Bass Fishing: Jungle Warfare: Topwater Froggin' for The Bluegill Killers: VFJ22 

Thanks, Felipe. Yeah, often they simply miss those frogs too. So it's worth waiting a moment just to be sure I don't pull it away from them. They hit them so hard bc they are coming in so fast. I'm guessing those bluegills don't give them much time to mess around. The bass sees the moment of vulnerability and... man can they move!

Hi, Jonathan. Yeah, collecting that footage is pretty much just like fishing.

Hi, ElMadriz. Thank you, sir. I do put a lot into each video, bc there's a lot going on out there. Great to hear you are careful, and taking your time, with your fish. We all appreciate that, esp the next person who catches that fish. It's hard to see a fish with a mutilated mouth. It doesn't have to be that way. I have been wanting to produce a video on fish handling, and need to move it up in the slate. Thanks again, Paul

Hi, Johnny. Almost there! Good luck with it.

Hi, Matteo. Great! Thanks. And share with your friends. Cheers, Paul

Hi, TLS. Thanks, and thanks for the suggestion. I think a quick recap could be helpful in this next VFJ I'm working on. As I my understanding develops I have to decide what to include/exclude as well as how to present it. Becoming a big task. A recap might help. Cheers, Paul

Thanks, Gary.

Hey, Vince. Thanks. Paul

Hi, Stan. Thanks. Me too!

Hey, David. Thanks. It's always interesting, as well as exciting, and beautiful, out there on the water.

Hi, Duane. Thank you. And thanks for the invite. Someday I might actually get some traveling in. Cheers, Paul

Thanks, Gary. It was fun to shoot...sort of. :)

Hi, KZ. Thanks. :) Cheers, Paul

Hi, FF. Yeah, that kind of fishing is addicting. Cheers, Paul

Hi, Ed. :)) Yes, I do, and I need it. It used to be that carrying a child around on my back, and hunting in steep terrain, was my exercise. Now, my son outweighs me, and I spend a bit too much time in front of a computer. I relish that outside time. And my body thanks me. Hope all is well, and that you are on the mend. Waiting to hear the good news of a fishing report from you as well. Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 I have had quite a few good days of fishing since getting back on the water. I tend to not post any fishing reports unless I catch something in the 4 or 5 lb plus category which hasn't been happening. I guess I should give an update on my progress though. LOL

:)) Yeah, the trick I guess is to know when divine intervention is most likely.

Hi, Brian. Sounds like you've got some great stomping grounds. Enjoy every moment of it. Cheers, Paul

Hey, Tyko. Thanks. I had some fun editing it. Even though it was frustrating shaking off that rust and not letting those bass get the better of me. :) Luckily, I've managed to get back in the groove. And, yeah, I got the same reaction from the video replay too! :)) As to lavaging bass, I remember your suggestion, and made a bass-sized lavage shortly thereafter. I've pumped trout quite a lot, but their food items, and the various tubes I use, are smaller. Before I began doing it with trout, though, I checked in with a fish pathologist at the veterinary college where I worked. He said I shouldn't be too concerned with harming the fish, provided I used a soft and smooth tube. For the bass, the tube I made is thicker walled, so I smoothed the rim with heat. Little risk of puncture, or even trauma, provided the bass's esophagus is large enough. Since lavage doesn't actually require suction, I may be able to use my largest trout tube, at least for smaller bass. I won't be doing this very often as it may add to the stress of capture. But, at times, it provides valuable information about a fishery, without killing the fish -the surest way of knowing just how those fish are feeding. Paul

@@thenatureoffishing7591 Excellent to hear! I was pretty certain that there is no considerable concern in a lavage, when performed properly and used with reservation. I think most who've had even a casual background in handling small animals would feel the same. A passing thought; do fish have a gag reflex of any kind? Thinking on it... No? None that I've experienced thus far. I'm not even sure it would make sense, as I'm under the impression that reflex is probably there to clear the airway. But perhaps there's still some kind of stimulus that could aid the process, for both participants. And not to imply that I'm excited to try such a thing, but I'm thinking maybe tomorrow will be a bass fishing day. Been having a hell of a time getting a handle on how to fish my local streams. Or maybe I'll just let the weather decide. :) Anyways, if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's: lavaging fish, infinitely less off-putting than one of those baby snot suckers in use. **Shudders**

"...when performed properly and used with reservation." Perfectly put. Letting the weather decide... I used spend our brilliant mile-high Colorado mornings stream fishing for trout, then hit the ponds for bass when the afternoon clouds rolled in. Now, I'm less daunted by that sun on stillwater. Which still doesn't necessarily make it easy! Well, good luck, whichever you decide to do. It's all good. No... it's all awesome!

Hi, ss123. I do own a kayak, but... these ponds only allow float tubes. The majority of them, in fact, boats, even wading, are not allowed. Luckily though, they are small waters, and we have a lot of them. More water than I can really get to know to my satisfaction! :) And, yeah, I love to fish. Is it that obvious? :) Cheers, Paul

Yup, now I've seen your kayak, I think. Great setup! Our rivers are full of smalls too, but they're not real popular. They're missing out. You do bring a UNIQUE angle to our sport! I love it.

