Seeing a ferocious strike from a giant largemouth bass as it blows up on a topwater frog is one of the most thrilling moments in fishing. To witness the power and aggressiveness on full display sends a collective shiver down the spine of any passionate angler; it’s also one of the most consistent ways to catch big bass throughout the hot summer months. But to consistently get those bites—and convert them into releases—you need to understand the methodology behind the technique.
Breaking Down the Bite
Sometimes getting a trophy bass to hit the frog is the easy part. Hooking the fish means also having an understanding of how they eat and why.
Largemouth bass are ambush predators and are willing to strike nearly anything that comes into range. They will sense the frog visually, by sound or by picking up vibrations through their lateral line as it swims across heavy cover. On the bite, bass create suction by forcing water through its mouth and out past its gills. If the fish misses the frog on the first strike, allow it to sit twitching—the fish will nearly always circle back to consume what it believes is a crippled prey.
Because they choose to consume their prey headfirst, the bass may swim off with the frog as it returns to heavy cover. Strike now and you’ll miss. It’s critical you give the fish time to reposition the bait in its mouth, usually a full second or even two before striking hard and coming tight. This is the most difficult part for rookie froggers!
Using the Right Gear
Because most passionate frog aficionados use a stout rod with some backbone combined with heavy braid—often tied directly to the lure— hand fatigue can become an issue. Fish Monkey’s Free Style fishing glove is a perfect match for this setup. It offers a number of key features for topwater frog fishing, including a second-skin fit with ultralight, moisture-wicking fabrics offering UPF 50-plus sun protection as well as light padding and protection in all the right places. This means you can easily lip a big bass or take a wrap with heavy braid without worry of the line cutting into your hand. The Free Style is also designed to allow the user to remove any fingertips they wish without having the glove fray or split. This is key for tying knots or manipulating snap swivels without having to remove the glove. And because of the additional padding and grip in the palms, making hundreds of casts a day is much less fatiguing.
Add the Free Style to your topwater frog fishing arsenal this summer, and best of luck from your friends at Fish Monkey performance fishing gloves.
