Westernbass Magazine October 2011, Page 25

Westernbass Magazine October 2011, Page 25

know the new Sticky Green and ishalicious will be good colors, everywhere. i make a lot of colors because guys want different colors. this year we came out with Cristyl. it is totally clear so anglers can design their own Phat Frog anyway they like it.

How do you work your frog?

Sometimes a walk, sometimes a chug. again, it depends on what the fish want. i can go loud and nasty with big twitches and make it spit or i can bring it in with a calmer, more silent retrieve. over the mat, shorter, slower drags and let it sit. That will give the fish a chance to see it and strike. i don’t play around, i set the hook hard, reel and swing ‘em in. You don’t want to give them a chance to spit your frog.

How do you decide if you will start punchin’ or froggin’?

i can catch frog fish 12 months out of the year. Not always in the same places throughout the year, but somewhere. i’m not saying the bite is always the best, even the winter; but you can get them all year round. i will also punch any time of the year, all seasons, as long as there is something to punch, i will punch.

For punching or for frog fishing, spring, summer and fall you will find the fish relating to baitfish. The bugs and algae in mats will attract the bait and that attracts the bass. That is a great place to start. depending on water levels, weed lines and grass lines can be a great place to walk the frog. open water over grass or other submerged structure, hoppin’ over laydowns they’re all good places to start and to help you see what the fish are relating to.

in winter, the fish are still positioning near food sources; but they are also looking for a warmth. They want a house with a heater, so if you find water that is warmer or cover

that can hold heat that is a good place to try.

Conditions will decide if the bass will chase or not. When they’re not chasing, you have to give it to them just how they want it, right where they want it and they will eat, hungry or not. Big bass are lazy, they don’t want to work for their meal. if you’re sittin’ at home and you have to go make yourself somethin’ to eat, you may not; but if the pizza man shows up at the door, you’re going to take a bite and so will they. You have to determine the most likely place they will be according to conditions and then knock ‘em on the head with the pizza.

What are you doin’ in the off-season to prepare yourself for next year?

i am going to fish all i can

before i leave. Sometimes,

when you haven’t fished

in awhile, even if it’s only

been a couple of weeks the

excitement to catch fish

gets the adrenaline goin’

and you react too much to

a bite. if you desensitize

yourself to the bite, you have

less of a chance to overreact

and rip a bait out of a fishes

mouth or try and set the hook

too early. So, i am going to fish a

lot before i go back on tour and get

myself ready.

traveling in the Bassmaster elite

Series and the FlW tour has earned

Monroe the title of the only two tour pro

in the Country. He has amassed career

earnings of $1.5 million and in addition to

six Bassmaster Classic qualifications, he is

also a Forrest Wood Cup qualifier.

He will launch into the 2012 season with

the Classic set for Shreveport, la in February.

He suspects he will be using the simple winning

combo of Phat Frogs plus Paycheck Punch Baits,

again and possibly his new Poppin’ frog, which is in

the works at Snag Proof, now.

Photo by Jody Only

Issue 4  October 2011

25