To Frog Or Toad?

It's not easy to be an amphibian on the bass tours.

In recent years, frogs and toads worked their way into the hearts of many fishermen, and into the mouths of countless big bass. From Okeechobee to the California Delta to the upper Mississippi, they've been world-beaters on more than one occasion.

Count Illinois pro Chad Morgenthaler among their greatest fans. He's a student of the sport and has realized that frogs and toads are not necessarily interchangeable. Accordingly, he's developed specific rules for how and when to use each.

While he doesn't typically employ a frog or toad for pre-spawn fish, the technique is occasionally good for spawners But the baits really comes into their own when the fish emerge from their post-spawn funk. The bite can then remain hot well into the fall.

Toad Time

Even when the bite's good, you have to capitalize with the proper bait. "The type of vegetation will determine which type of lure or presentation you use," Morgenthaler said. "That's where most people make a mistake – they don't use the right tool for the job.

"When you have a mixture of both submerged and emergent vegetation, that's when you want to use a soft-plastic toad, like a Wave Tiki Toad.

"It's not designed for mats – it's designed for reeling. You can throw it a foot or two up onto the mats, but that's it. It's a great search bait. The key is a really fast retrieve. It's best when you have a bright sun and a big area."

He rigs the Tiki Toad on a 5/0 Mr. Blitz Toad Toter hook, which is built with an 1/8-ounce weight on the hook shank that acts as a keel.

Frog Fundamentals

There are other times when Morgenthaler turns to a hollow-bodied floating frog. His two favorites are the Spro BronzEye (aka Dean Rojas frog) and the Reaction Innovations Swamp Donkey. He says the BronzEye is better "over matted stuff because of the way the nose is turned. It walks well with sharp jerks."

While floating frogs can be scooted and walked across open water at a rapid pace, they really shine when fishing a particular spot in thick cover. "They're made for fishing heavy matted stuff with a slower presentation," he said. "You can pull them up into a hole in the mat and then walk them in place without moving (the bait) forward."

Keep on Toading?

Even if you get the occasional strike, how can you tell when it's time to put down the toad or frog and turn to an altogether different technique?

Morgenthaler said: "If the fish come out of the water and take it top down, you've got the right bait. If the fish tend to swirl or miss, go to a slower bait.

"If you alternate baits and a fish just heaves the bait into the air, that's not the time to toad. They're not in the mood. It may be a lack of current or something else, but that tells me it's time to bust the mats."

But before he switches completely over to flipping, he'll try a throwback bait. "If I get a blowup, I'll have a soft plastic ready to go. If I'm around isolated pieces of vegetation, I'll use a Wave Tiki Stick. Color doesn't matter, although I usually start with smoke shad or junebug.

"In the mats, that's not the bait to use," he added. "If there's matted vegetation or heavy, heavy lily pads, I'll throw back a Sweet Beaver with a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce weight. It should be a dark color, but other than that color doesn't matter. They're just biting at the movement."

Color also doesn't matter much when he picks out his frogs or toads. "I don't get mixed up on color. As far as I'm concerned there are only two – black and white. I don't favor one over the other for particular conditions. Usually I'll have one of each tied on and I'll keep throwing whichever one they seem to eat better, although black is usually my first choice."

Rip Lips

Morgenthaler's not a fan of wimpy tackle. He uses a stout but lightweight 7'6" heavy-action Kistler rod and 50-pound braided line. He spools the braid on a Shimano Chronarch reel, which he favors for its 6.3:1 gear ratio.

While the toad depends on the fast-retrieve reel for its action, that gear speed is also critical for winching a frog-caught fish to the boat. But there are times when it pays to stop reeling. "If they miss the toad, let it start to sink – they may bite it again," he said. "It's hard to do. It definitely takes discipline."

That same discipline is also key to ensure good hookups. "Unless I'm slowly twitching the BronzEye or Swamp Donkey, in which case I may drop my rod a little, every hookset for me is exactly the same," he noted.

"I keep my rod at 10:00 or 11:00 and when the strike occurs, I stop reeling and drop my rod. I wait until I see the line moving, then I take three quick cranks and sweep the rod like I would with a Carolina-rig."

Again, it takes tremendous mental fortitude, but the results can be well worth it.

Notable

> While Morgenthaler uses frogs and toads for big bites in competition, he also uses them as a search tool during practice. He often finds the fish, then uses a different technique to catch them on competition days. "If they just blow up on it in practice, don't get discouraged," he noted. "It's a great way to locate them without actually catching them."