The fish of 1000 Casts..frog fishing 101

Musky have always been called the fish of 1000 casts, rumour has it this is because you spend all day casting and very little time catching. Frog fishing for bass can be a very similar experience, sometimes numerous casts are needed to even evoke just one strike. Many times anglers don't throw enough casts or cover enough water when they pull up to a good frog hole.

Here are a few tips for the next time you are out on the water and decide to pull out a frog...

Read between the lines.. the lines in the slop left from previous anglers are good story tellers, the long lines show you if an area has previously been fished and how thorough. If you notice a hole in the middle of a line (large or small) there is a good chance the hole was left from a strike/blow-up. Wide lines usually represent areas that fish have been caught and pulled through the slop. Read the lines and then choose your course of action

Just because an area has been fished does not mean you should move on. I often fish the same frog hole a few times a day as the sun and temperatures rise. I start off in the morning, and return in early afternoon, if I'm on the lake all day I may end my day in the same spot.

Go where no man has gone before... When I pull up to a new frog hole I read the lines (see above) and look for areas that have not been thoroughly fished or even better, have not been fished at. Many times when you enter an area you will quickly notice that the cast lines only go back 80-90% of the way. This is usually due to very thick vegetation that many anglers don't want to cut thorough.. me, i see it as the gold mine. I will slowly work my way back as  and make sure I can get my frog past the lines left by other anglers, even short distances such as 2-3 feet will produce fish.

If your boat has a hard time cutting through the thicker vegetation you may need to up your frog size. My current favourite frog is the Live Target hollow body  5/8 oz, in situations in which I need to get way back in, i may increase to the 3/4 oz frog, or change over to a Spo frog that usually has some more weight to it.

Tip: Going where no man has gone before does not just entail hitting the backs of bays or frog holes, it also means working in and around structure. If there is any structure sticking out of the water always be sure to edge up to it or through it, hopping over logs, under over hangs and through brush may increase your stress level (frogs arn't cheap) but it will also increase your fish catching totals.

Last but not least, cast until your arms fall off. I recently read an article in FLW magazine in which the pro discussed how he made casts 2ft apart and covered an entire area with his frog, this could means dozens (if not hundreds) of casts in each area.. taking this a step further, after you have covered the area it is time to switch up directions and cover the area from a different angle, similar to crank bait fising the direction of apprach can be a key to success.. surely you cant do this all the time or you will burn an entire day in a single spot, but if you want to really learn a frog hole and increase your confidence I recommend taking the time to test out these few small tips, you will quickly learn techniques that work for you and be able to use them on various lakes

Weapons of Choice

Dobyns 735C rod
Diawa Viento Reel (love the twichin bar when frog fishing)
Live Target Hollow body frog (small size to start)