BooyahMan

Thanks for the reply C0lt! Thanks for the reply! Is it safe to assume then that with a heavier action rod, even if the fish does get stuck in the pads it will be less likely to come unbuttoned when I pull the line free from the pads as well? And I'm guessing just setting the hook harder won't solve the problem? Also, is the stiffness of the rod an issue as well? The Compre is listed as moderate and I've heard that fast action is what I really should be looking for. Also, thank you for the advice on timing. I've only been counting to 1 after the blow up as I can just begin to feel the fish at that point. In addition I've been failing to reel down before setting so the slack probably is doing a lot of harm to the efficiency of my hook set as well.

Hey everyone! My name is Alex and I have just started discovering the wonderful world of Bass fishing. While still green in the ways of bass fishing, I am not new to fishing in general as I was born and raised on river fishing for salmon, trout, and Steelhead. I mainly use centerpins on the local rivers for salmon/Steelhead and spinning reels for the local lakes for bass/trout, albeit I have had a few years of experience using a baitcasting setup as well. I am currently part-time student and part-time fishing department employee, and when I'm not fulfilling either of those duties I am usually out on the water. A little background on the few local bass experiences that I have had in the last couple of years. I have mostly fished for Largemouth bass in a local urban lake that is about 15 minutes away from my house. This lake doesn't boast a whole lot of big bass with most being less than 1.5lbs (and absolutely tons in the 6-8 inch range), but there are some that are in the 4-5lb range and my goal is to land one of these "giants" in the near future. In terms of Smallmouth Bass, I have had only a few days experience with them but they sure are a blast! Unfortunately my access to Smallies is non-existent at the moment so the local Largemouths will have to do. I hope to learn lots from the veterans on this board and look forward to discussing this great sport with all of you

Howdy! First post here on Bass Resource and hopefully not my last. I hope I can learn a lot from the veteran bass anglers on this site! My post is in regards to a top water frog setup that I recently put together and an issue that has come up with it. I am currently using a Shimano Compre 7'0 medium action spinning rod and 30lb braid run straight to a Booyah Pad Crasher. I have had some luck getting bass to strike the frog (still have to get my timing down for the hook set), but it is troubling to me that whenever I manage to get a hookup the fish magically gets stuck in the lily pads. I have no problems dislodging the pads but the fish always comes off too. The pads are not very thick at this time of year and the lake I fish in rarely has bass that exceed 2lbs. Is my inability to land fish due to my setup being too light, even for these conditions? I got so frustrated that I had the last fish I hooked sailing out of the water but it still managed to get stuck somehow. I am a little mystified as I was told that braid would help cut through the pads should this situation arise, but the only thing it has done so far is prevent me from losing my Booyahs. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am still very new to bass fishing so please excuse any blatantly obvious errors in my methods. Thanks!