Topwater Frog Fishing Tips for Summertime Bass
Written By: Glenn Walker
As the summer temperatures continue to climb, and the vegetation continues to grow, and gets matted out, it is time to head to the shallows and toss around a topwater frog for big summertime largemouth…and maybe even a smallmouth.
To help increase your success throwing a topwater frog, like the Reed-Runner Walking Frog or Reed-Runner Popping Frog, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.
A popular spot for anglers to fish a topwater frog is around lily pads. When you are looking for bass in lily pads, be sure to listen very closely to the noises coming from those lily pads. What you want to be listening for is the sound of bluegills or other sunfish popping those lily pads; this means there is food there for the bass to eat. Another sound you want to be listening for, is there bullfrogs croaking up near shore. Any time I’m fishing lily pad fields, I like to run my HydroWave unit from on the Active Pad mode, this helps emulate those noises.
Regardless of how often you fish a topwater hollow bodied frog, every angler in the back of their head always has that nagging question, “when should I set the hook when fishing a frog?”
Many anglers when first are being taught to fish topwater frogs by another angler, the common rule that is taught is to count to two or three, then set the hook. I feel that for the first-time frog fisherman this rule is both good and bad. It is good, because it does work, but it is bad on the other hand because it instills this rule in that angler’s head and there are sometimes down the road in that angler’s frog fishing future that abiding by this rule will cost them fish.
I feel that the two or three count method does well when you are fishing your frog over a thick mat of vegetation. This is because waiting this long does allow the bass to eat your frog and get it down in his mouth.
But if you are fishing scattered vegetation or get a strike on your frog in open water, waiting this long will sometimes have your frog already been in and out of that bass’s mouth. In these situations, you’ll want to set the hook when you feel the pressure of the bass on your line.
Another variable that anglers need to think about when frog fishing and more specifically on when they should be setting the hook, is how the bass are eating the bait today. Sometimes bass won’t be engulfing your topwater frog, so you’ll need to give them some more time to get the bait into their mouth, other times they are hammering it and if you wait too long, your frog could be so far down the bass’s throat, it may have an unfortunate result.
So, the next time you are targeting bass with Northland Reed-Runner Frogs, and having a hard time hooking a bass, think about when you have been setting the hook and what you can change up. More than likely a simple change to your hook setting approach will yield more bass in your boat!
All bass anglers know and have experienced that when fishing a frog, a bass will at times miss your frog and you will need to have a follow up lure ready to go.
Depending on the time of year and density of the vegetation that your frog is being brought over a bass will have two motives for hitting your frog; either to A. to eat it, or B. injure it for an easy meal. The second option here is when a follow up lure comes in handy. The other time when a follow up lure is needed is when a bass can’t hit the frog properly or if you don’t get a solid hook up the first time.
Many times, after a bass hits your topwater frog, there is a nice open pocket for you to pitch your bait into that “blow hole.” I chose a Texas-rigged soft plastic creature because of its compact presentation, rigged on a 5/0 Lazer TroKar TK133 Pro V Flippin’ hook with a ½ to 1 oz tungsten weight in front of it.
The other way I like to follow up a missed strike on a frog is to throw my Reed-Runner Frog just beyond the area where I had my hit and slowly drag it across that area again. I will then deadstick in the hole and edges where that strike occurred. Many times, a bass will think that this is the injured bait that it hit originally and is now wounded.
With both tactics I rely on my Minn Kota Raptor’s as these shallow water anchors will keep me in that exact spot. This will increase your time fishing in the key area and limit the need to use your trolling motor.
When should you dig into that frog box of yours and tie on a new frog? There are two scenarios in which I'll rig up a new frog. The first being when the vegetation that I'm fishing has changed significantly, meaning if it goes from lily pads to heavy matted vegetation. The other being that if the bass that are hitting my frog are short striking it. In both situations, a simple change of frog color, such as going from a white Reed-Runner Frog to a more natural colored brown/yellow one, can garner more bites. Or a change in style from the standard Reed-Runner Frog to the Popping Frog can quickly turn the tides and keep the frogging' action going, if the cover in front of you has changed.
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