Super, Michael! Great to hear. Those are BIG bass! We don't really have bass that size here. And I hear you on the mountain trout fishing. Wonderful game that is. My second love, I'd say. On brilliant blue days, when the bass fishing can be mighty tough, I'd go trout fishing. Sometimes I'd trout fish in the mornings until afternoon clouds rolled in, then switch to bass. Here, along the foothills of the Rockies, habitat zones are compressed. So, I can do that. Wonderful that you have mountains available to you, esp in the summer. Thanks so much for the update. Just great to hear. Here's to more wonder and excitement! Paul

Hey, Morty. Thanks! More on the way. Next one is flipping-pitching-punching. Then a cool match-the-hatch scenario on the same pond. Then, a fall transition vid dealing with dying vegetation and dropping water levels that resulted in a bit of figuring out. That pond that sits right next to our Jungle Warfare laboratory pond has some bigger fish too. I have bent hooks out on some of my "frogs". Back in the day, with the original SnagProof lures, you simply had to do that. And it still helps in hook-ups with the modern designs. But... I reserve that practice for more open water. In the really dense slop, where there's algae (so-called "snotgrass") and a lot of dead weed pieces, opening the hook catches stuff. In this video, you can hear me openly worrying that my bait is fouled, before I can swim it into that precious pocket. There are precious few good open pockets in that mess, and a time-sink to approach quietly, only to blow one with a bad or fouled cast. Hence, some of those "BRRRIINNNGGGs!" :))

Hi, Bwoney. Frogging is a lot of fun. And yeah, they will surprise you! Keep on em. You’ll have some good days. -Paul

And I’ll do it again, I’m sure. :)

Hi, Arturo. Thanks. I think that what bass are hunting under that slop, among other things, is most often bluegills. So, any slop lure disturbing the surface may suffice, whether or not they are painted in a “frog” pattern or not.

Hi, Roland. I actually have three of them (!). The MF-Casting, MHF-Casting, and a MH-Spin -very similar blank as the MF-C. You're right they are powerful rods. Great rods for "jungle fishing". I use the MH-C in VFJ25.

Hi, Bill. Thanks for that. I have some Pad Crashers, and like their softness, which probably helps with hook-ups. Will look at the TR Jr's. Paul

I’ve done a fair bit of night fishing in the past. It deserves a video since I think the dark hours are so important to bass, and to brown trout too.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 awesome, look forward to it!

Hi, Erik. Yes! I think so, too. Esp so for us shallow water fishers.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 I have seen giant bass right on shore during the sun light that will not touch anything. it is pretty interesting

I've seen that too. And it IS interesting. Then again, I've caught the same fish, a number of ways. It's not often easy, and sometimes it's been scarcely worth the effort, beyond being educational.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 right now or I should say going into oct will be good funny thing is they just stocked the lake with trout which actually shuts the bite off same time Evey year. River ottters roll around at the same time for trout eating e everything is in transition for winter

Hi, TW. Easier said than done sometimes! A little rust, and the boogeyman can scare me! :))

Hey, Rob. I try not to be a color freak. Some really good anglers love black, others, white. Over a mat, color may not matter much at all. Some experienced frogger's like highly visible colors like pink or blue, bc they can see them well, and the surface disturbance is a big part of what attracts bass most. But, I do try to cater to the visual aspects too, so here's what I do... I like black bc it silhouettes so well, esp on dark days. But, I own more bluegill hued "frogs" than anything, which, for a topwater, tends to mean a pale belly with a contrasting topside. I like to suggest "bluegill" esp on brighter days. Not sure how much it really matters to the bass, but I like them. And... I'm the one whose spending my hard-earned cash on them! :) Paul

Hi, Brian. Lots to know out there. It's bigger than me. But I'm not intimidated. I know my place. :)) Cheers, Paul

Hi, CF. I find the moon a difficult topic. The scientific inquiries into lunar influence in bass have been a virtual wash, with no significance found. A key issue with angler catch data is the sheer number of competing variables inherent in angling. One full moon is simply not like the next. And... the angler theories out there cover the entire lunar cycle. Not sure what to make of all that, with the lack of controls, or even measurements, that is...fishing. None of this means that there is no influence. I'm still open to the idea, it's just a darn tough nut to crack, and the professional attempts at doing so have not lent a speck of credence to it. My own experience, with bass and striking lures around full moons... I frankly haven't done the work necessary. And probably won't live long enough to sort the wheat from the chaff -if there is any wheat there at all. That's the scientist in me speaking (whose had pet hypotheses crushed enough times to make me perpetually wary). Sorry I can't, at this point, answer that question -for the both of us! Paul

For me... Full moon no, New moon yes

Thanks, Morty. I guess I sort of went a bit wide on my response to @Caliyak Fishing. New moon would make sense, after a night when bass could be well fed. I know that's the idea, but I for one can't say. Have you guys seen a difference? I did follow moon phases in my fishing for some time, quite a while back. But, I can't say that a full moon night was really any better than any other night. Or the day following being a wash. Just don't have the data. I have collected and read some of the research out there on night activity. When I can, I'll brush up on it. Now I'm curious...

@@thenatureoffishing7591 here in Fla . . . full and new moons mean more bites, period. I have been fortunate enough to fish nearly every moon this past year and from my experience . . I get more bites during the full and new periods without a doubt. So much so that I tend to wait to fish those full/new periods.

Thanks, Duane.

All "frogs" simply move water at the surface, which can be enough to spell "food!". Regular bullet-nosed frogs just slip through cover best. Many will "walk" in more open water when repeatedly twitched. Poppers simply make more commotion, which I've found helps in really dense veges, helping the fish home in.

@@thenatureoffishing7591 thank you for your words of wisdom bro

Hey, Freddy. The one I used in this video was a Teckel Sprinker. I do have some Booyah Pad Crashers though.