Story by Corey Casey | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
It’s time to have some fun with your fishing! Of course, fishing is always fun, no matter what bait you throw. The anticipation, hooksets, and strong fights of a giant bass are all a part of what makes fishing fun, but it’s time to start having some real fun!
Start throwing a hollow body frog today!
Topwater fishing is without a doubt my favorite way to fish. I have years of experience throwing all sorts of topwater baits like buzz baits and horny toads to poppers and spooks. I’ve won several tournaments and caught countless numbers of fish using topwater baits. Nothing beats the frog!
I love the sight and sound of a big bass exploding on my frog and instinctually setting the hook with all I’ve got. It is awesome!
I prefer the frog over other topwater baits for a few reasons. Versatility, hook-up ratio, and casting ability are the three main reasons. I’ll tell you exactly what I mean.
Versatility: It is nearly impossible to beat the versatility of a hollow body frog like a Berkley Swamp Lord. You can throw a popping style frog or a walking style frog. You can cast it a mile and cover water or make short casts targeting very specific cover. You can throw it over heavy matted grass in the neighborhood pond or through a scattered lily pad field on your home lake. You can skip it underneath boat docks or around cypress trees. You can fish it extremely fast and get a reaction bite or fish it painfully slow and trick a big one into eating. You can modify the length of the legs to get the exact action you are looking for.
I show exactly how I modify my frogs in this video. Oh, and it works from daylight till dark!
Hook-up ratio: If you fish long enough, you will lose fish on every single bait you throw. It just happens sometimes; it’s part of the sport. But with a hollow body frog, I like my chances of landing that personal best largemouth more than any other topwater bait. Poppers can have small treble hooks, buzz baits can be broken, horny toad-style frogs can be difficult to execute. The hollow body frog has a soft body that will collapse inside the jaws of bass and expose two very strong, sharp hooks that give you the best chance of landing that big one.
Casting ability: Pair this frog with some 50-pound braided line a 7-foot-4 heavy action rod and a 7:5:1 to 8:5:1 gear ratio casting reel and you can cast it a mile! I’ve had setups where I could cast the entire spool of line off. It flies straight and it flies far! Pair it with some 65-pound braid with the same rod and reel and now you have a heavy cover setup. You can skip it anywhere or hit tiny pockets in the grass accurately. The choice is yours.
Whether you’re fishing a tournament or just out fun fishing, tie on a hollow body frog and go have some fun. I guide on Santee Cooper in South Carolina and—as you may know—it’s full of heavy cover and perfect for a hollow body frog. If you’re in the area, track me down on social media, book a trip, and let’s have some fun together!
Corey Casey – Angler Profile
