Summer Froggin’ for Trophy Bass
There is no other presentation that can cause bass to aggressively attack an artificial lure than fishing with a top water frog. This technique can be one of the most exciting summer tactics for catching largemouth bass in any region or lake that you fish. Regardless of the brand or design of the frog you use, the appeal to the bass is the same, a familiar silhouette on top of a lily pad or the grass matt above. Without notice, the quiet serenity of fishing in calm still water can be altered with a sudden explosion that can stop a faint heart. This is the reason that many anglers eagerly wait for fishing for bass during the “Frog days of summer”.
No other lure is better designed for fishing heavy cover than a weedless frog, and in summer that is exactly where the big bass are going to be found. Search for shaded areas with heavy vegetation near deep water. Make long cast with the frogs onto the bank and then “hop” it into the water or onto the lily pads. In water a temperature above 80 degrees, a fast retrieve appears to produce not only more strikes, but more violent strikes by larger bass. Frog eating bass seem to attack their prey with much more intention of making a kill than eating a meal.
If it’s a trophy bass you’re looking for then cast a frog to submerged trees or logs near weed or lily pads. Position the boat so you can cast to the bank and silently hop the frog onto the cover. When fishing from a dock or the bank cast the frog parallel to the bank. Try hopping the frog onto a lily pad with the tail remaining in the water moving it a little until a bass crushes it. When frog fishing be patient and allow it sit for about least 20 seconds. Then pull the frog off the pad with a hop and chug it a few times pausing it for a few seconds. Bass will hit the frog on the pause with a heart stopping explosion.
Another tip for fishing with frogs in the summer is remembering that when a bass strikes a frog it often does not take it right away, be patient and do not move the frog too soon after a strike. Moving the frog to soon after a strike occurs can cost you a photo op with a trophy bass of a lifetime. When a bass leaves the water to strike a frog it strikes it hard with the intention to stun or kill it. If you react too suddenly the bass knows that something is wrong and will move on. If a bass leaps and strikes your frog, kill the retrieve and hold on. When it takes it, count to two and set the hook.
Pausing until you feel the weight of this fish, and a sweep to the side will bring the bass to the boat. Quickly get the bass’s head above the slop in heavy cover to avoid losing the fish in the dense root systems of the aquatic vegetation. A higher gear ratio reel loaded with 20 -30 lb. braided line will help get your trophy to the photo shoot. A heavy “fogging’” rod is your best bet for fighting a big bass through the slop. Give this tactic a try if you can handle it. There is no other bass fishing technique more extreme unless you are in a kayak or a canoe to get right into the slop when froggin’.
Happy Fishing!
