Summertime largemouth bass can be caught shallow, deep and everywhere in between, depending on the conditions. That said, there’s probably no technique that is more exciting than throwing a hollow-bodied frog over thick cover. A weedless topwater frog works well to cover water without fouling, and it will entice strikes from bass of all sizes, including the biggest ones in the lake.
The one downside, however, to fishing with a hollow-bodied frog is your hooking percentage is often much lower than it is with other lures. Yes, sometimes a missed opportunity is caused by a bass that simply misses the moving frog; not much you can do about that. But many times, the reason is pilot error — the angler’s actions result in a missed fish.
The most common mistake made by a bass fisherman when using a topwater frog is setting the hook too soon. And it’s understandable! When a bass explodes on your frog, the desire to set the hook immediately — and hard — is tremendously strong. But this often results in a “swing and a miss.” The key is being patient after the strike and waiting a split second until you feel the pressure from the bass — believe me, I know, it’s easier said than done.
Ott DeFoe is a Major League Fishing competitor and won the Bassmaster Classic (considered the Super Bowl of bass fishing) in 2019. In the 50-second YouTube video below, DeFoe explains and demonstrates how to properly set the hook when fishing a hollow-bodied frog.
My favorite quote from DeFoe in the video when talking about a bass: “He doesn’t have hands; he’s only got a mouth.”
Watch and learn!
