FrogFreak

There is no better feeling than when I start up the motor and cruise across the lake with the sun coming up. The anticipation of the day and the quiet as I drop my tm in the water at my first spot. The splat of my frog on the lily pads. The steam coming off of the water! Is it an out? I don't know, but I'm 100% thoroughly addicted to the feeling and the adrenaline rush of a top water strike. OK, I'm getting the shakes, gotta go froggin!

Poor bass without hands. It's hard to say why you're missing the fish. Could be the way you're rigging, the bass may not be hitting as aggressive, you could have smaller fish nibbling on the ole lure. Did you catch a lot of those fish during the spawn and now they aren't as aggressive? I know the spawn always makes me feel like an awesome angler and then post spawn and especially late summer can be a reality check. I agree with SirSnookalot, the gear seems ok, it may be your technique. Did you change anything? Hooks, line? Lighter gauge hooks are easier to get through the plastic and into the fish. Are you t-rigging? We really need more information to give you better advice. Just remember, hook sets are free!

I'm pretty new to the forum and have been fishing for a long time and I'll give you my 2 cents: Try to get a good understanding of what presentations work with the on-the-water conditions you observe. Get proficient with one or two presentations per condition but don't try to be good at every technique, that's just impossible. Here's what I mean: If bait fish are popping on the surface you can throw a bunch of different baits. Try to become proficient in one, say a popper or a smaller swimbait that mimics the size and shape of the forage. If bass are suspending you can throw a jerkbait. Try working on that technique. If bass are relating tight to cover (docks, brushpiles, timber), you can throw a jig or a T-rigged plastic etc. etc. When you run into conditions that are new to you. Look around bassresource.com for some answers. If you can't find any existing videos, articles or posts. Start one yourself. There are tons of helpful folks on this site. But don't forget this is supposed to be fun. If you really enjoy a technique, use it! I love throwing frogs and will do so until the bass have assured me they won't bite on them. Then I change to another technique depending on the water temp, conditions, cover, time of year etc. etc. etc.

Great info. I recently used the watch others approach and found a rockpile that I didn't know about. One other cheap piece of advice. I got a GPS app for my iphone (motionX) that allows me to mark waypoints once I do find a piece of structure I like. It's pretty simple to use and you can download a map of your lake before you go so if you don't have cell coverage, you can still use the map to find the waypoint.

Well, I suppose if I had to, I'd throw a frog I'm with the others, pay attention to what the bass are telling you on the frog bite and come back to those areas and punch those pads!

I caught a healthy 3.5 pounder last weekend who had a small hook lodged way back past his crushers. It still had 2 feet of mono hanging out of it's mouth and the hook looked old. I tugged on the mono a bit and removed the hook without doing damage. I bet that ole bass feels better now. I will always try to remove a hook if I can. People who don't fish or hunt will never understand the mentality of an outdoors enthusiast. We respect the same animals that we may very well eat.

OK, I hope nobody steals this idea.....Now this is going to get crazy but I'm thinking about 3 cranks inside one crank and each of those 3 cranks has 3 cranks inside of it..... But seriously, I am well aware that in most situations, these things catch more fisherman than fish. I agree with everyone that the crank bait bite is a reaction bite, why do you think everyone is trying to knock crank baits off of things? I think there are times that an ultra realistic look can help but I'm not sure about this one. I do own Koppers frogs and I love them but not because of the realism, let's face it, a bass sees the silhouette and maybe the color of the bottom and that's about it. Why I love them is my hook up ratio is great because they are made with great hooks and a soft yet durable body. If another cheaper frog had the same hook up ratio I would use it. I don't care about looks, I care about performance baby!

I tend to use poppers when I see bait fish breaking the surface. Mostly on calm days. Yes early morning and evening are best but really I let the bait fish tell me when to throw a popper. I then start the popper with a fast pop pop pause pop pause etc. If that doesn't elicit a strike, I slow down a bit. I tend to stick to silver colors because that's what I see popping the surface in the lakes I fish. One thing that's helped me with my popping hook sets has been my experience with frogs. I tend to wait to "set the hook" with a popper. No, I don't really set the hook but I do wait to start fighting the fish back to the boat. When I first started working top water lures, I had a tendancy to yank on the rod when a fish hit and I pulled the bait away from the fish. Also, I pay attention to the treble hooks and make sure they're good sharp hooks. I know some guys will go with bigger hooks. The only word of caution here is to make sure they can't tangle with each other, that can be a pain in the backside. Hope this helps!

Reminds me of this other time I met triplets at the bar.......

Nice PB. I have a beard but it's short. Maybe if I grow it out I'll get over 6 lbs!

Thanks for the well done video. I watch a ton of top water videos and I really enjoy the strike as I'm sure most do so I love how you slow it down!! Makes me want to break out the spook next time I'm on the water.

Reminds me of these twin gals I met in a bar one night. One was a bit rough around the edges but much more lively!

