Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3715 July 6-20 2018 | Page 24

24 July 6 - 20, 2018 BASS FISHING SPOTLIGHT by Cal Kellogg VOL.37 • ISS. 15 Are You Ready For Frog Fishing? I know a lot of folks out there in Fish Sniffer Country reading this article have experienced the thrill of frog fishing, but there are likely an equal number that have heard about it, yet have never given it a shot. It’s the anglers that have never expe- rienced the thrill of frog fishing that I’m writing this article for. If you love fishing and have never tried targeting bass with frogs you’ve simply got to do it. Frog fishing is very basic and ag- gressive and that is in part where its charm comes from. When you cast out a frog, you are pre- senting the bass with a substantial meal that looks to be nimble and readily able to escape. This confronts the bass with a basic problem. It can act quickly and secure a full belly or it can let the opportunity slip away. Will the bass play it safe and sit tight or will it catapult skyward and obliterate the frog? It’s the bass that choose obliteration that sear themselves into our mind’s eye! So how does a mild mannered bass angler that is accustomed to dead stick- ing Senkos and slow rolling 2 inch grubs rigged on darter heads get started hunting bass with frogs? The first thing you’ll need is an appro- priate rod and reel. Frog fishing requires stout tackle for a few different reasons. First, you’ll often be fishing heavy cover. Second, you’ll be swinging hard when you set the hook in order to compress the bait and drive the hooks home and finally, frogs have a reputation for bringing the biggest bass available up to the surface. When Mr. Big decides to eat, you want to be loaded for bear! Frog gear consists of a stiff rod in the 7 to 8 foot class with longer being better. Heavy flipping sticks will get the job done, but if your wallet will take the strain, a rod designed for frog fishing will obviously work better. Match the rod with a high speed high quality baitcaster such as the 7.1 to 1 Abu Garcia Revo. Spool the reel with 65 pound braid and you’re ready to toss your frog into the octagon! When you get to the store or visit the Snag Proof website you are going to see DARE TO COMPARE! GO AHEAD! Put our Price, Service, Brand Name Selection, Local Knowledge and Complete Outdoor Needs up against ANY Competitor! a confusing array of frogs, but don’t let that shake your confidence. You want to start off with two different frogs, a white or light colored one and a brown or dark colored one, from either Ish Monroe’s Ish’s Phat Frog signature series or Bobby Barrack’s Bobby’s Perfect Frog signature series. These frogs have many similarities and some notable differences. Both Bobby and Ish are incredible frog fishermen and you won’t go wrong with either bait. Do you want to throw the football like Joe Mon- tana or Brett Farve? ‘NUFF SAID! Why dark and light colored frogs? When working heavy vegetation, I like to use a light colored frog simply because I can see it better against the dark background. When I’m fishing open water I go with a dark colored frog, which gives the bass a solid silhouette to zero in on. When most folks think of frog fishing they visualize the weedy waters of the Delta or Clear Lake and it’s true that these are places where frogs really shine, but they’ll work in clear water reservoirs like Folsom and Berryessa too. If you are going to explore clear open water go with your light colored frog or go one better Hunting • Fishing • Camping • Reloading • Clothing • Footwear 10 GIFT CERTIFICATE $ 10 $ Redeemable On Any Purchase Over $50 and pick up a clear/flake frog. Okay we’ve got the rod, we’ve got the frogs and now we are out on the water. How do you go about fishing frogs? Do you twitch, twitch, pause and tr