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Hit Spring Bass Hard with One Soft Frog
Learn tournament bass angler Rich Lindgren’s frog gambit and follow-up fall moves
These days, the word “epic” is used to describe everything from fast food to funny cat videos on YouTube. But in a perfect world, it’d be reserved as a superlative for Lord Byron’s work or a sky dive from outer space.Or the promises of spring fishing…especially, late spring frogging.
LOCATION
Shallow, soft-bottom bays, coves and backwaters are high-probability spring frogging locations. Lindgren says a lot of the same areas that produce in summer will hold spring bass, whether lily pads, hydrilla, peppergrass or duckweed.
“I approach frog fishing large expanses of emergent vegetation much like I’d fish a crankbait over submergent weed flats. I want to get in as many longs casts as possible to maximize my time in the strike zone,” says Lindgren.
But he’ll also look to main lake areas with vegetation, especially areas near points and deep water that can attract roaming baitfish and panfish.
“I also like less concentrated vegetation with stuff hiding below: laydowns, stumps, transition areas of hard to soft bottom. Weed clumps also produce. In these areas fish see a lot of Senkos, jigs and creatures. But show them something different—like a frog—and sometimes it can really pay off.”
Lindgren admits that a lot of his tournament frogging time is spent doing something he learned from observing frog master Dean Rojas. “I’ll fish open water with frogs, areas around weed clumps and especially docks. Over the past couple years I’ve been astounded with the number of fish I can catch skipping frogs way underneath docks in fall.”
FROG D’JOUR
Lindgren’s favorite frog—the Nervous Walker 2.0 Frog from Evolve Bait Co.—is a relative newcomer to the topwater scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtOUxz4y2ZE. As its name implies, the hollow body frog is built for walking, which Lindgren says “activates easily so even beginning or novice bass anglers can control it like a pro.”
“I like that it’s a little bit bigger and displaces more water than most frogs. It’s big enough to be a good meal for bass but not so big that fish don’t consider it. Plus, it’s probably the softest frog on the market. And as a tournament angler, I care more about hook-ups than if the bait is going to last me two years. I want fish in the boat. The Nervous Walker practically melts in their mouths.”
He adds that the silicone skirt tails are cut to a realistic 2- to 2.5 inches, which eliminates having to trim them prior to fishing. “They’re also knotted in the body so they don’t shift during hooksets or over time with hard fishing. Thanks to its super sticky hooks, I’ve maybe missed two fish all year. A lot of frogs that look good don’t collapse in a fish’s mouth. With the Nervous Walker, you usually stick the fish with both hooks.”
Lindgren says that when he’s fishing clear waters he’s more apt to think about the subtleties of color. Truth is, most hollow body frog bellies are white, so what a fish sees – when a fish sees the bottom – is either white or darkened by the sun or emergent weed cover. Still, when worked over open water or holes in grass, bass can key in on subtle color differences.
“I like that the Nervous Walker incorporates a broken-up belly pattern. While conventional wisdom says bright colors on bright days, dark colors on dark days, I’ll usually begin any frogging session with some variation of Leopard, depending on the coloration of frogs on that particular body of water. I usually move from the Leopard patterns to Ghost, which can produce on pressured, clear waters where I’m throwing open water pockets in grass. When I’m fishing stained water or mats I’m usually less concerned with color.”
At 5/8 ounce, he says the bait naturally casts a country mile and covers most situations for profile and size.
HOW TO WORK IT
Lindgren says spring fishing typically requires a slower retrieve than summer frogging. “Although every day is different, I typically use slow, creeping twitches with lots of pauses for early/mid spring fish. It’s a good starting point; you can always speed up.”
Depending on the cover fished, Lindgren is either walking or scooting the Nervous Walker. “If I’m fishing around trees, weed clumps, small pads or docks, I’m walking the bait. In matted vegetation or duckweed I’ll scoot it.”
He says the beauty of the Nervous Walker is how easily he can control its action. “Put your rod tip down at four or five o’clock and bounce the bait, putting slack in your line, much like working a Spook. This is where a little softer rod tip can make all the difference. The Nervous Walker does the rest.”
