By John N. Felsher
Even on the hottest summer days, many giant largemouth bass stay in extremely shallow water if they can find cooling, well-oxygenated cover.
In many Alabama lakes, grass grows extremely thick and matted by late summer. Lunker largemouths often burrow into the thickest vegetation they can find. Thick weeds block the broiling sun and provide shade, which drops water temperatures. Also, aquatic grasses give bass a much needed oxygen boost. In addition, the grass attracts not only bass, but sunfish, minnows, frogs and many other creatures that largemouths love to eat.
When faced with impenetrable vegetation mats, some anglers fish around the edges with various lures. They catch fish, but many of the biggest bass lurk under the thickest growth where most lures cannot reach. But buzzing a frog across the grass tops can provoke adrenaline-pumping strikes. Sometimes, giant bass erupt through the vegetation, engulfing the bait, weeds and everything else with explosive strikes on top.
“Nothing is more exciting than a big fish blowing up on a topwater bait – except two big bass blowing up on a topwater bait,” says Jake Davis with Mid-South Bass Guide Service who fishes Lake Guntersville.
“When grass gets too thick, I go to a frog. In many places on Lake Guntersville, weeds get so thick that it’s impossible to get any other bait through it. Bass will eat about anything that moves over the grass tops.”
Rich in protein, frogs create prime forage for largemouth bass in most Alabama waters. The bucket-mouthed predators routinely hunt in the thickest weeds or lily pads they can find. Usually rigged without a weight, soft-plastic frogs look like natural prey as they skitter across dense salads. Bass see these lures silhouetted against the sky and slobber to attack them.
“Frogs are one of the primary forage species for bass,” says Lonnie Stanley, a five-time Bassmaster Classic veteran and legendary lure designer. “If a bass could order its food off a menu, it would probably pick crawfish first, frogs second and shad or bream third. Frogs give bass plenty of protein.”
Some frogs float and some sink. Some come with upturned hooks that glide over the grass tops. With others, anglers insert the hook points into the plastic bodies to make them weedless. Anglers can fish either type with a steady buzzing retrieve over the grass mats. The kicking legs and feet create a sputtering commotion on the surface where most other lures would quickly snag.
Toss a sinking frog to thick cover. Hold the rod tip high and crank the reel just fast enough to make the legs kick. When the frog hits a patch of open water, let it sink a few seconds like a stunned or injured amphibian before pulling it back to the surface and resuming the retrieve. Bass frequently slurp frogs as they sink.
Work floating frogs more like traditional topwater baits. Anglers can make a steady retrieve, pausing occasionally, or use the “hop and pop” method. Toss a floating frog to a good spot and let it sit on the surface until the concentric rings dissipate. Then, pop it vigorously. The commotion simulates a live frog jumping across the surface. Let the frog sit idle again for a few seconds before popping it again.
“Throwing a frog is a tremendous way to fish grass throughout the year,” says Shaw Grigsby, a professional bass fisherman. “A buzzing frog is like a buzzbait that you can throw anywhere in the middle of the thickest vegetation. It comes through cover like a four-wheel drive truck. It’s a very simple bait to use, but it’s a bait that can produce really big fish. Bass come out from under the lily pads or grass beds to eat it. When a big bass explodes on a frog, there’s nothing more exciting.”
Anglers can entice bass in any Alabama lakes, ponds or with thick vegetation and big fish. Some better lakes for buzzing a frog include Guntersville, Pickwick, Wheeler, Jordan, Logan Martin, Lay and Eufaula. Frogs can also entice bass in the weedy backwaters of many Alabama rivers and the marshy flats of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. In the brackish parts of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, anglers might tangle with a few tackle-busting redfish who also want to gulp down a succulent frog.
This month, when even the air seems to sweat, catch the buzz. Work a frog across the thickest cover around and hold on!
John N. Felsher lives in Semmes, Ala. Contact him through Facebook.
