We will talk about artificial Weedless frog Lures with hooks pressed to the body. They have no extra details such as front legs, so the bait has a phenomenal passability. Frogs for simplicity we will call the top-waters of this type for rodents. Maximally accurate imitations with high detail of amphibian limbs are used in other conditions. We will not touch them.
Where and when we will fish on weedless frogs
After the winter floods fill plains of rivers. Easily warmed by the sun shallow waters are formed, on which the predator comes out to hunt for small fish. Catching pike in the spring on an artificial frog is successful. Only on accurate imitations with an open hook. In the surface baits-no hooks need rarely, because the vegetation has not had time to grow much. Shallow minnows are more effective. But to experiment is always worthwhile.
Duckweed
Summer-autumn is the main season. By July there comes a period when water bodies are partially, and some completely, covered with duckweed. Especially in standing water. Under the weed actively bubbles life and pike feed and bite even in the heat, and it is easier to approach it, there are fewer requirements for camouflage. Such situation occurs in small and medium-sized watercourses and reservoirs: ponds, peat bogs, pits, rivers; old rivers and bays of large rivers.
On small reservoirs, the situation changes quickly within a short period of time. Example. A week and a half ago I was on a canalized microstream. Fishing took place according to the following scheme. The working section of the river is small, 300 meters. Above and below is a thin shallow creek. The dam is held by a beaver dam, and a small current nails all the cassock to it, and a dense green carpet is formed. Upstream on the remaining 200 meters I catch pike on wobblers with their visual control.
Yesterday on the creek I found cuss all over the potential area. It was as if someone had brought a couple of trucks of it there on purpose. What happened was that a fairly fresh breeze had been blowing flat against the weak current for a few days and scattered the greens all over the surface. As a result, 90% of the time I was frolicking.
Determined the first situation. When the surface is in the weed, you can not bother much and fish everywhere on the surface unhooked, because surface fishing is very spectacular, even if the size of the pike is small.
It is convenient for beginners to train casting accuracy with these unhooked top-waters. You miss a shot – no big deal, you pull it out of the tree and keep throwing.
Tip
If the bait hangs on the branch, it should be pulled up smoothly to the shortest possible dangle, and then pull off sharply. If you pull it with a big swing, the bait will get wrapped up in the branch. Even a weedless frog can be torn off that way.
Let’s take into account one “but”, artificial frogs are worse at hooking fish on a bite than other baits. Use them when there is no alternative. More about this below in the section “Tactics”.
Weed and snags
When the grass occupies the entire water column, the surface, and sometimes even sticking out from the top – the second case of catching on the unhooked. Instead of grass, fallen trees with undamaged crowns may stick out. When the question arises “How can I spin fishing here?”, we put a frog.
Area fishing
In front of us a vast expanse, on which alternate areas with mud and weed, open windows, reeds and other delights gills. We start the search with the frog, so as quickly as possible a large area is fished. After finding the pike, we reduce the pace or use other baits.
Selection of lures based on conditions
We catch pike, so we choose frogs with large hooks, double or single, pressed to the body. Accordingly, the body of the bait will not be small. Even a small pike with a normal bite eats such a bait completely, and a large hook cuts through it better. In the back bottom part there is a weight. The photo below is a set from my previous fishing trip: bait weights 6.5 grams, 9 grams and 12.2 grams, size 4.5 – 5.5 cm. The big one is my favorite. It is partially filled with water, gets heavier and casts far on a thick cord. It is the cheapest, I bought a few of these last year on Aliexpress. I do not remember the brand, and it does not matter. The same model goes under different brands, plus they can be found in a store near the house under the European brand with a price tag of 2-3 times more expensive. The others are Booyah – Frog Pad Crasher Jr and Livetarget – Frog Hollow Body. I have a few Akara frog pads, I haven’t had a time to test them.
On surface baits implementation of bites is low, and on unhooked baits with hooks pressed to the body – even less. Material baits are not oak, it’s either rubber or elastomer. Such materials survive quite a lot of predator attacks. Silicone frogs are also sold, but I had them scattered to shreds without waiting for the impact of the predator from contacts with vegetation. Pike in gillnets on a silicone frog is more effective in places where there is less weeds.
