Punching
the Fighting Frog
By
Bobby Sharpley
I started punching thick grass a few years ago on the
Red River. I could never seem
to find the perfect bait to do
what I wanted to do until
“Big Bite Baits” and Dean
Rojas teamed up and created
the Fighting Frog. This soft
plastic bait is the best
punching bait that I have ever
used hands down. The Fighting
Frog is such a versatile bait
to start with and what makes
it the right choice for me on
punching thick grass, pads and
hyacinths is a few key
features:
-
The Fighting Frog has such a sleek profile that enables
it to slip through the
grass without all the hang
ups like traditional soft
plastics.
-
The extra ribs on the frog causes it to displace water
and gives it a nice
gliding effect.
-
The hook slots on the Fighting Frog provide good solid
hook ups.
-
The soft compound of the Fighting Frog doesn’t
bunch up or slide
up your line on a hook set
allowing for deeper
penetration on hook sets.
Hardware
Take a good look at the Fighting Frogs and you will see
that this lure is one of the
most versatile lures in your
bag. Here is what I recommend
using when punching the
Fighting Frog through the
thick stuff.
I use a
7’6”-7’11” Heavy
Action Rod with a fast tip, A
Quantum Tour PT 7.1:1 gear
ratio reel to get the fish
moving and back to the boat as
quick as possible. I always
use 65lb. Braided line when
punching.
How to Rig
How I rig the punching rig is fairly simple, first you
will want to choose what
weight you will need for how
thick the grass is that you
are punching, I normally use a
1 oz.- 1 ˝ oz. flipping
weight and always peg your
weight.
You don’t want your
weight sliding up the line
while you are fighting a fish,
it’s too much leverage for
the bass to spit the bait. I
use a 4/0 straight shank
flipping with a keeper on it
(such as shrink tubing). This
last step is key in my opinion
to getting a good solid
hookset and keeping that fish
buttoned up all the way to the
boat.
Finally, tie a snell knot with this technique to ensure
deeper hooksets every time you
lean into a big one. Always
watch your line when you are
punching thick grass, often
you will not feel the bass
hit, you will just see your
line jump. Try the Big Bite
Baits Fighting Frog on a
punching rig and get ready to
have some fun hooking the big
ones. The Fighting Frog is my
go to bait in any situation.
Check them out at www.bigbitebaits.com
Best wishes & Set The
Hook,
Bobby Sharpley
