Skipping Docks with Frogs

Skipping docks with hollow belly frogs is a highly effective bass fishing technique that can produce explosive topwater strikes. 

Bass are ambush predators that love to lie in wait under docks, and a well-skipped frog can be irresistible to a hungry fish.

The right gear

• Rod: A 7-foot medium-heavy or heavy power, fast action casting rod is ideal for skipping frogs. The power of the rod will help you generate the necessary line speed to skip the frog across the water.
• Reel: A baitcasting reel with a good braking system is essential for skipping frogs. The drag will help you control the frog as it skips across the water and prevent it from skipping out of control.
• Line: Braided line is the best choice for skipping frogs. Braided line has no stretch, which gives you more control over the frog and helps you skip it further.
• Frog: Any hollow belly frog will work for skipping, but some frogs are designed specifically for this technique. These frogs typically have a flatter belly and tend to be a little heavier, which helps them skip more easily.

The skipping technique

• Let out about 10-12 inches of line. This will give you enough line to skip the frog, but not so much that it will tangle.
• Hold the rod tip low to the water. This will help the frog skip across the water instead of diving.
• Make a quick, powerful cast. The key to skipping a frog is to generate enough power to get it across the water.
• Aim for the underside of the dock. The goal is to skip the frog under the dock so that it lands in the shade.

Bass pro Bob Downey loves skipping frogs under docks especially when fishing his favorite grass-laden lakes in the north country. Take some time as he gives a great on the water tutorial on the ins and outs of skipping docks with hollow belly frogs…

Tips to Better Frog Fishing

Hollow belly frogs are a great way to catch bass in shallow water, especially in the spring through fall months. 

They are weedless, so you can fish them through thick vegetation and heavy cover without getting hung up. And they make a significant disturbance on the water, which helps attract bass from a long way away.

To fish a hollow belly frog, you'll need a 7-foot medium-heavy to heavy power rod and  30-pound-plus braid line. You can use a spinning or a baitcasting, but a baitcaster is easier to control when you're fishing in thick vegetation or heavy cover.

The best way to fish a hollow belly frog is to pop or walk it along the surface of the water. This will create a disturbance that will attract bass. You can also let the frog sit for a few seconds before working it again giving the bass a chance to get a good idea of the frog’s exact location in the cover.

Hollow belly frogs can be fished in a variety of places, including lily pads, grass, around wood, along brush lines and docks. They are especially effective in areas where there is a lot of cover.

Even though many anglers feel the best place to fish frogs is around and over some type of vegetation, there are other situations where hollow belly frogs shine as pointed out in the following video…

Have you rigged up your frog rod yet?

Choosing Walking vs Popping Frogs

Two common types of hollow belly frogs used in frog fishing are the walking frog and the popping frog. While both can be effective at catching bass, they have different actions and are better suited for different scenarios.

The question is, how do you know when to choose a walking rather than a popping frog when encountering perfect frogging conditions when out fishing?

Take a couple minutes and watch as Spro bass pro and frog fishing expert Dean Rojas explain his reasons for choosing between these two types of hollow belly frogs...

Both walking and popping frogs are effective baits for bass fishing but are usually used in different conditions. Walking frogs ,on the other hand, are best used in water with a lot of dense vegetation, lay-downs and when skipping docks. Popping frogs are best used in open water with scattered patches of vegetation, along weedlines and over submerged grass beds.

Fishing Frogs In Natural Lakes

Nothing is more exciting than working a topwater lure over grass mats and suddenly the cover explodes with water flying everywhere then your bait vanishes as a big ole bass inhales it. 

What's the best bait for triggering explosive strikes from bass holding beneath vegetated canopies? 

The hollow body frog of course!

Take a moment and listen as one of the best ever bass anglers, Kevin VanDam (KVD) describes his approach to fishing densely vegetated natural lakes and ponds throughout his home state of Michigan...

KVD mentioned that heavier frogs that make more of a disturbance are often key to triggering strikes when fishing dense canopies. 

One "enhancement" to your frog when fishing dense surface cover; place a few BBs inside the frogs hollow body. It not only adds weight so the frog presses into the cover more but also adds another noise source many bass have not been exposed to!

Looking to upgrade your froggin' gear?

Click the following link to see the great selection available from Omnia Fishing!

Frog Fishing Gear

Picking the Right Frog Depends on Cover

With the growing selection of hollow-bellied frog types on the market today, is there a method to determine what type of frog is best around certain types of cover?

According to frog fishing expert Dean Rojas, the answer is YES…

Take a moment and listen to what Dean has to say regarding picking the right style of frog is often dependent on the cover being fished in the following video…

One thing is certain … when Dean Rojas talks frog fishing, it’s definitely time to listen