Frog/Rat Fishing 101

After my trip to Lake Champlain I learned this is not a tactic just used in the Southern states but also on lakes up North. Frog fishing(aka "Rat fishing") is something I learned to do years ago and love it. I get tons of clients from all over the US coming to Guntersville to learn this tactic and some of the tricks we use here. I thought I would pass them along to our readers and hope this will help anglers out in getting better hook up's as well as some tricks to over come those presured fish.
First thing I notice is alot of anglers that don't do this often don't really know the terms. When I am talking "frog fishing" I am talking about using a topwater soft plastic from like a Lake Fork Frok or Jackall Mask and swimming it over topped out grass or areas where the grass is matted but also covered with very little water(kind of a sloppy look). The other fishing is "Rat fishing" this term is used by those "old school" anglers that fish soft hollow body frogs over fully topped out mats.
When talking frog type fishing make sure you have the right equiptment for the job. I like to use a heavy rod with an extra fast tip to cast the bait a long way without a weight. This bait is awesome for working areas where grass is topped out in spots and "buzzbaits" will not work. To be honest the Lake Fork frog has almost replaced the buzzbait in my boat. I like to use Lake Fork FH Flourohybrid line in 32 lb test. Now if the grass is really thick under the surface I use braid in atleast 50 lb test. The braid will assist you in cutting the grass after a hook set. I like to make long cast as not to get too close to the areas I want to fish. One reason for this is alot of these fish tend to be just under the surface of the water and they get alot of presure. After making the cast just bring the bait back to the boat with a steady pace. Sometimes you will want to "pop" your rod tip up and make the bait splash a little. This will trigger strikes and bring fish from a distance. Also after a pop I sometimes let the bait fall just under the surface for a second. This will also trigger some high presured fish to bite when they are following it but will not commit to it. The biggest thing I can say is dont be affraid to work the bait and make it do alot of things until you get the fish to tell you what they want.
When an angler encounters more of a matted area the frog works but the ol' "rat style" fishing works alot better. I like to use a strong rod like a Jackall Delta Spec or Daiwa 7'4" swimbait rod. Both of these rods work well and have alot of backbone to pull those big fish out of some of the nasty mats. I top it with a Daiwa 6.3:1 reel. One thing to remember is always use braid line. I use atleast 65 lb braid but have been known to use 80. I do this for one reason. Alot of fish tend to "stack up" in the grass and if you have to go in and get them from the grass you will spook the rest of the school and not get another bite from that area. The areas are sometimes very small(sometimes smaller than 10 feet) so this is important when fishing tournaments. I have worked miles of grass for hours without a bite then hit one "spot" that will produce 25+ pounds in 5 cast. I use several types of hollow frogs when picking my baits. I love the River 2 sea baits but have had alot of luck on the Spro baits as well. I have also seen color is not that big of a deal but sometimes it will change the way the fish will hold the bait. I tend to stick to about 3 colors Green, Black, and White. When looking at a bait also don't just look at the bottom of the bait. I like them to be the same color on top as on bottom. I do this because more often than not the frog will flip over while you work it.
There are alot of little tricks I use to stay ahead of other anglers. I always have some rattles in my bait and that's not a big secret. The kind I use might be though. Sometimes I use jig rattles(like the ones you see on the bands). I cut one of the bands off and use the small band to thread it over the hook and let it dangle under the bait like legs. I do this on both hooks. Also trim the rubber legs on the bait some. This will make a fish keying on the legs to hit the hooks more often. I also use glass worm rattles and place them inside the body of the frog. This makes a bait loud and easy to track on the mats. Now for some old school stuff, my dad used small bells. He would tie a bell(like the ones you can find in the arts/craft section of a store) on the front of the frog. He said this made alot of fish attack the bait from a distance.
If you find that you are getting bites in an area but the fish are not taking the bait I make several changes. First I change the color of the frog. If that doesn't work then down size the bait. This is one thing I have seen make alot of difference in how many fish eat the bait. I have also worked an area catching fish then switch to the smaller bait to get a couple of more stikes in the same area. The other thing I like to use is always have a follow bait on the deck of the boat ready. If a fish hits the bait and you hold it in that spot shaking it and it will not return to hit it again follow it with another bait. I like to use something like a Jackall Cover Craw or the new Sasuteki craw. I rig these Texas style with a pegged heavy Tungsten weight. If I miss a fish of have one just "slap" at the bait I reel it in fast and follow it by tossing the creature bait in the hole the fish made.. Just toss the bait in and let it fall to the bottom. alot of times it will not make it to the bottom.
I hope this gives anglers a little more insight on fishing topwater mats and helps give you an edge the next time your on the water. If you want to see these tactics used and a few more tricks I use on the water be sure to give us a call. We will be more than happy to get you on the water and show you these in action. See you on the water. FISH ON!!!!