But many bass anglers consider scooting closer to how frogs actually behave. “Anywhere there’s open water a frog will move in a linear path, legs kicking behind, propelling it forward, not in a zig zag. By holding your rod at 10 or 11 o’clock and shaking your rod as you crank, stop, crank, stop, the frog’s head will bob in a pretty natural manner that will get bit.”
INCREASE HOOK UPS
We’ve all been in the situation where bass blow up on hollow-body frogs but seldom connect. Lindgren says this is when changing color can sometimes make the difference. “If bass are short striking, rolling or popping, try switching colors. Sometimes it’s enough to get ‘em to eat.”
When it comes to hook ups, some anglers will count as many as three or four seconds before setting the hook. Yet, with the soft-bodied Nervous Walker, Lindgren says counting ‘one-thousand-one’ under his breath is typically enough time to cinch the deal. “That’s what’s great about its soft body. You can command hooksets without the agonizing wait. The tendency is to hesitate too long, which gives the bass the opportunity to spit the bait.”
He adds that if a bass “slurps” the bait, it typically means the fish is bigger, calling for an immediate hookset. “Sometimes the smallest fish make the biggest splash. It’s a simple slurp followed a tightening line that’s most exciting and means quality fish.”
Lindgren adds: “Don’t set the hook at a bad angle. Take the time to position yourself facing the bait, legs spread shoulder distance, and then cross their eyes. You can’t set the hook too hard with heavy braid.”
THE GEAR
Unlike other bass techniques that are more forgiving of mismatched rods, reels and line, frogging demands very specific gear. Like grandpa used to say, you’ve got to pick the right tool for the job.
At minimum, a 7- to 8-foot casting stick with a solid backbone, soft tip and heavy braid is required to winch fish out some pretty gnarly situations. A high gear ratio baitcaster reel, something in the 7.0:1 and above category makes cranking fish out of harm’s way faster and easier.
Lindgren keeps two frogging set-upsatthe ready at all times throughout the season. His go-to set-up is an 8-foot Dobyns 805 Flip/Punch rod with a high-geared Shimano Curado or Citica. “This is the set-up I use for mats and big weed expanses. I want to make long casts to get to fish a good distance from the boat. The 8 footer excels for that, and provides me with enough leverage to get them out.”
Another solid performer along these lines is the 7’11” St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Flippin’ rod matched with the new Shimano Chronarch CI4+ in 7.6:1 gear ratio with 32 inches of line pickup per turn. With its new X-Ship technology, the new Chronarch has added power and smoother cranking, which can be a real asset for power fishing frogs.
Lindgren’s “number two” set-up for froggin’ banks, trees and skipping under docks is a 7’ to 7’ 3” medium to heavy power rod with fast to extremely fast action like the Dobyns CW 735C Coalition Weapon Series rod. “A slightly shorter rod allows me to roll cast and allows more accuracy for skipping frogs under docks and under overhanging trees. The soft tip also helps me walk or scoot, whatever I choose to do.”
And while rods and reels are both important, the Achilles heel of any frogging arsenal is line choice. Lindgren: “I don’t use anything smaller than 50 pound braid, typically opting for 65-pound. I’m a big fan of Sunline FX2, which has alternated dark green and blue coloring, eliminating the need to Sharpie your line near the bait for camouflage. It’s strong, round and seldom digs into the spool. Plus, the color doesn’t wear off.”
To ensure a fail-safe connection of braid to bait, Lindgren uses a Palomar knot dotted with a dab of Superglue.
FOLLOW-UP MOVES
As most froggers painfully know, there will be times when a fish blows up on a frog a half dozen times—and even after color changes, nothing connects. Lindgren’s solution? Follow-up baits.
“It’s been my experience that if I get a repeat striker and can’t connect, they’ll hit a soft plastic if you get back in there quick enough,” says Lindgren.
Thus, he always keeps a couple extra rods on deck during frogging sorties, specifically rigged with tactical soft plastics.
