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Now that summer is in full swing, bass fishing is at the forefront of most midwestern and southern fishermen’s minds. Waking up before sunrise to head out onto the misty waters and snag a few largemouths sounds like a perfect way to spend a Saturday. Most bass fishermen have a favorite weedless rig they like to use – usually, either a Texas rig or Carolina rig works best. But have you ever tried fishing a topwater frog lure for bass? Watching a topwater frog lure get taken by an aggressive bass gets most bass fishermen’s heart racing. So what’s the best frog for bass fishing?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you! In this article, we’ll go over the best frog for bass fishing as well as the different types of topwater frog lures you can use. Did you know that there are multiple kinds of frog lures? You do now! We’ll also go over the best color frog for bass fishing as well as how to rig a frog for bass fishing. We’ll even wrap up with some of our top frog fishing tips that have helped us land many finicky bass. So what are you waiting for? Let’s hop to it!
Best Frogs for Bass Fishing
Best Walking Frogs for Bass Fishing
1. LIVETARGET Hollow Body Frog
The LIVETARGET Hollow Body Frog is our top choice for walking frogs for bass fishing. Its coloring and details are so lifelike, you might mistake it for a real frog in your tackle box! We’re also very impressed with the quality of hooks and their ability to snag tentative bass. It’s also a good choice for smaller musky or northern pike.
2. BOOYAH Pad Crasher
In a close second place is the BOOYAH Pad Crasher. Its streamlined body makes it perfect for heavily weeded situations and tricky casting. We like using the BOOYAH Pad Crasher in especially tight presentations and when our target bass won’t leave the weeds. It’s also our top choice when fishing for snakehead.
3. SPRO Bronzeye Frog
If the first two walking frogs didn’t catch your eye, try giving the SPRO Bronzeye Frog a try. It doesn’t have the same detail as the LIVETARGET Hollow Body Frog or the BOOYAH Pad Crasher, but it’s lifelike eyes will attract bass in murkier waters. We make sure to bring the SPRO Bronzeye Frog on trips when the water isn’t clear or the weather is overcast.
Best Popping Frogs for Bass Fishing
1. BOOYAH Poppin’ Pad Crasher
BOOYAH strikes again and takes first place for the best popping frog for bass fishing. The BOOYAH Poppin’ Pad Crasher has the same attention to detail as the normal Pad Crasher, but with a modified popper design for added action. Our top choice for popping frogs!
2. SPRO Bronzeye Pop Frog
Much like BOOYAH, SPRO makes a popping version of it’s Bronzeye Frog that works wonders for topwater popping. The SPRO Bronzeye Pop Frog has lifelike tassels that give it a lifelike jumping motion when popped across the surface. An easy choice for best frogs for bass fishing.
3. River2Sea Spittin Topwater Frog
The River2Sea Spittin Topwater Frog is our third choice for best popping frogs for bass fishing. It has a pronounced popper head that gives it an intense jumping action when popped across calm swamp water. While its details might not be as sophisticated as some of the other frog lures on our list, it makes up for with perfect action and finesse ability.
Best Plopping Frogs for Bass Fishing
1. BOOYAH ToadRunner Hollow Body Frog
The BOOYAH ToadRunner Hollow Body Frog is our top choice for the best plopping frog for bass fishing. Its clear tail adds extra plopping action and makes it perfect for advanced buzzbait fishermen. The tail also makes an irresistible plopping sound for curious bass.
2. Southern Lure Scumfrog Bigfoot
The Southern Lure Scumfrog Bigfoot is another great plopping style topwater frog lure. It’s rubber legs provide the plopping action while it’s soft rubber body give hungry bass the confidence to bite down hard. While it might not look realistic sitting still, once you get it out on the water it will tell a different story.
3. TECKEL Sprinker Topwater Frog
The TECKEL Sprinker Topwater Frog has the least detail of our favorite plopping frogs, but has a completely loose tail that makes the best plopping sound we’ve seen. It’s a great choice when fishing very murky waters or if weather conditions are limiting fish visibility. It’s also a good option early in the season when bass are looking for lures with a lot of action.
