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While it’s nice to fish larger bodies of water to avoid combat fishing, many of these larger lakes and rivers also fish small when it comes to main-lake targets.
Early mornings and late evenings are ideal; but, mid-day frogging can bring some of the biggest fish you’ll catch all year.
Another option regardless of water size is fishing all of these lakes and rivers at night. Don’t think for one second that bass can’t key in on a frog after the sun goes down; I’m here to tell you how much fun it is. By walking or popping your frog aggressively, largemouth can key in on your bait without difficulty.
DISSECTING COVER
Since many lakes right now are perfect for frogging, each will have its own cover that can be unique for how the bass position. If you focus on shallow wood for cover, you’ll often be fishing for a single fish.
Find a location that has shallow wood and a mix of lily pads, and now you’re filling the livewell for a tournament limit, or an impressive picture with your friends.
While most anglers look for “something different” on top of the water, what really counts is what’s different underneath the water. Differences are one of the highest percentage attractions for bass on any lake, any river and any location. So where should you focus if your body of water has limited cover that the eye can see?
Weedlines underneath the water also are mainstays for hungry, largemouth bass.
In bodies of water with featureless characteristics, offshore humps and vegetation can bring even bigger fish and larger populations of bass. If you’re going to experiment, using topwater frogs offshore over areas like this can be magical. It might be a rare experience; but, all it takes is one trip on a lake with offshore cover for you to return the next weekend, hoping to duplicate that pattern.
CASTING ACCURACY
Nearly anyone can catch bass with a frog in the summer, but casting ability separates those beginner or intermediate anglers from those we call “sticks”.
Sticks are those anglers who can grind out a limit, even on the toughest of days and believe it or not their success isn’t “luck”. There are few anglers who can skip a frog underneath a dock that has a 4-inch opening. But consider the reason for success once again, it’s not what you see above the water. It is what makes the difference underneath.
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