The Early Frog Gets The Bass

 

The Early Frog Gets The Bass

9/09/2021

  Sometimes I think if the bass are real hungry they’ll grab just about any color popper on the surface. Other times maybe it is the color or shape? Last year on the river I did well with my frog poppers. This year I couldn’t raise a fish. On the small dam water though it was a different story!

  I took the hour or so drive away from the river and my camping site. I decided to go largemouth fishing instead of after smallmouth and trout. I was up early but by the time I got to the upper part of the dam and ready to shove off it was around 9:30 am. 

 

 A blanket of fog was just above the water and crested the tree line. It was like a semi-translucent cloth for a roof on a cabana protecting the inside from the outdoor elements. It was thick enough to not know what laid above. It was a brisk morning but not coat or sweatshirt worthy. The water surface crinkled like a woven wheat cracker in the slight breeze. It was quiet, quiet as a field of durum wheat on the open plain.

  About a few weeks past I was out there with a friend. The water was actually mud ridden from a couple of rain showers the few days before. We only produced a couple of smaller bass in our attempts for that day. This day looked in better condition as the water wasn’t discolored at all. I couldn’t wait to get out!!

  I paddled right across from the launch area and started casting a frog popper close to the shore line where small lily pads bunched up out from the grassy bank side. I was surprised as the first bass leaped out of the water after my second cast of the popper. Not a big one by any means but it was quick and got my blood pumping early.

 

 After releasing the bass I continued casting towards the bank as my kayak slowly drifted with the slight breeze. Wham, within 15 minutes this bass exploded out of the water and whacked the frog popper as if he thought it was trying to get away as I was stripping it back towards me. 

  

 Well, after I released this one I was ready for an awarding smoke. I popped out 2 largemouth bass in a matter of 15 minutes. If things were going to go this well I wanted full enjoyment puffing on a good stogie between my lips.

 

 Looking up, while lighting the cigar, I noticed the fog had cleared. Gray clouds showed up as if the blanket of fog uncovered what laid above. I noticed the water calmed and I was kind of leery what was to come. They often say there’s a calm before the storm though they didn’t look like rain clouds.

  I kept on shooting line and my frog popper towards the bank. Within a couple more casts another bass smacked the frog popper after I stopped it briefly. I reared back on the rod and the line tightened once again. He battled some but the stiff MoJo 7 weight fly rod was no match. I got him in quickly. As I released the bass I felt the heat of the sun upon me. The gray clouds had moved on leaving a bright sky above.

 

 I plopped the frog popper just shy of another lily pad patch. Kind of between the patch and grown weeds out from the shoreline. It was if a frog jumped from the weed bed shy of the lily pads. Before I could even get it gurgled towards me a bass leaped out of the water and inhaled the frog like a piece of beef scrap fallen from a butcher’s table never hitting the ground. I reared back again quickly and the line tightened. At the kayak I saw the inhaled frog popper and carefully removed in from inside the largemouth.

 

  Now this was getting to be too good to be true. I pinched myself to make sure this was real. I had hooked 5 largemouth, one got off before getting him in, within about an hour of being out. They weren’t any big ones I grant you but they kept me occupied for the morning.

  Well it didn’t take much time after that that the bite was off. It was as if the morning roll call was made after breakfast and the troops were leaving on an exercising march. I paddled around searching for a stray but couldn’t produce a strike. Around noon I lit another stogie to pass the time pleasantly.

 After another hour the wind kicked up. It was getting strenuous keeping on fighting against the wind to position my kayak. The surface water turned into waves as if tumbling over unseen rock and boulders splashing heavily against the kayak. Casting into the wind was almost impossible to get any distance. Without producing any more bass for sometime I had to call it quits. Though it was short lived I was glad I got out early before the windy conditions.

  After dinner I relaxed with a frozen margarita before enjoying a cigar next to the nightly campfire before bedtime.

 

 The frog popper was the choice of the morning breakfast!

 

~doubletaper