# Frogs Please



## Buzzin (Jun 22, 2010)

This is going to be my first year targeting largemouth bass with frog lures and I have a few questions for the guys who mainly fish frogs or anyone who has had good success fishing with them. I plan putting them to use at Ceasars Creek lake, Cowan Lake, and Sharon Woods lake this up and coming season. I have never caught a largemouth on a frog! 

When is the best time of the year to start using frogs?

When is the worst time to be fishing with frogs?

When working your frogs back to the boat is there any thing thats worked for you that you've learned with time using a frog? (pauses, twitches)

What cover is best to work with a frog? (Lilly Pads, Moss, ect)

Is there a certain climate, water temp, or cloud cover that seems best for frog fishing?

Any help is appreciated I know theres a bunch of good bass fisherman on this site it's not that I'm not going to put the time in on the water but that I know at least one guy one here could help me cut some waste less corners out of my game before I hit the water. Maybe you have fished with frogs from one of these three lakes and have really helpful insight! Spring's not coming fast enough this year


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## Young Whiskers (Feb 23, 2005)

On Sharon Woods, the algae and duckweed won't show up until June (ish), but frogs tend to be an excellent choice for that lake. I especially like to use something like a Buzzfrog or a Stanley Ribbit in the duckweed.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

Buzzin said:


> I have never caught a largemouth on a frog!
> 
> When is the best time of the year to start using frogs?
> 
> ...


*Here is what I think...*

The best time of year is anytime when the aquatic vegetation is thick.

The worst time to fish the frog is when an angler fails to put it down and try something else, or a different area with another technique.

When working your frog, change your retrieve regularly until you start getting strikes with one particular technique that outing.

Best cover could be an isolated patch of vegetation. Or a laydown in the middle of, or a open area in, an area of vegetation.

Don't forget - Don't immediately set the hook when you get a strike! Wait a second until you see or feel your line go under. *That's when you cross the basses eyes with a good hook-set.*


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## Frank-O (Sep 6, 2010)

*Best time of year* - Late spring after the spawn thru early fall. It will peak in the hot summer.

*Worst time of year* - cold winter, early spring. Frogs are not naturally out swimming around this early in the season and/or bass don't target them. Sometimes during spawning season you can get a bedding bass to swipe at one if you pitch it on the nest and just twitch it a little, but getting a hookup is quite the longshot.

*Working the frog back to the boat* - well, to me, it depends on the type of frog i'm using and whether it's open water or cover i'm fishing such as lily pads or moss/floating grass. If i'm fishing open water, i usually use a swimming type frog with paddle style legs, such as a Strike King Rage Frog. These frogs have great action and make a superb sound in the water. THE best swimming frog on the market, in my opinion (except for being very soft and tear easily). This frog will slowly sink if you stop swimming it, so i just swim it back to the boat with a steady action. In lilies or grass, i will use very short pauses or twitches sometimes.
If i'm fishing thick lily pads or moss/floating grass, i go with a floating frog such as a Tru Tungsten Mad Maxx or a SPRO frog. These are great floating frogs with rubber or silicone skirts for legs. They don't kick and make noise like the paddle style frogs, so they work best when worked slowly over the cover in a short swim, then twitched a few times, them swim it again. I try to pause these frogs over gaps in lilies or open holes in the grass where bass can see and strike them easily. The outside edges of the grass or pads where it meets open water is the best spot to pause. When in open water, swim this type frog like you would a Zara Spook. 

*Climate, temps, etc.* - To me, only when its a warm day or even hot. Sunny days are better than cloudy, because the bass will be hiding in the pads or grass and easier to target. That is not to say they won't hit a frog on cloudy days. I fish frogs on both types. Especially in the morning or evening. ALWAYS try topwater in the early morning and my go-to bait is a frog. If you really want to have that heart-thumping explosive topwater frog bite, go out at night when theres anywhere from a half moon to full moon. The topwater bite is usually fantastic then.

Hope all this helps !

Frank


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## RiverRunner88 (Jun 15, 2006)

i think frank hit it right on the head, i fish mostly spro floating frogs. you'll have to do alot of experimenting i've caught fish with 20 to 30 second pauses between hops and i've caught em burning the bait over weeds. Just depends on the fish that day. Good luck its awesome seeing one of those big girls blast a frog


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## Buzzin (Jun 22, 2010)

Thanks for the response and help on narrowing this down for me . So as far as working the frogs go by the particular bite that morning or evening whether a consistent retrieve or slow twitches and pauses. Best times to use them is when the vegetation or cover is at its highest after post spawn and through fall (Summer being Best) in the early mornings targeting the isolated cover and open areas in vegetation first preferably when the morning sun is beating them in the cover.

Thanks guys hopefully this year I will get to share the feeling of the Top Water explosion with the help!


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## lordofthepunks (Feb 24, 2009)

use braid. keep a punching type rod handy, if you get a blow up and you miss the fish you can usually follow up with a texas rigged plastic of some sort. the spro bronzeye is wicked in pads, the buzz frogs are awesome over hydrilla. i use the warrior baits buzz frogs.


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