With so many plastics to choose from nowadays, it’s easy to
rack your brain until your tackle box is overflowing with a ton of baits you’ll
never use. Not saying my tackle box is not like that; but, I do have my go-to
baits that I know will get me through the tough times and produce fish in a
number of situations. I’ve decided to list the top three in a three part
series, and break down why I chose them and how I use them.
Big Bite Baits
Fightin’ Frog
I discovered this little gem just last year, but since then,
I have found this bait very productive in many different scenarios. I’ve fished
it a ton of different ways and I’m sure I havn’t even tapped into everything
that’s possible with this bait.
Flippin’ the ol’
Texas Rig
My favorite way to fish this bait, like most other people,
is to flip it into shallow cover. Whether, it be wood or grass, this bait
really produces bites for me. I like it because it’s got a perfect, meet in the
middle, action. It’s not quite as bulky and active as something like a brush
hog, but it’s got more action in the pincers than your beaver style baits. I
flip and pitch this bad boy on a 7’6’’ heavy action rod paired with a Lews
Speed Spool high speed reel. My line is determined by the cover. In thick wood
and brush I’ll use 20 lb fluorocarbon, whereas, in grass I prefer 65 lb braid.
I don’t really worry about downsizing my line in clearer water, just because fluorocarbon
is highly invisible and I’m usually putting this thing in the thickes
t stuff I
can find. 98% of the time, I use a 3/8 oz tungsten bullet weight and a 4/0
straight shank hook.
Shakin’ things up
Another way I like to fish the Fightin’ Frog, is to rig it
on a Buckeye Spot Remover jighead. Anytime I’m fishing a hard bottom like rocks
or hard clay, I’ll pull this trick out of my hat. When fishing it this way, I
want to ALWAYS maintain bottom contact. There are very few instances where I’ll
hop this bait. This is great for cleaning up a school on clay points and ledges
where most people will be throwing a football jig or a Carolina rig. The ¼ oz Spot Remover usually gets the nod
for most situations, and I can fish it on baitcasting gear and 12 lb fluorocarbon.
But, when things get tough, I’ll get out the small size Fightin’ Frog and rig
it on an 1/8 oz jighead. This is when I throw it with spinning tackle and 8 lb fluorocarbon.
Happy Trails
For today, the last way I’ll cover this bait, is using it as
a jig trailer. In either of my last two scenarios, if I’m looking for that
kicker, I’m pulling out a jig. When I’m flippin’ a jig, I like to pinch of the
first little bit of the “frog” to make it a little more compact. It just seems to
go in and out of tight places a lot better that way. But, if I’m fishing deep,
I’ll thread the whole thing on the back of an All Terrain football jig and drag
that sucker around. I use the same flippin’ set-up as before. For the football
jig, I use a 7’11’’ heavy action rod and a high speed reel to help me get a
solid hookset on the end of a long cast. I still opt for 20 lb fluorocarbon,
because like I said, I’m hunting that big fish. Once he’s hooked, he won’t
stand a chance.
The Fightin’ Frog can be a very versatile bait, and I think
it deserves a spot in every angler
is tackle box. Even it is already overflowing
with more soft plastics than you know what to do with.
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