For this installment of “Oshkosh from the Water”, let’s travel outside of the comfort zone of most avid Oshkosh anglers, especially me. That’s right folks, time for some Bass talk!
So, without further ado, here is probably the coolest way to catch a fish…Frogging. Until recently, if we wanted to watch fishing on TV, it was deep sea fishing or bass fishing. Midwest type bass fishing shows were few and far between. Most of us have watched some bass fishing at one time or another, In particular, frogging. Big shiny boats, even bigger motors, and a fast-talking host controlling his boat effortlessly with a twist of their foot, back in some bay in Florida, pulling hogs out of the lily pads.
Now, fishing on a basic level is match for forage. Simple, right? Frogging is just that at its core. Mimic frogs jumping or swimming from lily pad to lily pad. Start with a fast action rod, bait caster, heavier line, a floating frog looking thing, make a cast and catch a fish! Sounds too easy, right? I had to try it for myself.
If you have been down to Menominee Park, you’ll notice there is plenty of emerged vegetation to give this a try. So, now that I had a planned location, I still needed some equipment. Growing up in Wisconsin bait casters are used for trolling and casting a bait caster will only end up in disaster. With the thought of a bird nest in my head, I decided to use my trusted spinning rod that anyone can operate and most already have. Then I picked up a middle of the road frog (Booyah Pad Crasher Frog $5.39) and my spinning rod was already equipped with #12 braid from spring walleye jigging.
Typically, one would be most successful with this bite in early summer to early fall, on an overcast day (morning or evening) as bass apparently don’t like to look up when it’s sunny. Who knew?
All geared up, I set out after work on a cloudy day at Menominee Park. My hope was that I would make a couple of casts and land a fish. Low and behold, that’s exactly what went down. I started making casts, working around the Menominee Lagoon, and had what appeared to be a couple hits, but no hookups. It was at this point I remembered the biggest key to frogging. When the bass hit give them a second or two before you set the hook. I continued and with the next hit I reeled down, gave it a 1…2…and set the hook. Boom! Hooked up! I soon realized why the heavier line is recommended.
I had the same weight in lily pads and weeds as the fish! I was able to land the fish, got some pictures (and of course some audible jeers of my first frog fish). I continued around the Lagoon but was unable to land another fish. However, I did get a couple more hits before heading out.
One of my goals with this blog is to showcase tactics with tackle that are readily available and that anyone, even kids, would be able to try and have fun with. In picking out tackle for this adventure, I choose things that you may already have, Now just add that frog, some clouds, and go frogging Oshkosh style.
Have an idea for a topic? Know an angler or fishing tactic you’d like to see showcased? Email me at: oshkoshfromthewater@gmail.com
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