Fall Frogging: Why Topwater Frogs Still Shine After Summer

When most anglers think of frog fishing, they picture hot summer days, thick green mats, and heart-stopping blowups. But here’s the truth: frog fishing doesn’t die with summer. In fact, fall can be one of the most effective times of year to throw a frog if you understand how the season changes the water, the vegetation, and bass behavior.

Bass are feeding hard in the fall, and frogs fit perfectly into that pattern. Let’s break down what happens in lakes and ponds as temperatures drop, and why hollow bodies, popping frogs, toads, and kicking frogs should all be part of your autumn arsenal.

Fall Conditions: What’s Changing Beneath the Surface

The summer-to-fall transition isn’t just about cooler air. It’s about how that cooling affects everything underwater. A few key changes set the stage for why frogs work so well this time of year:

Vegetation dies back. Those thick summer mats start thinning out. Big weed beds shrink into isolated clumps and patches. These smaller pieces of cover become ambush points for bass.

Water turnover stirs things up. Cooler nights cause surface water to sink, mixing the lake. This process temporarily makes the water murkier, but it also spreads oxygen evenly, giving bass more room to roam.

Bait moves shallow. Shad, minnows, and other forage chase food and oxygen into the shallows. Bass follow. Combine shallow baitfish with scattered grass and you’ve got prime frog water.

Bass know winter is coming. Their instinct is to bulk up, and they’ll use every patch of vegetation and every stretch of shallow water to trap prey. That’s where frogs come in.

Why Frogs Work in the Fall

Frogs imitate exactly what bass are hunting in these conditions: an easy, topwater meal near cover. As mats break apart, bass set up in the holes, waiting for something to pass over. A well-placed frog looks like the real deal.

Another advantage is that frogs are weedless. You can throw them directly into grass, pads, or laydowns where other lures get hung. In fall, when bass are feeding aggressively but cover is still messy, that’s a huge edge.

Styles of Frogs and When to Use Them

Not all frogs are the same. Each style has its own strengths, and fall is the time to mix them up depending on cover, conditions, and fish mood.

1. Hollow Body Walking Frogs

These are the classics, soft hollow bodies with upward-facing hooks. Their slim design lets them slide across mats and clumps without snagging.

Best for: Fishing over scattered grass, pads, or edges

Action: With short rod twitches, you can make them walk side to side, mimicking a real frog or injured baitfish

Fall advantage: As mats thin out, bass tuck into smaller patches. A walking frog worked across those openings is deadly. Downsizing to smaller models often triggers more bites in cooler water.

2. Hollow Body Popping Frogs

These have a concave mouth that pops and spits water, adding extra noise.

Best for: Open water edges, windier days, or stained water when bass need help finding your bait

Action: Walk them like a standard frog, but each pop throws sound and splash. That noise pulls fish from further away

Fall advantage: During turnover or in choppy conditions, bass rely less on sight and more on sound. A popping frog gets their attention when visibility is low.

3. Soft Body Toads

Unlike hollow bodies, toads are solid soft plastics rigged on EWG or double frog hooks. They’re built for speed.

Best for: Covering water quickly to find fish

Action: Reel them steadily across the surface. Their legs kick, churn, or buzz depending on design

Fall advantage: Bass are on the move with schools of bait. A buzzing toad covers lots of water fast, helping you locate active fish. They also skip great under docks or bushes where bass chase bait in the fall.

4. Kicking Frogs

These hybrids combine traits of toads and hollow bodies, with legs or appendages that thump or paddle on the retrieve.

Best for: Aggressive fish or when you need more commotion than a standard hollow body

Action: Cast, reel, and let the kicking legs do the work, or pause and twitch for added versatility

Fall advantage: When baitfish are schooling and bass are fired up, kicking frogs match the chaos. They create a bigger profile and more vibration, perfect for triggering reaction strikes in feeding zones.

Fall Frog Fishing Tips

Target healthy grass. Bass abandon dying, oxygen-poor mats. Focus on the thickest green patches left.

Mix speeds. Cooler water often means slower fish. If they won’t commit to a fast toad, switch to a walking or popping frog with pauses.

Downsize when needed. Smaller frogs can match fall forage and tempt pressured fish.

Stay versatile. Start with a toad to cover water. When you find bass, slow down with a hollow body to work the area thoroughly.

Use braid only. Heavy braid in the 50 to 65 pound range is non-negotiable for hauling fish out of grass.

Frog Fishing Setup

A solid frog setup makes all the difference.

Rod: 7’2” to 7’5” heavy-power, fast-action rod. Long enough for hooksets, strong enough for cover.

Reel: High-speed baitcaster in the 7.1 to 8.5:1 range to pick up slack and winch fish out of grass.

Line: 50 to 65 pound braid for strength and weed-cutting power.

Closing Thoughts

Fall frogging doesn’t just work, it thrives. As vegetation thins, baitfish migrate, and bass feed aggressively, frogs remain one of the most natural, effective topwater presentations you can throw.

Keep multiple frog styles in your box, match them to the conditions, and don’t be afraid to experiment. Whether you’re walking a hollow body across a lonely clump of grass or burning a toad across a shallow flat, fall is your chance to extend frog season well past summer and maybe hook your biggest blowup of the year. Find all the froggin' gear you need right here at www.discounttackle.com.