The Berkley Swamp Lord came out last year at ICAST, but the Major League Fishing Heavy Hitters on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes in Florida in May might as well have been the official coming-out party. Jordan Lee won that event, but several other anglers in the Top 10 were using the Swamp Lord, including Brandon Coulter, who led the event after the first day with the new frog.
Coulter shared some tips on fishing the frog and what makes it different. While they mention the Swamp Lord, they will work for any frog you choose and help you catch bass with hollow-bodied frogs.
Walking vs. Popping Frogs
Most brands of frogs have two versions: a standard version and a popping frog. Both have their place, according to Coulter. While he most often chooses the standard walking frog, a popping frog is still a must in some situations.
“I throw the walking frog a lot more, probably 80 percent of the time,” begins Coulter. “A walking frog is great for dense cover and on top of mats, whereas a popping frog is better when you are fishing a really thin mat of grass like duckweed or even when you are fishing one under overhanging trees. If the surface is scummy, I like the standard frog because it tends to get caught up in the cupped face of a popping frog.”
The Berkley Swamp Lord comes in both versions, and Coulter says both are a tad heavier and larger than many frogs on the market, which he sees as a benefit.
“The two things that jump out about these frogs is that they are a little heavier, weighing 2/3-ounce instead of the ½-ounce or so for most frogs,” he said. “That little bit of extra weight helps when fishing on top of thick matted grass because it makes more of an impression in the mat. The other thing that’s often overlooked is the actual profile of the bait; with the Swamp Lord having a little more volume, the fish don’t seem to miss it as much when they suck in the water to get it.”
Coulter says that both versions will walk and the popping version has a nice solid pop when needed. “The popping version spits very well and does everything a popping frog needs to do,” he said. “One more thing about both things, with the heavier weight, is that they cast further and are much easier to skip simply because they weigh a little more. If you think about it, a lighter plastic isn’t going to go as far and also makes it harder to be accurate with your casts.”
Selecting the Right Gear and Choosing Colors
When fishing a frog, Coulter adjusts his gear based on where he’s fishing. Generally, he sticks with two different setups depending on how thick the cover is and how he needs to cast it.
“For light vegetation where it’s pretty open or any time I need to skip under trees or docks, I like a 7-foot, 1-inch heavy Fenwick World Class or Elite rod,” he said. “They both have the same action, but the World Class is a lighter weight rod. I like the Abu Garcia Zenon X in the 8.3:1 gear ratio with a 50-pound Berkley X5 braided line.”
When fishing thicker mats and he needs to make longer casts, he ups his setup to the 7-foot, 5-inch heavy Fenwick rod with the same reel and heavier 65-pound Berkley X5 braid. “That rod has a little more meat to it,” said Coulter. “I’m a big fan of the X5 braid and how well it casts and holds up.”
He keeps colors simple with a light color like bone and a dark color like maverick. “I’m a light and dark guy,” he said. “Sometimes I use a bluegill pattern or switch to a shad pattern if I see them blowing up on shad in the mats, but typically it’s just white or black. There will always be windows in a day where they want one of those two colors and I don’t switch it up too much.”
Dissecting the Grass
Looking for matted grass is easy, but pinpointing where the bass will be takes time on the water. Depending on the vegetation type, Coulter looks for key areas within the mats to predict where he will get the most bites.
“Every type of grass is different,” he begins. “For hydrilla, I’m looking for something that has some scum on it because that brings in the bluegill, which attracts the bass. It is just as important, though, that this is where the grass underneath will be dead, and it creates a canopy for bass to swim under and stay blocked from the sun.”
For other types of grass and even brush, Coulter looks for clues. “Milfoil is great when it’s not too thick, and duckweed is the greatest thing you can find for frog fishing. If you find that, you better pick up your frog,” he said. “But grass isn’t the only place I’ll throw a frog, and you can usually find some success with overhanging trees and buck brush, especially right after the bass spawn and they are guarding fry. That bite can be phenomenal.”
Fishing a frog is one of the best things about bass fishing and right now is a prime time to do it. You can get in on the fun by picking the right frog and gear for the job and knowing where to fish them.
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