STOP Making This Frog Fishing Mistake! It’s Costing You Bass!
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- I love frog fishing and one mistake I see anglers make when fishing frogs is to commonly fish oversized frogs. Here’s why.
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I was born and raised in Chicago, but after working 12 years in the financial Industry regulating the futures and options markets at the CME/CBOT I decided to pursue my passion fishing professional tournaments and left my full time corporate job. At that point, I moved to Junction City, WI with my wife Sara and two boys Hank and Duke. I've been fishing professionally since 2011 and full-time since 2015. I've qualified for seven MLF Championships and won over a half million in tournament winnings at the professional level. - Sport
🍺I enjoyed the MLF video “Day 5 with Matt Stefan on the Mississippi”🤠
me too!
So do I. Thanks for letting me know about that video.
One thing I found is that fishing in heavy vegetation such as lilly pads, water chestnut etc you want to avoid frogs with a keel body. Keel body frogs roll on their side and constantly get caught in the above water vegetation, continuously ruining your cast.
thanks for sharing
100% Agree.. The Jackall Kaera (2 1/4 inches) is hands down my favorite frog. Another great way to add weight to your frog is to remove your hook and place nail weights on the shaft of the hook with shrink tubing.
thanks for sharing
Matt ABSOLUTELY 100% correct
I have a lake walking distance from my home that is lousy with lilly pads by mid may full of 2-4lb bass always get 3-4 bass blow ups on my frogs many days double that
Was missing at least 50% of my blow ups was using 3-3.5" frogs thought why not try a smaller frog?
Went to a 2.25" Scum Frog Trophy popper frog and my blow-up to hook-up ratio instantly went up 50% from 5/10 to 7+/10
Excellent advise a greatly appreciate your hype free zero BS tips
BTW
The Scum Frog Trophy Series is only available to me on line so I make a point to by them from TW which I use your link to do so
In the 12 months of 2023 I placed an average of one order every month used your link for 55-60% of my TW orders rest from my other favorite bass Fishing YTber's TW link.
Thanks for supporting the channel!
Interesting video. I agree in part . I fish only frogs all season . The smaller sized frogs are definitely a better hook up most of the time. I use a frog under 2" ( brand is not an issue here) . There is still the matter of bending the hooks up and out to exponentially increase hook ups and maintain it to the yac. In my opinion this is probally the key factor along with how you set the hooks initially. As for adding weight i have mixed emotions on that, ive tried it on all sizes of frogs and it usually just means the frog taking on more water more often.
I believe that people underestimate the ability of a bass to sense/ feel where a frog or any creature is on a thick mat of veg. I watch them bust on small dragon flies with great accuracy and these and other bugs make very little commotion or disturbance on a mat. But if you are chugging a frog over a mat at a very high speed weight may be a factor . However slow and steady i dont believe it comes into play as much. A LM Bass has a very keen sense of whats going on in the enviroment it lives in . For the most part fishermen/ women make way too much noise with their boats, motors, talking,etc. the bass hear all this at a distance further than you may think. And of course after the blow up we are all guilty of any number of ways to mess up the initial hook up reguardless of frog or fish size.
Thanks for sharing the info and keep " Rippn' Lips" . To me frog fishing has alot of complexities as dry fly fishing for trout . The fish know the bait is there period!! But did you put it there properly and does it move at the exact time needed to produce a strike? Thanks AKA. "The Frogman"
Thanks for sharing
Agree 100%.
Back in the day... fishing the California Delta .... Scum Frog, Snagproof and the Burke frog were the only options. The scum from looked like a white box with two large hooks and skirting coming out of it's backside.
Adding weights, glass rattles and split shots added enough weight so it would cast deeper into the tullies and the bass could track your frog easier. Tip: when the bull frogs stop chasing your frog, the water is deep enough for the hogs to hide. Shaking rod rod ever soo slightly made it quiver on the matting.
The pro I fished with, discovered that with the right amount of split shots, the tail sank below the surface just enough so he could walk the dog with the frog.
Of course, that's when Dee Thomas, Gary Dobyns, Cooch and Bobby Barrack used to actually tournament fish.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
i like that tip!
I’ve been fishing frogs since the 90’s and I wholeheartedly agree. I don’t even have any of those large frogs in my frog box. I started out using the old snagproof frogs. We cut the legs off and put spinnerbait skirts in the holes. 😂
thanks for sharing!
