Bass Week 2025: Summer Froggin'–Rule the Slop for Largemouths

Bass junkies everywhere would likely concur that dragging a frog across lily pads or swimming one through duckweed is the pinnacle of the North American bass-fishing experience. Grown men have been known to giggle like children when that surprising yet unmistakable slurp occurs followed by a sensational swing of the rod tip. The audible crack of 65-pound braid at the hook-set crescendo indicates a connection you just can’t fake—and it never gets old.

A boat with a shallow draft, a good trolling motor, big sticks, fast reels, heavy line, a frog, and an adventurous attitude are all you need to battle the green beasts beneath the thick stuff.

A Collision of Elements

Several years ago, we were enduring a hot summer in central Minnesota. The days were bright with unrelenting heat; the evenings were muggy and demanded an ice-cold Premium. I mean hot—the type of summer weather that forced a heavy sigh from those looking forward to cooler days. Thanks to the persisting weather pattern, the emergent vegetation in all our natural lakes was as dense as I’ve seen it.

A particularly oppressive evening found me and my wife on the lake, flanked by two impressive towering cumulus thunderstorm cells looming to the east and west. I could see lightning rip through the isolated cells producing a low rumble, indicating that we might consider heading to the house. But not yet.

I could hear bass feeding in the back of coves completely blocked by wild rice and bulrushes. My various presentation efforts were not getting attention. But as we approached an isolated patch of lily pads mixed with other assorted vegetation, I could hear the snap, crackle, and pop of aquatic activity.

I saw a bass explode on something—maybe a dragonfly that paused for a moment. I quickly picked up my frog rod and bombed the artificial amphibian to the opening in the mat where the bass had busted through. I made a perfect cast, if I may say so myself, and within seconds of splash-down, chaos erupted as the same fish hammered my frog. I paused, stepped back, and set the hook into an angry fish. A quick battle subdued the ditch pickle and the scale read 4.4.

Shortly after releasing the bass, another blowup consumed my frog. And again, and again. It literally happened on nearly every cast for over an hour—I couldn’t stop laughing. My wife even got in on the excitement and managed to nail a 5.4-pounder, which still stands as her personal-best. I plucked a few over 5, a handful of 4s, and more 3-plus-pounders than I could count. Maybe 75 fish between the two of us before an electrifying storm forced us back to the ramp.

That evening is still the greatest frog bite I’ve ever enjoyed—all the necessary elements came together at once creating pure pandemonium. The gumshoe biologist in me set out to understand why it was so spectacular, and I’ve learned a lot since then. To a point that when similar summer conditions set in, you can bet I’m plying the salad looking for willing bass with a toad of sorts.

When, Where and Why

Frogs, rats—whatever your preferred term is—have a time and place. For the sake of this article, I refer to the In-Fisherman Calendar Periods as they relate to largemouth bass, north to south. Summer Peak and Summer are when frogs are most productive—so mid-June, July, August, and September are the best months to use this technique.

Following the Spawn Period, young-of-the-year bluegills, crappies and even bass retreat to vegetation to feed and seek cover from predators. Bass take advantage of the many ambush points to feed on the bite-size preyfish. The classic frog presentation certainly imitates a frog squirming along the surface or just beneath it, but it also nicely matches a wounded or dying baitfish, or bluegills plucking bugs from the underside of the mat.

It’s also is usually quite hot at this time, and the shade created beneath floating and emergent vegetation provides refuge for resident fish. They loaf in the shade but don’t typically pass up an opportunity for an easy meal.

The secret to identifying productive water is combining as many structural and cover elements as possible in the same place. That may mean duckweed, wood, pads, bulrushes, and nearby deep water or current. Add rocks to the mix with dense mixtures of thick floating algae and matted vegetation (aka “cheese”) along the edge and bass will be close. Not all these items are usually together in one location, but spots with the largest assortment of them are high-percentage areas.

Let’s break it down by water type:

Rivers: Many of North America’s river systems offer tremendous topwater frog fishing—some of the most overlooked opportunities, too. Take the Upper Mississippi River as an example. Pools 4 through 10 offer thousands of pad- and cheese-filled acres full of eager bass. The extensive maze of backwaters offers countless locations where bass may stage to attack hapless frogs as they swim by.

Throughout the Upper Mississippi basin, backwaters often come together from two different directions, almost creating micro river systems. Anytime you can find adjacent corners or points of matted vegetation and pads at a junction like this, fish it thoroughly. For my money, the upstream edge often holds the most active fish, but don’t leave a spot until you’ve checked each of the adjacent spots. From there you can build a pattern and run it at multiple locations.

The upstream side behind islands, just off the main channel, are often dynamite spots to crawl a rat. It’s typically fertile water, and vegetation often grows in abundance. Consider the heavy main-river current pushing all sorts of food options into slack water that settles in the cheese and pads—bass certainly will be close by. Along this portion of the Mississippi River, you can work a Ned rig at the top of the island for smallmouths, then move a couple hundred feet into a backwater where the vegetation is and find largemouths on a frog.

