The When, Where and why…
Two anglers could be looking at the same piece of cover, faced with the same conditions, yet they’ll decide on two different lures to use for catching bass. This is just one of the many reasons why fishing is such a great thing!
One scenario where this plays out is fishing in and around vegetation. A bass fisherman could use either a hollow-bodied frog or a soft plastic frog to target bass.
Yes, fishing either bait comes down to an angler’s personal choice and what they have confidence in; but, each type of frog excels in certain situations.
To fully understand each style of frog and when they should be rigged on your rod, let’s take a look at the when, where and why for fishing hollow-bodied or soft plastic frogs; because having this understanding now, will have you better prepared for your next fishing trip!
HOLLOW-BODY FROGS
Hollow Bodied Frogs such as the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect, Wobbletron and Ish’s Poppin Phattie are some of my favorite hollow bodied frogs to use. All of these frogs feature a super-sharp, strong hook, which is needed to effectively hook and keep those bass hooked all the way to the boat.
Each model of hollow-bodied frog has its own unique design and action; but the overall premise is the same, a bait that sits atop the water and vegetation.
I’ll use a hollow-bodied frog when the bass want the frog retrieved to be varied or at key times, paused. With this style frog, you can walk-the-dog across matted vegetation or open water and then at key times, such as a missed strike or around a key isolated patch of grass, you can pause the bait and it will stay on top of the water.
When fishing dense mats of vegetation, or in vast expanses of lily pads, you’ll want to use a hollow-bodied frog to properly target the bass hiding underneath these canopies. These baits are nearly impossible to snag and bass will be looking to feed upwards when buried in these mats. Also many of these areas you’ll be fishing will have dense vegetation, so you’ll need a frog that has a large profile as this will displace the matted vegetation as you work it across the top of it.
SOFT PLASTIC FROGS
It has been just over ten years now that soft plastic frogs have been available to bass fisherman and since their introduction, they have been a fish catching option for anglers looking to fish scattered, emergent vegetation.
For me the Zoom Bait Horny Toad is my go-to option. With these baits the specially-designed, ultra-vibe feet emit a soft pitter-patter that calls bass in from long distance.
I’ll rig my Horny Toad on a 4/0 Lazer TroKar Magnum EWG hook. This allows me to have a strong hook that will hook the bass, yet not bend when setting the hook with braided line.
Using soft plastic frogs in the early spring is a great option, when a hollow-bodied frog may just be too much for a bass to hit. Situations when this occurs are when lily pads are just starting to grow underneath the water, or when the water on your lake or river is high and has risen into the shoreline grass, making it just right to retrieve a Horny Toad through it.
As the summer progresses, fishing a soft plastic frog just beyond the edge of the vegetation or parallel to the edge is an option when there may be current moving on the outside of that vegetation. During the low-light hours of the morning and evening, bass will also be on the edges looking to actively feed on baitfish/bluegills.
The reason soft plastic frogs can excel over hollow bodied-frogs is that the constant retrieve with the unique sound and water displacement from the feet of a soft plastic frog can resemble many things in the shallows, such as a bluegill breaking the surface or a water snake swimming along.
A soft plastic frog’s profile is more compact and streamlined then a hollow-bodied frog and at times a compact, easy to consume morsel is what the bass want.
When you are rigging up rods for your next fishing trip and you plan to be fishing shallow water vegetation with topwater lures, it is a good idea to have a hollow-bodied and soft plastic frog rigged up, as each day on the water is a new experience and each day the bass will tell you what they want. It is your job as an angler to be prepared for any situation you may face, but now you have an idea of what situations each style of frog will shine.
For more information check out glennwalkerfishing.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/glennwalkerfishing.
Advertising