing is species. If the dominate species are spots my approach would be different than a lake that's dominate species is Florida strains.

Sounds like they are on beds and yes they will tear up a frog at times.

If you want a good bluegill swimbait that does not cost a fortune try the Black Dog G2 shell cracker.

This post is most likely the case.

what are the blue wagon wheel looking things on the map?

I don't count, I don't wait until I feel the fish. If I can't see the frog I cross their eyes. If you are waiting for the fish to load up the rod you are going to miss some big ones.

In a six inch bait aTrashfish with an 8/0 beast is hard to beat.

I like heavier jigs for the most part. About 90% of the time I use 3/4 to 1oz. But If I need to I will use jigs as light as 1/4oz.

Obviously the best thing to do is not put your self in that position as stated. But it never fails at some point you will be caught with your pants down. In my opinion the best thing you can do is reel and sweep. The combination of the two moves alot of line and if you dont stop reeling you should elimintate the slack in the line.

They pretty much eat anything that will fit in thier mouths and even try to eat things to big to fit.

Sounds like you have had a few bites. The first tick is the fish picking up the jig and the second is the fish spitting it. There is no need to wait, set the hook right away. I reel and sweep all in one motion. There will be times when you get bit and all you see is the line move or they take it on the fall which should be semi slack line. It is a good idea to count a jig down. If you are fishing in ten feet of water and it stops sinking at five you most likely got bit. Many time you wont feel it, be a line watcher. As far as swimming a jig you will know when you get bit, they should pretty much hook themselves.

You can do both. There is no reason you can't get a rod that will work for fliping/pitching and Lighter swimbaits. I have rod that I use for these applications it is a Lamiglas XL735C paired with a currado 300. I run 65lb Izorline and a leader if needed. The heaviest bait I throw on this rod is a 8in triple trout. Handles 6in swimbaits and a few of the 8's. I also use this rod as one of my frog rods. I have other rods for flipping/pitching but this one would definitely work if needed. If you are going to get a BBZ swimbait I would suggest the 6in over the 4in any day.

With all of the swimbait options out there now I hardly ever use a hollow body. They have virtually no durability and when they do the plastic is to stiff killing the action. They generally do not work well at low speeds. Bastrix is about the only one I throw when I do. If there is not to much cover you can throw a hollow body on a heavy darthead or swimbait head. You can also use a heavy scrounger head. If it needs to be rigged weedless I use owner beast hooks. There are other ways to rig them, I know some guys on here like sledheads. I do not see any reason why big dippers wouldn't work. In the situation that you are talking about I would probably go for a mission fish, trashfish or a 6in hudd depending on what I want the bait to do.