I definitely agree I've just started adding BBs to some of my frogs to try and get a little sound to them
thanks for sharing!
Thanks Matt!! Great logic. I am definitely changing my game plan with frogs. KEEP ON HAWGIN'!!
Thanks! Will do!
72yrs old and i just keep
Learning great tips from
You Matt
Great to hear!
That makes a ton of sense. Belated congratulations on your W.
THanks!
Like a lazy fat bass laying under a mat I bit. And yeah I agree with the theory. Plus you just reminded me I was supposed to order some special frogs. Thanks Matt
thanks for watching!
I’m gonna try this modification. I have a few smaller hollow body frogs that I can experiment with. As always, appreciate the info, Brother. 👍👍
you bet!
Thank you for your knowledge, sir never thought about it that way
My pleasure
I never thought about adding weight like that. I never really fish big frogs, my problem is being patient enough. I get excited and often set the hook earlier than I need to. I see that blow up and just wanna snatch it!
Haha!
Gary Klein showed me how to weight the frog hook (inside) with thin lead wire also. Great video as always Matt!
That is awesome!
Gonna give that a try. Thank you!
Have fun!
I just made 2 orders from tackle Warehouse this week and as always I used ur link. Love ur videos... Thanks
Awesome! Thank you!
Great tip, never thought about it, I had friend that told me he gets more fish on a smaller frog, so I'm going to be adding some weight to my smaller frogs, love frog fishing, I've done decent on a ribbit frog!👍🎣
nice!
Excellent tip. Makes alot of sense.
Thanks!
I don’t know why I’ve never thought about adding weight to my smaller baits, Thanks for the tip.👍
You bet!
I saw Jason Christie talk about putting just your old 177 cal bbs' like you shot in you bb gun in the frog for weights and it's been working great for me. Them bouncing around hitting themselves and the hook making noise is just an added bonus. But I definitely agree weighting down your frog in thick vegetation is a must IMHO. Personally I still like using the bigger frog because I can get more weight in them and displace even more water but I don't see why it wouldn't work with the smaller frogs also. Great video as always keepem coming brother!!!
thanks for sharing!
Ha, I just got back from Fleet Farm with a smaller frog for the weekend, so thanx for the tip on adding weight Matt and continued good fishing to you, G.
Good stuff!
Spot on advice. I got some thick vegetation on my home lake and have been missing blow ups alot lately and noticed my frog was too big. They just couldn't get it down all the way, and logical thinking was downsize. Between the vegetation density and frog size it was just a bad combo for that situation.
Sorry to hear that
Just get yourself a Jackall Kaera It weighs a 1/2 oz. You can cast it a mile, it's In my opinion one of the best frog ever. They Just brought over to the US the Keara S2Beat It's a great open water frog with a small profile. Great video and topic. Big 👍🏼
I’ll give it atry
Totally agree! Also makes casting the tiny frogs a whole lot easier. I get twice the bites tough times of the summer with the little frogs in sparse grass or skipping it around shade. The smallest size frogs are really hard to skip out of the box but a lot more efficient when you add some weight. Ive always done this just because fish were finicky and eating small bait, I never even thought of doing it for hook up percentage in heavy cover but it makes so much sense and there’s no doubt the baby frogs get them in the roof of the mouth every time. Great tip!
Yep
Agreed,..even casting distance is not compromised
agreed
Gonna have to try the smaller frogs!
You should
Really good tip video!
Glad it was helpful!
MATT YOUR ALWAYS INFORMATIVE YOU ARE A BLESSING TO BASS NATION.
Thanks!
You should have posted this two days ago, Yesterday I was fishing a normal size frog missed 4 fish due to size. I downsized to a smaller frog but did not add any weight, it did improve hookups but casting was an issue. Thanks for the tip even if for me it was a day late. LoL
sorry its late
I have frogs of all shapes and sizes, for different applications but I totally agree water displacement is key when fishing heavy vegetation. A little tip i have is to cast high and really let it slap the mat hard to get their attention. Then having a heavier frog to press down on the mat as you retrieve is key
Thanks for sharing!
I do agree, I find my hook ups are way better with the normal to smaller frogs. I will tinker with adding weight, but have not found I lack casting distance or coming through the veg with the stock hooks.