Reservoirs: Much like rivers, reservoirs indeed have current, especially when a hydroelectric dam is pulling water. Famed Tennessee River impoundment Lake Guntersville offers world-class frog fishing when conditions are right. During the heat of summer the slop line is obvious, just off the main river channel and there are literally miles of it. When the dam is generating power, bass often pull to within casting distance of the channel edge. That flowing water pushes shad and other baitfish onto the mat and almost into the bass’ maws. When the water is shut off, bass spread out and become more difficult to locate.

I’ve found that vegetation along outside turns in the main river channel often holds the most fish, but the long do-nothing stretches of mats can also be good. Where there’s one, there are others. Keep the boat moving and cover water.

Keep your ears and eyes open when fishing expansive mats. You can hear bass feeding and you often find open holes in mats where a fish recently exploded on bait. It’s worth working a frog through those openings again since bass are known to be gluttons. Also, if you see a bunch of straight lines in an organized fashion running back to the edge, that may indicate an angler was just there.

Don’t be afraid to go way up into creeks either. You often find abundant and secluded weedy nooks and crannies that beg for a scampering frog.

Natural Lakes: In my experience, natural lakes usually feature diverse vegetation types—submergent, floating, and emergent—of course we’re focusing on floating types. It’s also been my experience on natural lakes that some bass are at the deep weededge while others are shallow during the peak of summer. Shallow fish seem to prefer just enough water to cover their backs, which makes them susceptible to a frog.

Just like in rivers and reservoirs, diverse cover elements together in one spot means bass will be close by. Greener, more fertile lakes have always been big producers for me. Plus, the strikes are ferocious.

The combination of bulrushes, pads, and slop with easy access to deeper water makes for an ideal location to begin your search. But the challenge is locating fish when they’re spread out on expansive weed-choked flats, which is often the scenario in the Upper Midwest—the same approach applies here as above: eliminate water until you get a reaction, then slow down and pick it apart. The bass are there for a reason.

Watch and Listen

Not all mats are created equal. If you hear that “kissing” sound, it’s usually small baitfish such as bluegills feeding on the underside of the vegetation. When bass are hunting in the shallows and in feeding mode, you can see and hear them attacking prey—it’s quite obvious (and invigorating).

Frog-Lure Shape and Size

The size of frog to use largely depends on the cover, mat density, and water clarity. If pads are tight and overlapping, a smaller frog might work better between the pie-pan-size leaves. Conversely, dark water or thick cheese dulls the subtle wake created by a scooting frog—the more attention the presentation can attract, the better. Plus, a midsize to large frog makes an easier target for bass.

For all vegetation and cheese applications, I prefer a frog with a pointed nose—this is the most common profile, and it doesn’t get jammed up with goo during the retrieve. It also works well in a walk-the-dog fashion along the weededge to provide a following bass a final chance at a meal.

There are almost always a few lurking bass in and around horizontal trees along the shoreline. Here, a popping frog gets the nod. Once they eat, be sure to pull the fish out of there as quickly as possible; they tend to win battles when wrapped around a branch.

Frog-Lure Color

This is a quick part of the discussion. There are a lot of cool colors out there, and mostly they all work. But you really only need a dark-colored frog and a light-colored one. I like a dark body for dark water and dense mats, and the lighter color for clear water—frog bellies are white after all. If you like an assortment of artificial and natural color patterns, knock yourself out. Bass generally don’t discriminate when it’s dinner time.

Frog-Fishing Gear: Go Heavy

Advancements in rod-and-reel technology have provided anglers with countless technique-specific combos that certainly deliver increased accuracy and success. Froggin’ is no different—just don’t go too light. Power and leverage are critical. I like a 7-foot 6-inch to 8-foot heavy-power rod with a fast tip, paired with a fast reel in an 8, 9, or 10 gear ratio loaded with at least 65-pound braid.

The long rod and heavy-duty braid allow for an effective hook-set, even at a distance. Braid doesn’t stretch and increases the impact needed for driving hooks home. Being rigged right makes the difference between a day full of frustration and numbers of pleasant explosions.

Motor Lifts

Frog water is shallow water, making fast and effective boat control a challenge. If you consider reducing friction and restriction, you’ll be able to reach areas that few boats can access.

First, trim your big motor up all the way out of the water. A lowered motor drags a ton of weeds, and the skeg is likely to dig into bottom and halt your motion altogether.

The second tip I learned from a few bass-fishing buddies: Place a rubber tire chock inside the hinge of your bowmount trolling motor. It lifts the unit out of the water just far enough so only the prop is in the water, which is helpful if you also have Mega 360 or live sonar attached to your trolling motor—those accessories are weed magnets. 

Tie One On

I live for those muggy summer evenings when the pads are popping, bass are slurping, and hook-sets sound like gunshots. One final piece of advice: train yourself to perform a one-count before setting the hook after a fish eats. The slight delay in your hook-set increases the number of fish that visit your boat. Pay attention to the calendar and the weather, ply the weeds, and go armed with a big stick. Rig up a rat and you’ll be in for a swampy, summer adventure where hook-sets are free.