Trouble Staying hooked up on Hollow Body Frogs!

[mike304]

Hey guys need some input. I was on a 4 day fishing trip last week and spent a lot of time throwing hollow bodied frogs into the slop. I was having a lot of problems staying hooked up, and lost a couple of nice fish. I would wait the obligatory time, set the hook, and feel the weight of the fish. Then they would burrow into the slop and come unbuttoned.
I'm using a Dobyns DX704c Heavy Action, Quantum Smoke reel and 50lb Sufix 832. Used a few different frogs so I'm not thinking that's the problem.
Am I not setting the hook hard enough? It was pretty frustrating.

[Nytron]

Hold the reel high near your head when setting the hook w/ the rod tip as high as possible, pulling the fish out of the water. You don't want to pull the fish through the weeds, you want to pull him out of the water and the weeds. Use 65lb or even 80lb test. If the fish heads deeper into the weeds and wraps you around lily pad stems or other weeds, the line will get hung around several weeds and the fish unhooks itself.

Once you feel the weight of the fish, set the hook HARD and reel hard so that the fish cannot even swim.

[bstuckey]

I love my DX rods but for frogging I use a 735C or a 736C, the DX704 just doesn't have the overall power to really stick bass when fishing frogs. I would strongly consider adding a 735C or 736C to your arsenal if you want to have a serious frog stick.

[Tokugawa]

You are going to lose more fish than normal on those baits...just the nature of the game. Slop, topwater, big fish, unforgiving line and stout tackle = recipe for losing fish.

I agree with Stuckey - get a slightly longer (7'2"-7'4") and more powerful rod. I use the Lami frogging rod and it is a complete beast...but others will work. I also use #55 Samurai braid, but a lot of guys go #80...depends on where you live.

If you get a fast action rod, you can pull the hook free if you pull too hard with stretchless braid...especially if the fish is hooked in a soft part of the mouth. If you get them in the cheek plate or top of the mouth, you have a better chance than if they are hooked in the side of the mouth or through the lip. A lot of frog rods are going to a mod/fast action to minimize hook pull out. It can be a delicate balance between power to control and over doing it.

[Bassboss]

Let em take it a little longer. Once they've got it good, reel up the slake and set the hook HARD, right near you chest (more power there then over you head), and get em out as fast as you can. Nothin much else you can do other then teak your gear.. you'll loose a few froggin that's for sure. ;

[NCbigbass]

Bend the hooks out slightly too. Google Dean rojas and bronzeye frog and I think you can find a video of him doing this. It will give you a wider gap and more bite.

[GARRIGA]

Wouldn't a heavy action 8ft rod give more leverage to pull the bass up and out of the weeds? Also, I know most recommend a high speed retrieve based on the assumption you can reel a bass faster but my experience with large fish is using a low gear ratio reel since it has more power. Would the combination of 8ft, 65lb braid and a 5:1 reel make it easier to drag something through or above heavy vegetation? The longer sweep of the rod should compensate on any IPT lost to the lower gear.

[Cisco]

While your logic makes sense, to many people the problem with an 8 ft rod is it is hard, clumsy, cumbersome to walk the dog/twitch a frog with such a long rod. Also, with a slow speed reel it's hard to pick up the slack from the twitching motion used in working a frog. I concur with everyone else, it's hard to beat the Dobyns Champion 735c/736c and a 7:x reel for frogging

[GARRIGA]

While your logic makes sense, to many people the problem with an 8 ft rod is it is hard, clumsy, cumbersome to walk the dog/twitch a frog with such a long rod. Also, with a slow speed reel it's hard to pick up the slack from the twitching motion used in working a frog. I concur with everyone else, it's hard to beat the Dobyns Champion 735c/736c and a 7:x reel for frogging

Yeah, I see your point on the slack line pickup. Perhaps punching would be better suited for the low gear reel. As for an 8 ft rod, I have no issues making a top water lure work with it but do see how a 7'3" is much better. For straight retrieves over vegetation, tho, I think the 8 ft/low gear might work. Pure speculation because I haven't had a chance to try it, yet.

[srw]

I've found that a couple of things improved my hook to land ratio. Getting the fish pointed towards you and away from cover right away really helps. Once you've got them coming, keep them coming! The other thing is that it is real easy to give the fish some slack right after the hook set. I found that I would often lower the tip after the hook set. If you think about it, if the rod is overhead, dropping it to 60 degrees results in a couple of feet of slack. Even if you are reeling hard, you may not be able to overcome this breif amount of slack.

[mike304]

thanks for all the good tips guys, I'll have to try concentrating on them. Unfortunately the new rod is not in the cards right now. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy more than one $200 to $300 rod every year or so.

[GAbassguy]

Having used the DX704c with frogs before, I know that it has the power to do what you need. Just keep the rod tip as high as possible and drag them out of the slop, and it will be OK until you can get a 735c Savvy.

[bstuckey]

Mike304, I was out froggin this past weekend and after missing 3 fish I checked my hooks and sure enough they were both dull. Sharpened them both and went 8 for 8. Something elementry can easily be overlooked.

[GrantG]

If you can handle a rod with a slightly longer rear grip, the zillion xh swimbait rod is at least 85% as good a performing stick as the steez frog rod for pulling large bass out of the thickest mats. I have both and use them both all the time when fishing frogs. You can find the zillion used for well under $200 if you look around the boards. I actually prefer the longer rear grip for launching frogs far back onto the mats. I wish the steez had the same long handle. Good luck.






Grant

[Capt Ray]

I fish the SPRO frog a good bit and this is my technique. I use a Kistler 7'8" All Day Power Tool matched with a Curado E7 spooled with 50lb braid.

When the fish blows up on the frog I watch my line for movement, I do not wait until I feel the weight as with a solid body frog. As soon as I see the line move I sweep the rod horizontally until I feel the fish and get it moving, then I bring the rod straight up with the tip well above my head, be careful not to get slack in the line. At this point the fish is usually on top of the slop and with the E7 (7:1) I am able to keep it skidding over the slop. I would say I am about 80% successful with this technique.

You will lose some that is just inherent to fishing this type of bait.