Been following your success with frogs for some time, and appreciate the tips. As you pointed out after seeing one of my photos, we have lots of lily pads on our lake, but i've never had much success with frogs - of any size, style, or color. My guess is I've just got to put away my other baits and put in the time to figure out how and when the bass in my lake like their frogs served up. Any suggestions on how to start? Big frogs or little frogs? Frogs that look like frogs, or solid black/solid white? Standard walking frogs, popping frogs, or "flappin" frogs with kicking legs (solid or hollow body)? Best time of day (you seem to catch them all day)? Best weather (sunny/cloudy, warm/cold, windy/calm)? You don't have to give away all your secrets, but a couple will help.

Not easy. Can’t really do it by the book when you’re sitting in a kayak - i.e., cast, lower the rod tip 45° or so, and snap the rod down. Too low to the water. I thought I was getting some pretty good action with an aggressive snap (or two or three) to the side. As I mentioned, I got solid strikes from two nice bass - 2 1/2 pounders - landed one, lost one right at the yak, plus a half dozen yellow perch. Hadn’t had much success with a hard jerkbait until this past trip.

Me too!

Got out on the water a couple of hours late Thursday, another half day on Friday. Hooked into 5 nice bass, lost 2 at the boat as I was reaching for my net. My confidence bait is a wacky rigged Senko, but I thought I’d try to catch them on something else. Still no luck with a frog (need some lessons from Andy), but did have success with a hard jerkbait, a spook-type topwater, and a spinnerbait. The jerkbait also got me a crappie and 6 perch, all about 8-10”. The topwater also caught a fat 18” pickerel and a feisty 6” largemouth (on a 5” bait). I’ve included pics of the 3 bass that made it into the boat (not counting the little guy) plus some sunsets.

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No eating this bunch - catch and release for bass and pickerel on our lake.

Great weather, lovely long weekend. Nephew came up for a couple of days looking for bass. Fishing was great, but bass were not very active, so not a lot of bites. Did manage to put a few nice ones in the yak - a 5 pounder, 4 1/4 lbs, two at 3 1/4 lbs, 2 1/2+, 1 lb 10 oz, plus some healthy pickerel (20+”). Pics are of the three biggest fish.

My favorite colors are - for wacky rig, watermelon/red flake, pumpkin/black and green flake; for Texas rig soft jerk bait, watermelon cream laminate, pumpkin/black and green flake. Baby bass and green pumpkin are also great colors.

A senko is a salt-impregnated plastic worm made by Yamamoto. Several companies make a similar bait - Yum Dinger and 6th Sense Clout are 2 others. Comes in all sizes, but 5” seems to be most popular. Usually rigged wacky style or Texas rigged and fished as soft stick bait.

Pretty good weekend at the lake house - six LMB including a a 4 1/4 pounder (first pic), three from 2-3 pounds, and a couple of dinks, three perch all around 10”, 18” pickerel, and a nice-sized crappie. I was determined to catch fish with something other than a wacky-rigged 5” senko - but no luck with anything else. Tried Zoom flukes, chatterbait, spinner bait, squarebill, swim jig, small popper - nothing.

Got up to the Lake last week, bass pretty active. Unfortunately on Wednesday I left my phone back in the house, so only picture from that day is a 1 1/2 pounder I caught as my wife was coming to visit me in her yak, and she snapped a photo (I even smiled). Catch for the afternoon - six LMB, biggest 3 lbs 10 ozs and 3 lbs 6 ozs, other four around a pound and a half: two crappie, one that ran 16" and weighed 1 lb 10 ozs (my pb); two yellow perch and two pickerel (each about 18"). They were hitting everything I threw at them - plastic craw, wackie rigged senko, spinnerbait, and jerk bait. Found most of the bass hiding under isolated lily pad clusters out in the lake. Thursday was windy and the bass were nowhere to be found, but I did manage another crappie (only 14" and 1 lb - see pic), a perch, and three pickerel. Still a great trip!

Definitely my happy face in the last two pics. The wife says I need to smile more.

Black Lake - it’s a private lake, about 250 acres, just down the road from White Lake. Lake Superior empties into it, and it empties into Toronto Reservoir via Black Lake Creek.

Oops! Hit "Send" before uploading the last two photos.

Not going to be challenging Andy any time soon. but diid manage a couple of largemouth on frogs - one about 3 1/2 pounds a week go, the other 2 lb 11 oz. yesterday. Typical frog day, though - lots of action. only the one hookup. Today caught another 3 on a watermelon/red flake craw, including a 4 lb 11 oz fatty - my best for quite a while. Pickerel were active, as usual - lots in the 17-18" range, plus a 24" bruiser yesterday. Pictures for this weekend's bass are attached. Caught the last bass right after my wife joined me in her her kayak - she was out looking for water chestnuts ( becoming a problem in our lake). So I have the selfie and the one she took.

So now do you rig those? I tried Texas rigging with 3/0 wide gap
(so weedless) and pegged weight, but no bites.