‘We feel they are safe,’ official says
Topwater frogs have produced a lot of big bass on the Red River since baits like the Horny Toad and Ribbit first came out. While those baits still catch a lot of bass today, guide Russ McVey has found that there is a different kind of frog that seems to be gaining in popularity with bass and bass anglers.
“I always keep two different kinds of frogs tied on,” McVey said. “One is the buzz bait-style frog like the (Stanley) Ribbit, and the other is the hollow-bodied rubber frog with the skirt material sticking out of two sides on the back to imitate kicking legs. The one I’ve been using is the Tru-Tungsten Mad Maxx frog.”
McVey sees the primary benefit of this kind of floating frog being that he can stop it on the water without it sinking to the bottom. And with all the openings in the pads and grass up and down the Red River, he says pausing a floating frog in those kinds of holes will get some awesome blow-ups.
“I fish the Mad Maxx frog on a 7-foot flipping stick with 25- or 30-pound-test braided line,” McVey said. “I like to throw it as far back in the grass as I can, and I’ll just slowly drag it out over the grass until it gets to an opening, and then I’ll pause it. If they don’t hit it sitting still, I’ll walk it through the opening like you would walk a Zara Spook.”
While the standard Ribbits and Horny Toads still produce a lot of fish, McVey believes bass maybe have become conditioned to their presentations and actions in the water. Therefore, he says keeping both kinds of frogs rigged and ready to go will help you catch more fish than if you fished only the buzzing frogs.
Editor’s Note: This article appears in the June issue of Louisiana Sportsman, now on newsstands across the state. For more on fishing the Red River, pick your copy up today.