Color
Apart from the green back and light belly it is difficult to find other colors. I do not think that in such difficult conditions, and even from below, pike is looking at something, but for visual control we are better suited to bright contrasting colors, as in the photo below. Yellow – Proberos Premier Pro Series, white – Superior Frog 50 mm / 11.5 gr.
Frog poppers are suitable for partially open areas without duckweeds. Their clear advantage I have not found, maybe still to come.
Briefly about the choice of frog:
- A large, strong hook;
- The bait should squeeze easily;
- Be durable;
- Color is better bright, but not crucial.
Tactics
If we go to a large pond or river, where there is a chance of encountering hard spots, we take one frog. If we go to a small lake, we put two or three species in the box, plus a Croatian egg.
Bait should be powerful. Fish have to be forced to the shore between the grass and trees, tossed over the shore bushes. My standard set – Major Craft Restive 6’9″ 6-21 g (or Major Craft Dodger DGS-782MH 10-35 gr) + Shimano Nasci 2 500 + Power Pro 20 lb (0,23 mm) (minimum 15 lb, when there are snags, only grass) or other four-core, resistant to abrasion braided cord. A smaller rig will severely limit the wrestling, while a larger rig will be a good option, but within reasonable limits.
Conducting frogs at a medium pace with constant jerks or pulls with a spinning rod, bites and even. With frequent misses, we slow down the pace or play almost on the spot.
Let’s move on to tactics and more specific cases. On microstreams and meliorative canals, where near the shore under the weed there is at least half a meter of water, under the edge of the probability of a bite. The pike often finds itself in the center of the exit for the frog. After that, we lead the bait to the shore and get not a poke, and a full-fledged swallow. My hypothesis: the first time pike rushes reflexively in a “reaction strike” style, then, without losing “plunge”, turns around, guesses the trajectory of the victim and attacks. So I bring the frog to the edge of the shore.
Duckweeds grows in different ways, where rare and medium density – I use wobblers or slow sinking vibro-tails. Even if the wiring lasts only a meter and a half or two meters, and then you have to reel out and clean the baits. The exception, when you need to cover a large area, then I put the frog.
If the surface is covered with weeds, and plus the grass in the water column to the surface – I put a frog. When nothing protrudes over the surface, no slime and similar plants on it, I use a Croatian egg.
In a very dense cud, frogs do not work for me, there are other tactical developments.
The pike attacks unhooked with minimal visual contact. Above there is a green carpet, in which the cassock alternates with pieces of grass vegetation, leaves, twigs, plus all the grass in the water column. We’re getting a lot of blank nibbles. What to do?
If a pike does not swallow the bait, but only pokes it with his nose, misses heavily, or we see a whirlpool, then it’s worth waiting for a productive bite. In most cases, the fish can be persuaded to repeated attacks: we cast two or three times beyond the point of contact. No result – change the bait or the place from which we throw. A couple of steps to the side give another angle of attack, even better – change the direction of wiring more than 90 degrees.
For some models, the efficiency of baiting increases the displacement of the double asymmetrically to the longitudinal axis, as in the photo on the right.
When you take a nibble, you don’t hook it right away. Wait a second to three seconds.
If there are a lot of misses, after an empty bite I change the bait to unloaded silicon on an offset hook.
The pike likes the sound that the bait makes when falling, so it is not necessary to try to accurately put the frog on the water.
What to do if there is a ruff and no surface unhooked bait? Silicone baits on an offset hook will substitute. Although in general spinning fishing will be less convenient, but there will be a chance for results and twisters and slugs can be held on the surface.
Summary
If you have never fished with unhooked frogs, start with reservoirs in which pike, according to your data, are definitely present. One lure of this type takes up little space. Carry it with you in the summer and early fall and try it out. In my experience, not always and not everywhere pike respond to the frog, but when you get to the nibble, you get great pleasure from the spectacle of such fishing. Places with little fishing pressure become available, as most spinning anglers pass them by. You don’t even have to travel far. Overgrown and overgrown corner of the pond or quarry covered with mud and slime can surprise with a nice catch, not always, however, from the first time.
