Frogs

Writing about that dang jitterbug reminded me another thing we used to do on that same backwater. This is in the shallows on Duck Lake in Highland Michigan. This area was very thick with weeds and lillypads with cattails lining the shore in many places. Nobody lived on the water at that time.

There was a lure we would use in that type of terrain called a Snag-proof. In fact that was the company and they made a series of lures. They have since gone out of business. These lures were made so that the hook, it was a double hook, laid tight to the rubber body. You could work them through the thickest weeds and brush without snagging up. When the fish grabbed them the body, which was hollow rubber, compressed, exposing the hook. I caught a lot of bass on them

One day the fishing was slow and I was paddling along the shore, just casting and retrieving. I could flip that lure right up on the shore and work it into the water. Looked real natural like a frog. The bass weren’t biting though.

I saw a bullfrog up on the shore. The reason I saw him is because when I cast up there he sorta looked up at the lure and in doing so, exposed himself. That was interesting! He looked like he was gonna go for the thing!

One thing that many don’t realize is the fact that bullfrogs are carnivorous and gluttons. Large ones have been known to take small birds and snakes. They will eat other frogs if given the chance. I had caught many of them with a cane pole and hook with a piece of read flannel on it. They will nail that sucker in a heartbeat!

Now I flipped the lure up on shore again. About 5 ft from the frog. He wasn’t a very big one, about three times as large as the lure but what the hell. I was bored.  He just sat there and other than sorta hunched up a little, watched the lure. I wiggled it a bit and that did it. He went after that lure like he was a gonna eat the thing.. He grabbed at it over and over again but it was too large to get in his mouth.

I go bored messing with that thing and started moving along the shore, a cast length out. I started watching now. I had Polaroid glasses on so it was easy to see in the water but a lot of the frogs will set in the brush watching for bugs and such. I would just cast the lure on the shore or the thick moss in the shallows and wiggle it. Dang if there weren’t frogs all over the place! Not all little ones either! I would wiggle that sucker and watch. Sure enough here would come a dang frog. Nice big one this time. He grabbed that lure and I tried to set the hook. I ripped it right out of its mouth. He just sat there and looked around. I flipped it up again and bang!! He nailed it again and this time I got a hook in him. He didn’t like that a bit, I’ll tell you  He started trying to push the hook out with all his legs a pushing all the time I was reeling him in. I got him to the boat and in. He was a flopping all over in the canoe. I grabbed him by that legs and rapped him on the canoe paddle. Hell of a time getting the hook out as their mouths are tough. I tossed him in the bottom of the canoe and started a casting. I ended up with over 20 of those guys before I called it a day. Some were pretty good sized too.

I said they were carnivorous and I saw proof that day. I flipped that lure up on shore one time and a little frog came a hopping over and tried to grab it. He couldn’t get the thing in his mouth and I just fooled with him a bit. Half minute later here came a bigger one.. He ignored the lure and nailed the small frog. Little guy was too fast for him though. I figured I might as well catch him and wiggled a little more. Man he flipped around and dove after the lure. I was a bit excited though and jerked before he grabbed! Damn! I flipped it back up because by this time I knew he would be ready for another try. I cast up there and he looked at it and damn a big damn frog tried to grab him and he like the other escaped. I just jiggled away and that big one nailed it. No problem ramming the hook home in that bad boy!!

I had a great meal of frog legs that night!! I have used this method many times since on a slow fishing day. Never misses if the frogs are around ----Try it!! :0)


These are three lures that were made by Snag Proof. I have caught frogs on all of them but the one on the left is the one from this story