Right on
Great tips there Matt. My frog of choice is a Reaction Innovations swamp donkey. Not a big frog, but adding a split shot weight inside definitely helped. That back end sits down below the lily pads, below the surface, giving fish a better view than a bigger but lighter fish. Thanks man. ✌️😎🎣
Thanks for sharing
Totally agree with you and good fishing 🎣
Thanks 👍
Totally agree. Just have to make sure whatever you add won’t interfere with the hook’s bite - i.e. keeping the frog from collapsing enough to get a good hook set.
Yep
The most fun you can have with your rod in your hand fishing grass mats totally the small frog gets bigger bites for me ,rattles an changing the way the frog travels across the thick stuff ,always a pleasure watching 😊
thanks for sharing!
Extra weight added also make more noise to help the fish find the lure. Love your observations.
Yes it does!
You know way better than me on this subject. Thank you for the knowledge brother
You bet!
HOT TIPS" THANKS!!!
You bet!
Sounds good to me. I'll have to try that
Nice!
Great tip
Glad it was helpful!
I don't know if you've covered this, but would love to watch a video talking about the different types of grass, how to identify, and bass patterns to each type as well.
+1
I have covere dit in the past and can do it again
That is a great tip I have always been a smaller bait guy. So that's right up my alley. No I haven't thrown a frog but one time this year because I found my hookup rate to only be about 10%. Even with softening the body of the Frog, slightly bending up the hooks, given the fish a few seconds. Any and everything I've tried I just can't get the hookups. So I switched over to pulling a waitlist rigged keitech or rage swimmer over that heavy cover which works tremendously. And if I want something that will not sink when I stop reeling it then I will use a z-man goat or Little Goat depending on the size of what seems to be appropriate that day
thanks for sharing!
Are you fishing for spots or small mouth maybe? Just wondering because they have a smaller mouth and aren't as able to get a frog in their gullet like a large mouth can. Once a large mouth hits about 2.5 pounds they can inhale a 2.5-inch frog no issue. Usually- if it's large mouth and you're missing this many- you're setting the hook to fast. If you're in open water and this is happening, you can go to a slower rod and even use mono leader- and you'll hook up more. But if you're in the slop and have to use braid and a broom stick to make sure you can haul them out- then you just have to train yourself to hesitate. It's hard to do- for me anyway, but you can do it. I make myself wait until I see my frog is gone- I don't set on the explosion- I set when the explosion is settling, and I realize I can't see my frog anymore- then I nail them hard. A lot of the time though- the explosion will happen- and as it settles- I can still see my frog- so I don't swing at all- just wait for him to come back. I think these are what ppl are setting on when they miss- it isn't you missing the fish- it's the fish missing your frog.
@@stoneysdead689 fishing for largemouth. I usually count to three before I go for the hook set. But I find when I do that usually by the time I get to 3 they've already spit it back out. And I fish both ways in the slop and in Open Water. Use a medium fast action rod with mono. It's a shame because I really enjoy fishing a frog but the only catch one or two out of ten blow ups that's just too low rate for me. Though I do have to give it a shot again sometime soon
@@NeilGraham.I.M.F Yeah- counting to 3 doesn't work- never did for me anyway. What works for me is looking for that frog- when I no longer see it- I fire. If counted it would be about 1.5 seconds- 2 at the most. That said- I wouldn't count- just keep your eye on the frog. If you watch a bass eat a frog off the surface, you'll see about half the time they first just slam into it- blow up on it- and knock it around. This disorients the frog and while he's stunned- that's when the bass eats him. That's what I think they're trying to do to your frog- but if you swing on that blow up- you yank it away from them. Bass that get a little frog shy will start doing this as well- testing it out I suppose- but if you can learn to not swing- you'll still catch them. I land about 70-80 % on a good day- around 50% on a bad day. Using the Jackal Kiera makes a big difference to- small frogs work for sure. In Oct. Jackal is coming out with a new Kiera frog that has a Colorado blade on the rear- I think it's going to kill.
Good tip Champ
Appreciate it
I've always added bee bee's to almost all my frogs just to create a little noise. 3 to 4. In Texas it seems to help.
i do that as well
Thanks.
You bet
Agree 100% with the smaller weighted frog 🐸
thanks!
Agree 100%. Have proven this over the last 5 years of testing multi sized frogs. 2.25" to 2.5" is the largest I'll throw...give the rest away
- 613BASS'N
Congrats again on your big Win brother!
