Hollow-bodied frogs are unique in that they’re insanely weedless yet perform well in both open water and around cover — so long as you can consistently hook bass. Cliff Crochet fishes them everywhere, and part of his success is changing his hook set method based on the cover or lack thereof. He shares how to set the hook using hollow body frogs in 1) open water and around hard cover, and 2) in grassy environments such as grass mats, lily pads, and tulles.
FEATURED TACKLE (retail links)
- FROG – Snag-Proof Phat Frog, color – Black
- ROD – Kast King Cliff Crochet Spirale Rod, 7’3″ Heavy
- REEL – KastKing Speed Demon Elite Casting Reel, 8.6:1
- LINE – KastKing KastPro Braided Line, 65-pound
Crochet’s 2 hollow body frog hook set methods:
- The visual method. The key to getting consistent hookup ratios in open water is waiting until the frog disappears. The visual hook set method treats the frog essentially like a bobber. If the frog goes down, reel down and crack ’em. Avoid setting the hook if you can still see the frog. Instead, keep working the bait and hope for a better eat. A partially eaten frog rarely has hooks in its mouth.
- The feel method. Maintaining a constant visual of your frog when fishing around cover is challenging. As such, Crochet uses the feel method and only sets the hook when he feels the weight of the fish as the indicator of a take. You’ll be surprised by how readily bass eat a frog and pull back when you read down on them. It’s a great way of knowing that they have the frog deep in their mouth.
In both instances, a hard straight upward rod sweep is optimal for driving beefy double frog hooks into the roof of a basses mouth. Also, consider the high stick hook set method if you’re missing bass due to premature hook sets. It works wonders for newbies and pros alike.
