D'ya Wanna Know How to Tell You're a Lousy Frog Fisherman?

Let me assure everyone that I knew, long before today, that my skills with a hollow-bodied frog left a lot to be desired. I've caught a few bass with one over the years, but it truly was more a matter of luck, or the fish simply annihilated the frog and hooked himself.

Nevertheless, I had an occasion come up this morning, while sitting down in Milldam, that forced me to get out a frog and see what would happen. It was early, before the wind came up, and I was alternating between tossing a spinnerbait and a Johnson Silver Minnow when the opposite shoreline suddenly came alive with a bass chasing a live frog. The frog finally escaped with his hide intact but not before the bass had given him a real workout.

As I watched this episode unfolding, I knew I just had to get out one of my frogs (I chose the one in this photo) and give it a try, but I waited until the show had ended to make my move. Once all was quiet again, I grabbed my frog, tied it on my spinning rod, and tossed it up to where the action had unfolded. A couple of twitches later, the water erupted with spray as the bass jumped all over my bait. I waited until I felt the fish, set the hook, and started working him toward the boat. Just as I was feeling a bit of pride, though, the fish came unbuttoned.

I figured I had nothing to lose by trying the same spot again, so I tossed the frog to the same spot a second time, and after only three or four twitches, the water blew up again. And just like the first time, I waited until I felt the fish, set the hook, and started it toward the boat. But, alas, he came loose just as before.

Figuring a third time would be the charm, I made another toss to the same spot, and sure enough, the bass again grabbed my frog. When I felt his weight, I set the hook and started him toward the boat--but with the same final results as the first two times.

At that point, I reckon he had had all the fun he wanted for one day, because he started ignoring everything I threw at him, including a worm. And that, my friends, is how you know you're a lousy frog fisherman.

Will I now just throw my frog back in my tacklebox and forget about it for a spell? Not likely. I whet my appetite with today's experience and won't be satisfied until I've put at least one bass in the boat with my frog.

I only managed to catch a big white perch and a small grindle in Milldam before heading back to West Neck about 12:15 today. Once there, I tied on a crankbait and succeeded in boating three bass. The biggest was this 1-8.

The other two were dinks, but I also lost a nice one on the same crankbait. I had hung the crankbait on a submerged limb or something and kept jerking until it came loose. As it tore free, "big boy" slammed the bait, and I tried to cross his eyeballs but evidently didn't quite get the job done.

Don't know at the moment if I'll get out again on Friday but plan to try. I'm a man on a mission with a frog now and won't be happy until I have a bass hang on long enough for me to get him in the boat.