Swamp Rat

Pretty ingenious...if the cardboard starts to fail, you can get some corrugated plastic to replace it with.

I was just out there as well, launched at MM31, and didn't have the usual 40-50 fish day. However, throwing a frog still managed a two over 4lbs, just nothing great. Even tried flipping, which I don't really like to do, and not much there. Geo, you are right, they are back there...way back there....

First of all, and I am not saying you did this, but make sure the rod does NOT get past 11 o'clock on hookset or when fighting the fish. The rod blank will not withstand that kind of pressure. Any good 7' to 7'6" rod in Heavy that has a little bit of a tip will work, cost has nothing to do with it. I use BPS Carbonlite rods, have a few rods coming from Favorite USA for T&E, but a buddy has a Lightning Rod that he has used the last 2 years, and another buddy has been using a BPS Bionic, and both of those rods are way under $100.

You probably won't need to bend the hooks, but I do not run 50lb braid or a MH rod for frogs. Toads are great on that rig, but for frogs I use 65lb braid on 7' H rods minimum. To be fair, I am in South Florida, but also I have been on staff with a major frog manufacturer for over 10 years, and have escalated my equipment and have reduced my missed fish. BUT...if you are fishing frogs you WILL lose fish, it is just the nature of the beast.

I don't always fish a senko, but when I do....weightless texas rigged for the larger senko, and nose hooked for the smaller ones. My wacky rig is usually a fluke.

not at all, I just don't like flouro...and here in the Everglades the water is tannic stained, so flouro isn't needed.

I do...I nose hook a 3" Stik-o with a #1 octopus hook on 6lb mono, and use a split shot about 14-18" up the line. I also do that with small fluke type baits.

I mainly use 65lb for frog fishing, have broken 50lb on Lake Okeechobee with a bass that might have ended up my PB, and it wasn't at the knot. However, when throwing toads for snakehead most of us down here throw 80lb braid. I use my Punching/Flipping stick that has the 80lb braid for snakeheads as well as Punching, but if fishing in the rain or at night I will use this stick when I tie on a black Frogzilla. I have yet to catch a dink on this frog, and unfortunately have caught some major mudfish, which can absolutely destroy 50lb braid. As has been said, run what you want, but I have gone from 30 and 50 braid to 65 and 80, and will not go back. AND, like J Francho advised, repack your line often...it will save you a lot of heartache.

Ken does extraordinary work...you will love them....but maybe keep those safe and get his Clones for actually fishing...lol.

I haven't tried the pocket frog...yet..but I do throw the small 1/4oz Tournament Frog or the Booyah Pad Crasher Jr on spinning rod with 20lb braid. I am looking at the smaller frogs as I have been succesful so far downsizing. For open water walking the dog I use Ish's Phat Frog, and for a popper Ish's Popping Fatty...but still will throw a Pop'R and Chug Bug now and then.

I have one just sitting on a shelf...let me know if you are interested.

Something on my list to try, especially the bridges on Alligator Alley

Yep...have gone over 2 hours without a strike and then had a 5 and 2 over 4 in 10 minutes. It is my confidence bait for big fish, Slider for numbers of fish. Everything else I have because I am a fisherman, I buy a bunch of stuff I probably will never use or catch a fish on, but who can say different, lol... I have 98% of every frog and color that Snag Proof makes, yet I throw white, black, and Tweety(black w/yellow head) 99% of the time.

If in the kayak, I will start with a spinnerbait to locate aggressive fish. If that isn't working, I go straight to a Slider head and will use various different soft plastic baits...3" Stik-O's(senko type), 3" boot tail grub, 4" worm, 4" lizard, 3-4" fluke...and find where in the water column they are. If all fails, out comes my Frog rod, and work the topwater bite. I am in South Florida, so topwater works pretty much 24/7/365.

Slug Go's, Senko's, Fluke's...all make great trailers for a scrounger head.

