Gulf Coast Fisherman Magazine Vol 39 No 2 - Spring 2015 | Page 18

Froggin’ Reds
(Continued from page 7.)

with a 3/0 to 5/0 wide gap hook barely
inserted into the body or concealed in a
special slot. With the hook points
protected by plastic, these frogs can go
through the thickest vegetation.
On windy days, some anglers add a
split-shot or two to the line above the frog
to help with casting. Anglers can also rig
frogs with keel-weighted hooks to add
extra heft. Weighted frogs typically work
best in open water or patchy vegetation
where anglers need to make really long
casts. Hold the rod tip high to keep the
bait on top.
“I really enjoy the versatility of
frogs,” Gallo said. “I can run a frog across
the surface like a topwater bait or let it
sink to the bottom. I’ve even fished frogs
under popping corks in the grass when
the water is high. Since, it’s weedless, it’s
the perfect bait to use in thick grass.
That’s where the bait hides.”
Anglers can fish frogs in several
ways. Some anglers burn them across the
surface with a steady retrieve like
working conventional buzzbaits. Hold the
rod tip high and crank the reel enough to
make the legs and feet sputter across the
surface. Others pull the bait across the
surface in quick hops, an excellent tactic
when targeting aggressive fish.
“An angler can fish a frog every kind
of way,” explained Steve Niemoeller with
CFL Fishing Charter Service, (800-5070058, www.cflfishing.com) who guides
in various places in Florida. “Sometimes,
I throw it out and buzz it right across the
top as fast as I want. Sometimes, when
we see redfish chasing it, we slow it down
or stop it and then hang on for the bite! If
a redfish wants a lure bad enough, it will
catch it.”
In extremely thick weeds, a steady
surface buzzing retrieve not only elicits
strikes, but creates a great way to search
for redfish. Even if a fish doesn’t explode
on the bait, it might give away its
position. Then, anglers can follow up
with other baits.
“One time, I saw a redfish within
casting range,” Gallo recalled. “The other
angler with me cast behind it and brought
the frog steadily toward it. I could see
the redfish lower himself in the water so
it could tilt its head upward and look
behind him because it could hear the lure
coming. A Stanley Ribbit frog puts off
great vibrations. The redfish waited for
the frog to pass over it and then attacked
it from behind.”
Anglers can also use the “pop and
drop” method with sinking frogs. In

N O R T H

G U L F

S t. J o s e p h P o i n t, FL to S h i p S h o a l L i g h t,

LA

Wells Fishing Forecast Adjustment Times
St. Joseph Point
Panama City
Destin/East Pass
Pensacola Bay Entrance
Alabama Point
Mobile Point
Horn Island Pass
Pascagoula Pass
Chandeleur Light

-:60
-1.20
-:40
-:30
-:20
-:15
Same
-:10
-:15

Long Point/Lake Borgne
Bay St. Louis
Rigolets
South Pass/Delta
Empire Jetty
Barataria Pass
Cat Island Pass
Pointe Au Fer Isle

+:20
+:20
+:35
+:20
+:45
+:55
.+1:10

To adjust for your fishing area, add (+) or subtract (-) hours and minutes
shown above for the area you plan to fish from the Forecast time. No attempt
should be made to compare the time of high or low tide, shown below, to the
times of current presented in the Wells Fishing Forecast.

Tide Table Adjustment Times
HIGH LOW

Port St. Joe
-0:24 -0:51
St. Andrew Bay
Channel
-1:31 -2:02
Panama City
-0:43 -0:44
Parker
-0:05 -0:22
Laird Bayou, E. Bay +0:26 +0:40
Farmdale, E. Bay
+0:35 +0:55
Wetappo Crk, E. Bay +1:01 +1:40
Lynn Haven, N. Bay
-0:06 +0:20
West Bay Crk, W. Bay +0:18 +1:23
Choctawhatchee Bay
East Pass (Destin)
-0:27 +1:20
Harris, The Narrows
+1:37 +2:51
Fishing Bend,SantaRosa+0:41 +0:51
Pensacola Bay
Entrance
-1:23 -0:34
Warrington, 2 mi. S. of -0:27 -0:30
PENSACOLA
Times Shown
Lora Pt., Escambia Bay +0:36 +1:03
East Bay
+0:44 +1:17
Bay Point, Blackwater .+1:23 +1:27
Milton, Blackwater R. +1:40 +1:47
Mobile Point
+0:26 +0:12
Bayou La Batre
-1:17 -1:04
Horn Island Pass
-0:31 -0:53
Pascagoula, MS Sound -0:40 -0:46
Pascagoula River entr. 0:00 -0:42
Biloxi, Biloxi Bay
-0:32 -0:20
Ship Island Pass
-0:42 -0:30
Cat Island (West Pt.)
-0:44 +0:07

HIGH LOW

Bay St