Pickwick Frog Lessons

"Are those holes where bass have been feeding?" I asked Jimmy Mason, looking toward the group of holes my Booyah Pad Crasher was approaching.

"Absolutely," Jimmy said, with the answer barely leaving his mouth before a bass annihilated my happily hopping frog. Jimmy had been explaining to me that it's critical to pay attention to clues, such as holes in a mat, which suggest bass have been feeding in that area. So when I'd spotted a little group of holes that looked like what he'd described, I  had cast directly past those holes.

Other clues to watch for while frog fishing:
-Popping sounds (like Rice Crispies, Jimmy said). That's the sound of bluegills feeding on bugs in the grass
-Greener grass
-Wood or other hard cover in the grass
-Swells from moving fish

Other frog fishing tips from Jimmy Mason
-Cover water till you find active matts or get hits. Then slow down.
-If a fish hits and misses, it usually will hit again. Bring your frog back in fast, cast back to the spot and work it carefully.
-Pay attention to what the fish show you.
-Work the bait to the edge of the grass and then reel it back quickly and make another cast.
-When you catch a fish, work that area carefully. The bass move in groups under the mats.

Jimmy and I had a big time catching from fish from Pickwick mats, and the fish obviously wanted our Pad Crashers because when we'd bring in a fish it would have the frog so deep in its mouth that you couldn't see the lure until you looked down the fish's throat.