Plastic Frogs?

[Baron49]

Frog fishing? Now we are talking a really fun and exciting way to fish bass. As has been mentioned there are two types of frogs. Floating and buzzing frogs, both have their place.

Floating frogs:

I prefer Snag proof's Tournament frog for working over the top of thick slop or mats. They ride flat on top of mats and can be worked easily through the thickest cover.

For water that is a little more open with some cover a SPRO frog works as it sits in the water with the legs down into the water. Walking the dog type retrieves work very well.

In open water a SPRO Popping frog is the best cross between a popper and a floating frog I have come across. Use these just like using a PopR and some big fish will jump all over them. These frogs are also very easy to skip under docks, boathouses, and willow trees.

For tackle I use a 7'3'' MH St. Croix Legend rod, 65 lb Power Pro on a Revo SX 7.1 reel.

Buzzfrogs

Horny Toads have been around for a long time and still catch more then their share of fish, both largemouths and smallmouths. You should to rig them texas style with either a 4/0 or 5/0 Zoom screw in type hook or a 5/0 or 6/0 Owner EWG. The larger hook helps with both the hook ups and acts as a keel to keep the bait riding right side up. With the horny toad ideal conditions are flat calm water with some kind of cover. The Horny toad is not a loud buzz frog, it make a quiet pitter pat that the bass seems to zero in on with a vengeance.

Stanley Ribbit This has to be my all time favorite buzz frog. For its size it make a lot of noise and puts out a bubble trail that is yards long. You can fish this anywhere you think there might be a bass. I use the same exact hooks for the Ribbit as I do for the Horny Toad.

Strike King Rage Toad Now here is the most outrageously loud and obnoxious buzz frog there is. I have used this in clear calm water and actually seen the fish swim away from this noisy frog. However in choppy water and windy conditions this frog cannot be beat. It will call Largemouths and Smallmouth from great distances. Have not not caught many small fish on the Rage toad the size I do catch is much larger then average. Have caught smallmouths over 6 lbs with it. Rig this buzzing frog with a big hook as there is a lot of plastic to go through. I prefer either a 5/0 or 6/0 Owner EWG or a Gamakatsu 5/0 Superline hook.

The setup I use for buzz frogs is a 7'3'' MH St. Croix Legend, Revo Premier 6.4 reel and 50 lb Power Pro.

A couple of tricks.......use a 10 mm plastic bead in front of the hook to keep the weeds and debris off the nose of the buzz frogs as you reel them in. Most people will tell you to count or wait to set the hooks with these kinds of baits. It is really quite simple, when you feel the weight of the fish set the hooks. Some fish will come up under a floating frog and suck it right in, others grab at the legs and kind of chew their way up the frog. When you feel the weight of the fish they have it in their mouths. Bass will not hit frogs the same all the time and with practice you will learn when to set the hook. Using braided lines cuts down on the reaction time and with practice you can get a very high strike to hook up ratio with these frogs.