“The same company that makes the Nervous Walker has a creature called the Kompak Craw that really excels as a punch bait. Rigged Texas-style with a ½ ounce tungsten weight, I can fire it right back into a hole and often draw aggression bites after missed frog blow-ups.”
He rigs a second follow-up rod with a large swimbait called the DarkStar Swimmer, rigged on a 3/16-ounce 6/0 VMC keel-weighted EWG hook. “I can slide the DarkStar through the same stuff I fish the frog and it’s tail thumps through open water areas. I also use it to fish the edges of grass mats, lily pads and over lay downs if the frog action subsides. It fishes fast and draws a lot of strikes, especially if the bass are more keyed into feeding on baitfish or bluegills.”
By Jack Busby
Worming the Shaker
Bill Lowen doesn’t like to talk about it on tour, but one of the best ways to fish a crankbait is not to burn it, or retrieve it a moderate pace, or even take it for a slow stroll. When pressured fish want a hard bait, but won’t bite when it’s just proceeding forward steadily, he likes to “worm” it through the cover that normally just sees jigs and soft plastics.
It’s not a new technique – and he said that it remains popular on the Ohio River and other highly pressured waterways – but much of the country has never heard of it or tried it and that makes it prime for tough-to-catch largemouths, smallmouths and spots relating to cover.
As with any presentation, “it’s one of those things you have to let the fish tell you to do,” Lowen said. “When I know they’re there and can’t get them to bite it any other way, I slow way down. I get a slow speed reel, something like 5.4:1, and bring it back as slowly as I can reel while still feeling the bait and making contact with the cover. I like to get it down in the cover, whether that be rock or wood, and then slow it down as much as I can.”
In rocky cover, that typically just consists of a glacial retrieve. In wood, particularly laydowns, he uses his rod tip to guide the lure through the branches. For this purpose he almost exclusively uses a flat-sided bait, notably the Ima Shaker. “It’s not as buoyant as a Square Bill,” he said. “And it has a rounded nose. If you reel it really fast it might hang up, but if you just creep it along it’s amazing how easily it will crawl through the thick stuff.” When you think you’re going slow enough, try to slow it down even more.
Bill is worming his ima Shaker along the structure as slow as possible.
The release from cover is often the triggering mechanism for strikes: “It’s just a really cool action, almost something I can’t describe,” he said. “When you reel it up to the cover and then just slowly ‘worm’ it through, it kind of springs up off the cover. It’s not something that happens if you reel it fast. When it pops up like that, I pause it, and that’s usually when the strikes will come. It’s the weirdest bite you will ever get. You lose all contact with the bait and it kind of gets pushed toward you and then the rod loads up.” Luckily, they tend to get the Shaker in the back of their throats, and even if they don’t its super-sharp hooks will nab even a tentative biter.
Worming darker colored patterns can be the ticket at times. Pictured above are the ima Shaker in Bumble Bee & Rootbeer.
He uses 12 lb. fluorocarbon almost exclusively for this technique. Not only does it provide necessary sensitivity to let you feel the cover and also those weird bites, but it keeps the bait down in the strike zone for what seems like an eternity, even if it’s barely moving forward.
Bill had recent success with this pattern at the Table Rock Event.
http://www.bassmaster.com/blogs/2014-elite-series-table-rock-live-blog/lowen-cranked-his-way-top-12
Cliff Notes: Dardanelle Wrap Up
Jason Christie Cracks Dardanelle For Come-From-Behind Win
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Jason Christie pulled off a 4-ounce “wonder” win Sunday in the Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle.
It wasn’t a case of anyone thinking that a Christie victory would be a wonder. After all, the pro from Park Hill, Okla., was already an Elite champ from the 2013 season and has a very successful career going. It was Christie himself who was kept guessing.
“At what point did you know you’d won this?” a reporter asked Christie, who had started out the championship round in fourth place.
“When they announced on stage I was the winner,” Christie replied. “To be 3 pounds back and feeling like I needed low 20s (pounds) to win, makes the win special,” he said.
His prize was $100,000 and a win-you’re-in qualification for the 2015 Bassmaster Classic.