Thanks!
🍺Agree. Thanks Matt.
You bet!
Good tip I've been adding weight to my frog's since the 70's
awesome!
Just caught two nice bass this week for the first time (almost 4lbs and the other one was just over 2 lbs) using my frog!! Been trying to catch them for awhile but never hooked one til now. I used the Spro Bronzeye Jr Frog and I totally agree, the smaller frogs are better!!! Really awesome to catch a bass in heavy cover using a topwater frog!! My mistake which I knew was soon to happen was, I was using Mono line and should have been using braid. I caught my third frog the other day and it must have been a nice 4-4.5 lb, but as I was reeling him in and getting him near my net...he broke off taking my lure with him! Needless to say I was heartbroken!! I ran to the fishing shop and had 30 lb braided line put on and bought another frog and went back this morning to try and catch that bass with the my lure. No dice! The word is out on me and my frog. He must have told all the other bass. LOL
I did have one bite this morning but never got any others. I think I'll wait a few days and give them a break and try again!! Catching a bass on a frog is the ultimate exciting way to land them!! Such a rush when you hear and see that explosion on the water and then the bass takes your frog under and you set the hook!!! Good tips on this video from Matt. I didn't add any weight to my frog but that sounds like a good idea!!! Happy frog fishing everyone!! :)
Frog fishing is the best
I love frog fishing...I do it every chance I get. last year was awesome at my favorite spot to do it. this year just seems to be not happening so much where I do it and it's a large stretch of pads leading into grass that barely reaches the top of the water. I've used all sizes this year. not sure what the deal is...I'll try putting weight in the smaller ones and see what happens
its been a bad frog year for me as well
If others are fishing it as well, the fish may be frogged out man- you may need something that's a little different- different look, different sound, different action- or all 3. If you've got grass tops close to the surface- I'd try ticking the tops of the grass with something that only dives a few inches under the surface- they make several wakes that dive like 6 inches to a foot. Or- try a spinnerbait or an underspin- you can keep both just under the surface if you want.
100% agree. Also by adding weights into a frog it creates a rattle which helps the fish find the frog on top of the grass better.
Yep
I do agree with you I use some topwater frogs myself test for the nasty stuff McCreery pads and
Thanks for sharing
Just yesterday I saw some guys on CZcams using Z Man solid soft plastic toads/frogs for redfish in the marshes of Louisiana. That was a surprise because I never thought about saltwater fish eating frogs but they eat whatever they can. The kicking legs on those frogs definitely got bites on a straight retrieve.
Some people bend out the hooks on frogs for a better hookup ratio with hollow frogs. I've never used them but I've seen that hack in videos.
Maybe we need to invent a better frog lure in the right size and weight?
interesting
Not sure by smaller you mean "Jr." sizes but they scare mean b/c generally they have smaller hooks. To your point though, I go to a "heavy" pad crasher as it seems to be in that smaller profile as compared to other frogs.
sounds good
I run small frogs and add glass beads and bbs for sound and weight? Also run a LFTrophy lures frog trailer hook when they just slurp’n it
sounds good!
Great video I have a question so one of the places I fish the grass did not come up like it usually does so now it's just open water and it is very stained up because of all of the rain that we have been getting can I still use a frog
you can but other topwaters might be better
Great video! What is your advice on frogs in heavy cover do you think the smaller size is advantage as well would you add weight in that particular application. Thanks!
Yes!
I like to use 2-2and1/2 inch frogs and like put the smallest size split shots inside the frog or put tungsten putty on the hook shanks. The bigger frogs that are over 2and3/4 inches I do not waste my time with them on grass, pads, reeds, milfoil, hyasnce and muck. One of my other tips is to bend the hooks slightly upward and outside. Also might put a clear band around the frog to compress the frog to help the hook catch on the bass's mouth.
All good tips!
Yeah I've got some of the larger frogs but most are smaller cause I can work them thru the junk better. Because I tie flies also the weight I use is the dumb bell weights used for nymphs pushed in the pee hole half in half out. In reading comments I hadn't thought about a rattle. Do you think a rattle matters that much?
i believe it helps
Absolutely
Thanks
🐸 I agree with your tip.🐸
thanks for sharing!
Totally agree 💯
Thanks!