The Different Types of Topwater Frogs
As you may have noticed, there are three specific types of frog lures for bass fishing. We’ll quickly cover each type below.
Walking Frogs
Walking frogs are the original style of frog topwater bass lures. They feature a hollow body with the signature two curved back hooks perfect for throwing into heavy cover. Walking frogs have the highest flexibility in presentation, and work well retrieving however you like. We’ve seen success “walking the dog”, popping, and just reeling in sporadically.
Popping Frogs
Popping frogs have a very similar design to walking frogs except with the addition of a flat popper head on the front. The popper head gives them a similar action to normal topwater poppers, and are best fished in a similar manner.
Plopping Frogs
The last kind of bass fishing topwater frog is the plopping frog. Plopping frogs get their name from the sound they make when you retrieve them through the water. They have flexible feet that make a plopping sound to attract nearby bass. Plopping frogs are a relatively new style of lure that can work wonders on days when the other types aren’t working.
Are Frogs Good for Bass?
If you weren’t convinced topwater frogs are good for bass fishing, here are a few reasons we love fishing them.
- They’re one of the best weedless topwater lures. Their two hooked design prevents erroneous snags yet hooks almost every bass that takes a swipe at them. It’s the best of both worlds.
- They work great in low visibility. Going bass fishing in the rain? Foggy morning? Throw a frog out to get your day started. Their aggressive topwater action will get any nearby bass’s attention.
- They’re fun! Watching a bass take your frog lure is one of the most exciting strikes you’ll see in bass fishing. It makes for a ton of fun.
What is the Best Color Frog for Bass Fishing?
Choosing what color frog you want to use for bass fishing is usually dependent on the weather and visibility. Here are some general guidelines to follow.
- Dark colors. Use dark colors when visibility is high and the sun is out. The darker colored frogs will catch a bass’s attention when it’s bright out and will create a lifelike shallow on top of weeds/lilypads.
- Green or natural colors. Use green or natural colors when fishing your topwater frog in areas with low vegetation. The green/brown colored frogs won’t scare away a bass in open water and work best with tentative fish.
- Light colors. Light colors work best in low light conditions like when it’s overcast or when the water your fishing is murky. Bass will be able to see a light color frog better in these conditions. Light-colored frogs can also double as small baitfish or shad, so if you’re wondering if you should use a shad you can flex by using a light-colored frog.
Frog Fishing Tips
Before we close, we wanted to go over a few bass frog fishing tips that have helped us catch more bass over the years.
- Consider adding a trailer hook. One of the biggest complaints we have when fishing topwater frog lures for bass is blown strikes. If you add a trailer hook to your frog lure, you’ll increase your chances of getting hooked up. This is especially a good idea if you’re fishing areas with not as much cover.
- Think like a frog. Try and cast your frog lure near shore and retrieve it in a way that a frog might jump – such as onto lilypads or from shore to slightly off-shore. The goal is to make your lure as life-like as possible, so try and think like a frog. Don’t cast it out into the middle of the lake and have it swim to your boat!
- Work with your cover. Sometimes it’s actually advantageous to get hung up on weeds or branches. If your line is resting over weeds, you can actually imitate a frog jumping more easily. We’ve caught some of the largest bass while trying to flip our frog off of weeds.
- Use fluorocarbon line. We like using fluorocarbon fishing line for bass fishing the most due to its extra strength and sensitivity. Perfect for the heavy weed situations you’ll often encounter when frog fishing. We think it’s the best fishing line for bass spinning reels. And if you’re wondering what reel to use, check out our bass fishing reel guide.
Conclusion
Fishing frogs for bass is (in our opinion) one of the most fun ways to catch bass. We hope after reading this article you now know what the best frog for bass fishing is, as well as all the different options for frog fishing for bass. These frogs also work really well for Barramundi and other predatory fish.
If you want to learn more about catching bass in the winter, check out our article on the best winter pond bass lures.
End up catching a trophy bass using one of the frogs we listed? Let us know about it in the comments below.
Happy Hunting!