Christie produced a final-day weight close to what he thought he needed to win: 19 pounds, 2 ounces. His four-day total was 72 pounds, 3 ounces.
His margin of victory was 4 ounces over Gerald Swindle of Warrior, Ala., finishing in second place with 71-15 after producing the day’s largest weight of 20-1.
Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., who led the field on both the second and third days, finished in third place at 71-11. Christie bested him by 8 ounces.
“I could go back and look at lost fish,” Hackney said. “I lost a 3-pounder one day, but that happens to everybody. But otherwise I fished clean this week.”
Hackney said he caught a 4-pounder with five minutes left in Sunday’s competition. “But I still felt like I was coming back short one big one,” said Hackney, who weighed 15-3.
Thanks to Hackney’s strong Dardanelle performance, he gained a lot of ground in the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. Hackney had been in seventh place, 79 points behind leader Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. Now Hackney trails Davis by one point.
Davis remained in the lead, a positioned he’s held for four events in a row. Davis had a 42-point advantage coming into the Dardanelle event, but his 81st-place finish almost erased that.
Rick Clunn, who started the final round at Dardanelle in second place, finished in fourth at 70-15. The bass fishing legend from Ava, Mo., had been just 13 ounces behind leader Hackney after Day 3.
Fifth place was claimed by Keith Combs of Huntington, Texas, at 68-3.
Christie described his climb up the leaderboard over the first three days as “steady Eddie.” On Day 1 he was in 26th, Day 2 he climbed up into 10th, and by Day 3 he had gained fourth place.
Christie said his 26th-place start was the beginning of a learning curve.
“I was learning where they’re setting up, and what time of the day they’re feeding,” he said after Day 3. “I found there’s two times of the day when they’re really eating, and if you’re not around them at those times, you can fish right by them.”
His main game keyed in on current in Illinois Bayou, he said, triggering reaction bites by swimming a jig.
“I saw every bass that came up and got it,” he said.
The lure he stuck with was a 1/2-ounce Booyah jig with a black-and-blue Yum Craw Chunk.
“I was fishing pretty dirty water, and that jig has really loud rattles,” he said. “I would stroke that jig, trying to get the big ones to react.”
On his way back to check in each day, he would make a few stops in clearer water. There he would remove the jig’s rattles. He caught a 3-pounder that way one day, but most of his weight came from the stained water of the Illinois Bayou around vegetation by swimming the jig up high.
“Every fish that bit didn’t come up to get it. They came horizontally,” he said.
Christie searched for larger bass by looking for matted weeds.
“All of a sudden you’d see a point that had a mat. That’s a perfect place for a big one to be,” he said.
He hit transition areas between where bass are known to spawn and “choke-down” currents, where the channel narrowed.
“Once I felt the current really, really get moving, I cast where the current hit it directly. Wind helped too. If I could get current and wind, that’s what I needed,” he said.
In the Bassmaster Rookie of the Year race, Chad Morgenthaler of Coulterville, Ill., took over the lead from Jacob Powroznik of Port Haywood, Va. Powroznik had had six points on Morgenthaler. Thanks to his 40th-place finish at Dardanelle to Powroznik’s 77th, Morgenthaler now leads by 31 points.
Bonuses that Elite pros earned at the Dardanelle event were:
* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $3,000 to the highest eligible finisher: Christie.
* Toyota Bonus Bucks award of $2,000 to the second-highest eligible finisher: Combs.
* Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Bonus of $1,000 to the leader in the Elite Series points race: Davis.
* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Zell Rowland of Montgomery, Texas, for Day 2 bag of 25-5.
* Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament worth $1,000 plus another $500 for wearing Carhartt apparel: Rowland for his 6-10 of Day 2.
* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash award of $1,000 to the highest finisher equipped with a Power-Pole anchoring system: Christie.
* Livingston Lures Leader Award of $500 for being the Day 2 leader: Hackney.
* Rigid Industries Jackpot: Not awarded. Rigid offers a daily prize of $250 to anglers registered for the program who produce a 25-pound or heavier bag. Unclaimed daily awards roll over into the next tournament day of the season; the jackpot is now $1,750.
