Bassin' with Frogs

If there is one bait that I have loved learning more than others, it has been the frog.  Nothing gets your adrenaline pumping more out on the water until you see a violent strike from a bass attacking a plastic frog.  Just this past Saturday I had a run in with a massive bass that about made my heart skip a beat when it attacked my frog.  I was fishing at a forest preserve lake near Bartlett, IL with fellow DA member Parker Settecase.  With post cold front conditions, it was pretty cool early in the morning at around 65 degrees.  The lake we were at had a lot of vegetation so the frog was definitely on stand by to start picking apart the scattered weed flats.

We moved in on a spot that has produced fish in the past but the events that occurred soon after were definitely unexpected.  I decided to go with the frog after weighted plastics produced zero fish, so I grabbed my Kistler Magnesium 7' 0" Heavy Fast action rod paired up with my Shimano Curado 200E7 and 50 lb Power Pro braid.  I had a Koppers Live Target frog in black/chartreuse tied on and started working the weedline off to the left of where we were fishing.  I threw the frog onto the matted weeds pretty far away from where we were with the intention of bringing it towards open water just in front of it.  I gave the frog a few hops...paused...and then repeated the same motion again.  After getting out into open water I figured I would rush the frog along a little quicker.  After a quick set of hops I paused the frog in the section of open water just before the next weedline.  That was when the water ERUPTED!  What looked like a 4+ lb bass absolutely smashed the frog with a massive body slam as it swallowed the entire frog whole.  I gave it a quick one count and went to go set the hook hard.  In mid hook set...I felt the line slip away from the lure.  The fish was gone!  A 10 dollar lure and a hefty bass were gone in an instance left in nothing but a massive wake.  Parker turned over as soon as he heard the splash and realized what had just happened.  Heartbreaking is the only word to describe it.

If I could replay what I had seen you would have been in just as much shock as I was.  I don't know what was worse, seeing the bass leap out of the water after the bait...or finding out an instant later that I was going to lose him.  Just incredible.

Luckily for you guys I have a Youtube video of one of my favorite topwater frog strikes.  It pretty much sums up how sudden of strike it was when the bass hit.

Like I have said already....nothing beats a frog bite.  And to forewarn people in the future, if you don't have some heavier gear to back up a massive strike like this and you don't check every detail...you could have a missed opportunity just like I did.

So not to leave you hanging, and to provide further entertainment.  Here are some other topwater strikes that are high on my all time favorite list...

Good fishing guys, the topwater season is not over yet!

Fluke