Fall is a great time of year to target a multitude of species. Fish are feeding before winter takes hold. Today I had the opportunity to go fall frogging. I rigged up five rods. Four had frogs. One had a Gary Yamamoto senko. I hooked and landed two fish on frogs.
As I moved through the Ox Bow, I rotated through my rods and worked each piece of structure. The sky was overcast. No one else was on the water. The air was deathly quite. As I slowing swam my frog over the remaining vegetation, a fish exploded on my frog. My rod instantly bend over. My reel started to lose line as the fish pulled drag. Bass? No. Chain pickerel!
I continued working my frogs on each subsequent piece of structure in the Ox Box. A second fish exploded in my frog and missed the hook. I grabbed another rod and worked a different frog. Nothing. I grabbed another rod and fished another frog…fish on! Bass? No. Chain pickerel!
There was a third fish that pulled down one of my frogs like a freight train. Line was being pulled off my spool faster than I could reel it in. The fish swam into some a structure. I could not longer move it. As the kayak started drifting towards the anchored fish, the line went slack. Bass? Pickerel? Pike? Not sure. But, this fish now haunts my dreams.
On this trip I learned that frogs are not just for bass! Chain pickerel are genetically related to Northern pike. Next time I target pike, I am bringing frogs!!!