The local host organization for the Dardanelle event was the Russellville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
The Bassmasters TV show on ESPN2 will cover all the Dardanelle action on June 1 from 8 to 9 a.m. ET.
Next up for the Bassmaster Elite Series is the No. 6 stop of the season June 11-15 in Dayton, Tenn., for the Bassmaster BASSfest at Chickamauga Lake. A new type of competition stretched over five days, BASSfest features not only the 108-pro Elite field, but another 60 anglers from the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens presented by Allstate. BASSfest also will include the big BASSfest Expo, seminars by top pros and activities for kids.
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha
2014 Bassmaster Elite Series Supporting Sponsors: Booyah, Carhartt, Diet Mountain Dew, Livingston Lures, Lowrance, Plano, Power-Pole, Rigid Industries, Shimano
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 500,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2), social media programs and events. For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series presented by Allstate, B.A.S.S. Nation events, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, Bassmaster High School Series, Toyota Bonus Bucks Bassmaster Team Championship and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.
2014 Bassmaster Elite at Lake Dardanelle 5/15-5/18
Lake Dardanelle, Russellville AR.
Standings Day 4
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jason Christie Park Hill, OK 20 72-03 100 $101,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-07 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 20-00 Day 4: 5 19-02
2. Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL 20 71-15 99 $25,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-12 Day 2: 5 14-02 Day 3: 5 19-00 Day 4: 5 20-01
3. Greg Hackney Gonzales, LA 20 71-11 98 $20,500.00
Day 1: 5 21-13 Day 2: 5 18-01 Day 3: 5 16-10 Day 4: 5 15-03
4. Rick Clunn Ava, MO 20 70-15 97 $15,000.00
Day 1: 5 18-05 Day 2: 5 17-14 Day 3: 5 19-08 Day 4: 5 15-04
5. Keith Combs Huntington, TX 20 68-03 96 $14,000.00
Day 1: 5 19-14 Day 2: 5 16-10 Day 3: 5 17-11 Day 4: 5 14-00
6. Michael Iaconelli Pitts Grove, NJ 20 67-02 95 $13,500.00
Day 1: 5 12-09 Day 2: 5 18-05 Day 3: 5 17-12 Day 4: 5 18-08
7. Cliff Crochet Pierre Part, LA 20 66-14 94 $13,000.00
Day 1: 5 13-04 Day 2: 5 19-15 Day 3: 5 19-02 Day 4: 5 14-09
8. Chris Zaldain San Jose, CA 20 66-10 93 $12,500.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 5 15-03 Day 3: 5 16-08 Day 4: 5 17-06
9. John Crews Salem, VA 20 65-14 92 $12,000.00
Day 1: 5 22-09 Day 2: 5 16-12 Day 3: 5 11-11 Day 4: 5 14-14
10. Paul Elias Laurel, MS 20 64-12 91 $11,500.00
Day 1: 5 14-09 Day 2: 5 13-09 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 16-03
11. Takahiro Omori Emory, TX 20 63-06 90 $11,000.00
Day 1: 5 16-00 Day 2: 5 13-02 Day 3: 5 20-07 Day 4: 5 13-13
12. Skeet Reese Auburn, CA 20 59-13 89 $10,500.00
Day 1: 5 16-14 Day 2: 5 13-07 Day 3: 5 18-07 Day 4: 5 11-01
CARHARTT BIG BASS
Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 06-10 $1,000.00
BERKLEY HEAVYWEIGHT
Zell Rowland Montgomery, TX 25-05 $500.00
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| —————————————– Totals Day #Limits #Fish Weight 1 102 522 1530-06 2 76 481 1241-05 3 45 239 695-03 4 12 60 190-00 ———————————- 235 1302 3656-14 |
Brandon Lester: Post Dardanelle Report
Brandon Lester brings his post tournament report from Lake Dardanelle. Lester is off to a great start in his rookie season on the Bassmaster Elite Series, cashing checks in 3 out of 5 events. Find out how he caught the this week plus get a tip on what to do when your shallow fish start getting pressured.
Follow Brandon this year on his Facebook page and on his web site.