Matt you need to do a live with DEBO’s Fishing !
ive never met him
I started wrapping solder around the hook shank of my frogs back when I was pond hopping as a teenager. I thought it was my secret! 😂
Nice!
Ohh... smart. What do you think about inserting rattles or something to create sound to hopefully draw them with sight being limited?
i do it
@@MattStefanFishing awesome
Good to know! I've been dealing with lily pads a lot out here in Boston and it doesn't seem like size matters at all. I can't catch a frog fish cuz I SUCK but I have gotten bites on worms just jumping leaf to leaf. Does brand matter? So many frogs cost $15+ and I'd be willing to spend the money if it gave me more blow ups but so far... no dice. Maybe I should downsize? Spend less? Spend more?
The easiest frog I have found to walk almost in place is a spro popping frog. I have a ton of different brands but mostly for different situations. That Spro I think is the perfect smallish frog but just got some Jackal frogs.
thats a bummer
down here in Florida it’s a well known ‘secret’’ that small frogs with weight in them is the way to go …
thanks for sharing!
I fish river current here in Fredericton New Brunswick. There is some grass and some wood stumps. I have used small top water frogs without any luck. Should I put in the small rattle packs inside the frogs for sound
Give it a try
@@MattStefanFishing I will give it a try and thank you
Looking at the back wall in your shop,,, it may be time for an intervention. 😂
I do not have a problem haha
😂 The first step is admitting u have a problem. Obviously ur not there yet.
I don't watch always, I set the hook when I feel the weight from the bass.
Sounds good
Hey matt dose boiling those frogs make em softer ? Or Don't matter ? 😊Peace TY**
I REALY LIKE THOSE LAKE FORK STINGER HOOKS !! YA GOT TO PUT SURGICAL TUBING ON EM ! SMALL
Some say it does but i haven’t tried it
Just last night I caught a bass on a Texas rigged vmc ringed ewg hook. 🙂
Awesome!
Im with Gary. The Kaera has by far the best hookup ratio. How big is that new Berkeley frog?
I’ll check it out. I like the popper version size better
Thanks Matt struggle continually with poor hookups. What size frog do u recommend? Less than 65??
Yep or smaller
Two weeks ago we took a trip to Lake Ontario for salmon and I fished the river after the lake. A lot of lilypads so I tried the one frog I have (jackel kaera). I had ~20 blow ups in two evenings fishing but only hooked one for a few seconds. I rarely use a frog. Any tips to increase hook up ratio?
Use braided line and a heavy rod
@@MattStefanFishing i was using a medium heavy with 30 lb braid. So not heavy enough? Any other tips
Love catching them on a frog 🐸
me too!
Love to fish the frog.
me too!
Hi Matt. I cannot for the life of me catch fish on a frog. I use braided line on a baitcaster, boil them to make them softer, bend the hooks, wait until I feel the fish before setting the hook and then Slam it home only to have the frog come flying back at me like a missle!! I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Any suggestions?
try a stiffer rod
Oh...forgot...I'm already using a medium heavy rod
🤷🏻♂️ Idk, My wife catches bass on a frog all the time and she is a total newb…
My cousin uses monofilament line on a medium spinning rod and even he gets some nice bass on a frog… 🐸
Are usually you're some Bebe bore bee bees that using there is what I use for my way in my topwater
Thanks for sharing
Matt I’m a horrible frog fishermen I’m 54 been fishing forever mostly senko I’m old school still use. Mono but I bought braid for frog fishing still suck 😊
Braid is a must when frog fishing
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Thankd
Smaller frog is better and I boil them before I use them to make them softer
Sounds good
Saw a video of Mikey Balzz Fishing... He was evaluating a knock off hover rig. Gambler's Hoover Hook ! Check it out, titled "hype". I know knock offs are bad any more but this is way bad.
yeah we are aware
A few frog tricks I've learned are:
Boil the frog for about a minute...won't hurt them a bit but it does soften the material...awesome trick
You can adjust the hooks just so slightly for a better hook up..pry them just about the body
thanks for sharing!
I run small frogs and add glass beads and bbs for sound and weight? Also run a LFTrophy lures frog trailer hook when they just slurp’n it
sounds good
I run small frogs and add glass beads and bbs for sound and weight? Also run a LFTrophy lures frog trailer hook when they just slurp’n it
sounds good
@@MattStefanFishing Congrats again on the win. All of us that were watching were praying you’d get thru that lock and get back on time.