Frog feeders

by Carl Hyland on 4 Mar 2013 Here in Tasmania we have lots of fishing methods that have gone by the wayside. This is not that people are not learning the ways of old, but are moving on and teaching themselves new tricks. Frog fishing is one such method and with emphasis on the environment in this day and age, we can use artificial with just as much success as the old ways.

Frogs of course, come in many shapes and colours.

Soft plastic, hard bodies, even flies that look like frogs. No matter what you prefer to use, any imitation will often bring great success.

I once spent a full day chasing sea runners on the Great Forester River with many lures and bait, with not much success I might add and it was just as I was getting into the car at dusk, I noticed a huge trout jumping tussocks in the paddock as the tide was flooding in. He was feeding on frogs and would not look at any of my offerings. From that day on, I taught myself how to frog fish with artificial and you can too!

Hollow body frogs in my opinion work best for extreme cover situations. A single hook above the back tend not to foul on anything since they run above water level. I like to retrieve them in various ways depending on what I think the bite is like. Some days the fish are lazy and do not want to chase something running fast, so I work the frog like a popper. I may pop it once, then three times, then once again with pauses in between. It is important to vary up your retrieve style and find what the fish want that day. Another option is to walk-the-dog with the lure, which is generally best achieved over more open water. This is also extremely deadly.

Soft Body Frogs

Soft body frogs feature a solid plastic body with paddle tails on the end. I have had good success with Berkley 4'Bat wing frog Pumpkinseed for my soft body frogs due to the fact that they are heavier and can cast further: Again using the stop and go retrieve will often bring savage unexpected attacks, especially on dusk or when used in total darkness.



(Video gives an idea on how a frog should be worked, especially a surface lure)

Hardbodied lures come in many shapes and colours. I use the Tassie Fishcake lures, which are deadly if used on a dark night around Cumbungi weed. A headlamp is essential if using a fishcake, as their casting distance is very hard to judge of a night and the lures can be easily lost in the thick weed if overcast. Again, the stop ’n go technique is fantastic with many takes occurring as the lure enters the water, so a pause for approximately 10 seconds before moving the lure will often attract immediate strikes.

In Tasmania, it is illegal to use frogs as bait (fair enough too I reckon) as I am hard pressed to see a frog these days. You will have to check the regulations for your particular area to see if you can still use them.

Coming up in the future Mouse feeders.

All new from Warmisham Lures today.