I actually prefer Baby Brush Hogs for punching/flipping due to ease of it slipping through the grass. As Mike L said, weight can be different throughout the day, there is no hard rule, just that the lightest you can get away with. I try to stay around 1/2oz if possible, but will tie on a Toyota if that is what I need to get through the mats.

You cannot go wrong with a J9, J11, or J13 Rapala. As has been said, use them really slow like a wake bait...and, oh yeah...hang on! I generally only have 3 colors that I use, and I have in my box F7, F9, F11, F13, J9, J11, and J13 in the old S(Silver/Black back), G(Gold/Black back0, and P(Perch). Depending on where I am throwing them, I use either 12lb mono or 30lb braid.

I still do it, every time out. I have 2 spinning rods set up for Slider fishing...they both have 6lb copolymer on one spool and 10lb braid on the other. I also will Power Slider with a 10' worm or 9" lizard on 15lb mono on a 7' H casting rod. Another great technique that I found when I went through over 2 bags of worms on a 150 fish day, was 3" senko type plastics as well as 3-4" fluke type baits. My little brother and I used to fish team tournaments, and we both would start with slider, and usually we were culling within 90 minutes...then we took turns Slider and power fishing. It is a great technique that I jokingly say I hope nobody tries...lol.

Hollow Body Frog...nobody else needs to post...you can lock this thread now, I gave him the best answer...lol.

My little brother is coming down from northern Alabama with his Ranger 178 aluminum bass boat for a week or so, and I was thinking about instead of him driving all the way to Ft Lauderdale the first day, to get a place up around Lake Harris and have him save a few hours of driving, spend the night, fish the next day, then come down to the house. Any suggestions on where to stay?

When running my Storm bass boat on Lake Ida, the jetskiers were always doing manuevers all around the boat. They do it because they don't know any better, also because they think they are faster than you....ummm, not a Storm. Mine ran in the mid 80mph range, so we jokingly called jetskiers speedbumps, but love Glen's lake lice....gonna use that one from now on.

Slider fishing is a must. However, I don't mind if you don't, I will just follow behind you and catch fish on one of my Slider rigs...lol. Seriously, take a look at the Charlie Brewer Slider method...I catch fish every time out on this system. Also, on wacky rig, I will use a fluke instead of a senko...try that.

I am mainly a kayak bass fisherman, and fish in the Everglades mostly, and really have no issues with gators. I have been followed by one for 50-60 yards, and when he got a little too close, I bopped him on the head with my paddle. He left the area in a hurry. Thinking he might be plannin g my demise, so did I...however I realized that my truck was back the other way. Oh well, when I came back through, I saw the same gator and paddled toward him. He swam pretty fast to the safety of the tall reeds. My main concern is the snakes. I previously was paddling a Diablo kayak, very nice kayak with very low freeboard...you probably know where this story is going. I am going along fishing, catching a few smaller 1-2lb bass when I wanted to change lures. I reached to the front of the kayak for my tackle bag, and a relatively large water moccasin was coiled up...ummm.....flipped him out with the paddle, but I never saw him slither on. My buddy was fishing from his kayak when he had a small anaconda fall in his boat from an overhang. What he did next was sort of hysterical to me, but not to him. He always carries a 12ga shotgun with him in the boat. See where this is going? Yep...he pulled it out, shot the snake, and blew a hole in his kayak. I was laughing my a$$ off, but he finally realized what he did, paddled as fast as he could to the bank, and said these words..."I am a dumb redneck, aren't I?"...moral of the story? There is none...he went home and his wife was in tears laughing when he walked in the door. Yep, I called her and gave her a play by play description of his day...she asked him if he wanted to have the kayak mounted. He didn't talk to me for a few days....lol. When people ask me if I am afraid of gators fishing from a kayak, I just explain to them..."No, I graduated fro the U...I am a Hurricane, Gators fear me..."

I have never fished there, where is the ramp?

crypt, have you tried Slider on Big O? I love throwing BIG lizards on Slider heads through the grass using 30lb braid...lots of quality fish. I bet the smaller lakes up your way love Slider fishing...might have to take a trip soon.