Feeling Froggy? Have Some Summer Fun in the Sun

Some professional anglers are known for their accomplishments while using certain baits, however when we think of frogs two names come to mind, Dean Rojas and Ish Monroe. Both of these fantastic anglers are among my favorites in the league.  Like many other anglers, I share common addiction  for the adrenaline and excitement of the late summer frog bite. I have read where angler Dean Rojas make the comment ?Most fishermen retrieve a frog too fast ?, and then I have watched as Ish Monroe and other professional anglers reel them in a little faster than normal at times catching bass.  Fishing with frogs has been proven to be one of the best techniques for catching summer largemouth bass in most lakes across North America. Fishing them with a slow twitch, twitch with a long pause technique in the slop and lily pads, or working the frog as fast as you can, both techniques are proven to catch bass. The anglers that know when to use the proper cadence are those with the frog secret that you need to know when you?re feeling froggy. The most productive way to fish a frog is in heavy cover by casting them to holes between the cover and allowing them to remain motionless for a long while before twitching the bait slightly, repeating the twitch and pause before hopping the frog over the cover all the way to the boat and casting again. This procedure does catch bass, big bass and a lot of them when the conditions are right. It is lethal early and late in times of low light and on overcast cooler days following rain. However when the weather is hot, and the water is warm with the midday sun beating down on the cover, the summer frog bite may not be as productive with a slow retrieve. Changing gears and working the frog fast almost burning it over the pad and mats can often produce a reaction strike that can stop your heart. The bait moving over the cover as the sun makes a shadow or silhouette of the frog projecting through the pads can make the light shy ambush predators react with a violent explosion on the swift moving frog.  A seven foot rod with some back bone, a good reel and heavy braided line is best for pulling the ?hawgs out of the slop?. A big bass in heavy cover can put a lot of force on the line and the rod, so be prepared. If you use the same frog for a while retie the line often. Heavy cover can fray braided line quickly. Another professional angler proven technique that can produce big bass is often over looked by anglers, swimming a frog in open water.  Just cast the frog and work it with an erratic action like any other top water lure around cover and over submerged humps and points. You can get the same reaction from bass in open water as you can when fishing the mats and pads. For all three of these techniques basic frog colors are the most popular in the shades and patterns of black, brown, and green will produce in almost any light condition. The darker colors give a better contrast through the vegetation in the daylight hours. White frogs are popular for the reason that they can be seen by the angler much better than the camouflage of natural patterns in the cover. There is nothing like fishing with a frog. If you have not tried it yet, summer is winding down, and you are missing a great opportunity to catch a big bass. So the next time you?re feeling froggy  remember these tips and have some fun with a frog in the sun. Happy Fishing! For daily bass fishing tips like these, and other fishing related topics, be sure to subscribe to my public updates on Facebook!