Big ole X2

I use nicotine and caffeine on a regular basis. It helps I swear!!

This thread is an example of why finding this site not long ago was like coming home! I went out last weekend after I studied a topo map of my home lake and I was so much more productive. But now, now I'm going to look at the lake in a whole new way. I've been cruising along and i've seen humps on my Lowrance. Well dang it, I'm going to stop and scope it out next time. I love the idea of fishing something other than the areas everyone else fishes. This bank beater is going to be a humper.......or something Thanks Catt!!

Well, I have a decal of a bass and an Oregon Ducks decal. Both were given to me. I would buy a decal if I felt very strongly about the product but I have a 2 decal limit on my truck. Don't ask me why, I just do. Now, as far as stealing based on decals, I have to admit that makes some sense if you're a criminal I suppose. Up where I live, we just don't have much in the way of crime so I don't think like that but I probably should. I work for a marketing company and we preach that brand recognition has everything to do with touch points. The more touch points you have the better brand recognition you're going to get. What you're ultimately looking for, if you would like to grow your company, is broader brand recognition. Here's a way to look at it. Let's say you're new to fishing and you're looking for a reel. You're driving and see several Abu Garcia stickers. You then see an Abu Garcia commercial during your favorite fishing show. Next thing you know it's like you see Abu Garcia everywhere. Well, now you're aware of that brand. You will probably start researching and possibly buy. Does it work everytime? Nope but if you don't have brand awareness, it will happen less often and if you're focused on growth, that growth will become more difficult to aquire. The point here is a decal by itself isn't a sure fire tactic but if you couple the decal with other touch points, you are on your way to brand recognition and brand familiarity.

I'm not sure how far you're willing to travel but the Red Lake River up in the northwest part of the state is a sleeper for big Smallies. I've caught 4 pounders from shore in the past.

That's why the call it fishing and not catching! Seriously, I agree that the Fluorocarbon line might have effected the action but more than likely, it was the color difference. But as far as not catching the bigger fish, they could be keyed on another type of forage. The bigger fish may be sluggish due to water temp etc. etc. etc.

I love it! The thing I really enjoy about anglers is their ability to solve problems. I'm sure you'll make some improvements after your maiden voyage. I carry 6 rods on my boat. I started with 8 but that seemed like overkill. c/bFrog rod c/b Jig rod c/b Cranks/spinner rod s/b drop shot rod s/b T-rig rod s/b top water/small cranks/utility rod. Also used if a guest doesn't have a rod. When I'm in the Kayak I carry 3 rods. Frog, crank and t-rig. When I'm bank fishing I carry 2, frog and t-rig.

Here's what I typically have tied on and use in order of preference: 1. Koppers Live Target Frog, 55 or 65. Yellow or Green typically. Lately Yellow has been working. 2. Spinnerbait, usually in white. I fish clearer water so I use willow blades. 3. Crank bait or jerk bait. I usually throw Rapalas 4. Drop shot rig with a shad, worm, or tube. 5. Texas rigged worm It's all about confidence and what the fish are telling you. I start out fishing a frog and when that stops working, I try faster more aggressive techniques and if that doesn't work, I slow down. I am trying to learn new techniques. Lately, I've been drop shotting and I love it, what a productive way to catch fish. Next, I'll work on jigging.

Yep, I use braid Frogging for sure.

Hmm at first I was going to say any day that I fish is good but I have to admit. If I catch em the way I love to catch em...on a top water frog, I am just a bit happier. I think the number of fish isn't as important as the percentage of hook ups I get on the frog. I've had some unlucky days where the bass slam my frog the moment I'm looking away or the moment I'm messing with my trolling motor etc. and I do get a bit grumpy........... Ah the heck with it, after further consideration, any day is a good day as long as I'm fishing!!

Just to explain, I usually use braid and fish frogs but I decided to try some different techniques. Well, last weekend I had a 5 pounder break off right at the boat when I was drop shotting and another break off when I was jigging. Both times I was using 12 pound test fluorocarbon from P-line. I used the San Diego knot and I'm pretty sure I tied it correctly. I'm new to using fluoro and frankly, I'm wondering if I should just go back to good old Mono. Any help here would be appreciated. Note: the bass that broke off on the jig was broken off right at the jig, not where I tied it to the braid (Albrecht knot was used there).

Ha, what a great debate. I will say that my own experience is that I like both for different reasons. That's been covered already here. I own 3 of each and use both spinners and b/cs every time out. I do get irritated with loops in my spinner but I also get backlashes on my b/c. Both my fault totally. I will say this, either way please spend the extra money and get a good quality reel and match it to the right rod for the type of fishing you'll be doing. I recommend the flea market forum on this site. Your dollar goes much farther and the people selling will be fair and honest with you (my experience so far anyway). Also, just a suggestion, if you give more detail in your question, you'll get a better answer. Although I've enjoyed the debate.

San Diego Improved Palomar Uni Clinch Knot..... Or just a Palomar.