Issue #4 February 2015
The Mighty Osprey
By Anthony Williams
Osprey has 12 cabins and is rated to sleep up to 26 pax. She is ideal for entertaining large group reunions, serious fishing trips, with “after wedding” parties being very popular. In spite of her size, small group bookings are encouraged too as evidenced by their pricing structure. Kariba Houseboat Cruises have used her for day and sundowner cruises entertaining up to 60 guests on board for the afternoon, while she has also been the venue for on-board weddings. Due to her considerable width (nearly nine meters), she boasts considerable space not normally found on smaller houseboats and an amazing five bathrooms each with shower (with two 150l solar geysers with 220v back-up elements), toilets and hand basins... no queues for amenities on this craft.
Sitting at the Harbor View Cafe overlooking Andora Harbor where Osprey is moored, I asked owner Keith Balantyne why the modifications to her had been made. “I’m probably going to need a wheelchair myself one day!” he joked. But more seriously, his experiences with the old age home and disabled people had shown that very few craft on Kariba are adequately equipped for their needs, and given Osprey’s ample size, she could easily be modified. Converting the back section of the top deck with an additional four bedrooms - two of which are now easily accessed with a wheelchair - he also added a separate wheelchair friendly shower/toilet with hospital style grab rails conveniently placed next to the shower and toilet to assist in using these facilities, and a purpose made and adjustable shower chair to complete the facility. Consulting with a friend whose father was wheelchair bound for many years, Keith was also able to fine tune other aspects of the boat. The top deck toilet has been heightened to suit those moving in and out of a wheelchair, while a ramp and winch system easily and safely transports wheelchairs between decks. All beds on board have been replaced with slightly higher versions to aid those with physical difficulties, while a state-of-the-art wheelchair has been added for use by clients not easily able to bring their own. Once on board, and should they choose, wheelchair bound guests never have to move below decks - quite an advantage.
Our four day trip was very pleasant, though with only six of us on board, we sometimes lost each other... not always a bad thing when houseboating with other people. The crew were outstanding, and though we had four members on board (the captain, cook and two deck hands), when operating with a full pax, she will go out with five crew. Keith prefers to keep her operations close to the eastern basin as far as
We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
The Mighty Osprey
The large, comfortable pontoon tenders offer safety (from hippos) and are ideal for a day out on the water.
We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
Osprey’s two pontoon tender boats are also wheelchair friendly and Keith has designed a retractable ramp system from the mothership onto the tenders for those in wheelchairs. While the 7m pontoon has a roof and is suitable for longer outings, the smaller 4.8m pontoon is open and more suited to serious fishermen. Powered by small outboards, they are not designed for long distance, but rather exploring and game viewing close to the mothership. We used the smaller open pontoon primarily for fly-fishing, an application which suited it perfectly. The fish were not overly impressed with our efforts, but the two anglers on the boat were both able to cast without any hindrance, making the most of the stable platform.
Osprey’s other amenities include a top deck Jacuzzi under shade, sun deck, dining area, bar (with kitchenette), fully equipped kitchen, three 20cu/ft deep freezers, 12v/220v lighting and power (with two generators) and a 3m square swimming cage which is lowered into the water for those wanting to get close to nature when swimming.
Osprey Houseboat a Hit with Seniors
Once again, we would like to extend our grateful thanks to Kariba Houseboats for the use of their Osprey houseboat, to host the old folk from Chinhoyi on their annual Kariba getaway. In addition, many donations were received from the community and other caring individuals, and their support is much appreciated.
Annually, Kariba Houseboats donate one of their craft and her crew for the benefit of some of Zimbabwe’s Senior Citizens. This group of Seniors are treated to a holiday they may not otherwise experience due to financial restraints, and often physical limitations too. The Osprey was recently re-fitted to better cater to people with physical limitations, making the craft entirely wheelchair friendly, from the winch system up the stairs to the top deck, to the wheelchair friendly ablutions, bedrooms and even fishing pontoons. Says Dave Mathews who helps organise the trip “There were 26 of us on the boat, and definitely the wheelchair system works wonders as we had to use it on a number of occasions. The staff were fantastic to everyone taking them fishing and seeing that they were all OK.”
Attached are several pictures of the adventure, which aside from fishing and leisurely cruises apparently included rowdy pool parties, and the odd bit of pole dancing! Who says life begins at 40!?
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Our cruise took us across the lake to the Gache Gache river where we hoped once again to catch the tigerfish running up river to spawn. Early February was wet across much of southern Africa and Kariba was no exception. Low scudding cloud and afternoon thunderstorms swelled incoming rivers, littering them with muddy water, floating logs and other debris. We saw plenty of tigerfish jumping and swirling on the surface, but had limited success. The hits we did get had no real pattern to them - some in open water, others along the banks or old river course, but the upper reaches of the Gache Gache were far from ideal. Fishing from the pontoons offered a great and very stable platform as they are large and robust and very stable. Poking our way up-river, dodging logs and pods of hippo, I never once felt threatened, simply due to our imposing tenders. Admittedly, they did not go anywhere fast, but then they are not supposed to.
Our return journey to Kariba met with a stiff westerly which had been blowing since early morning. Quite a swell had some of us feeling more than a little seasick, but never worried about safety. Osprey’s twin 130hp Cummins diesel engines just seemed to push her through the waves. Chatting to Keith later on, it was interesting to note he actually assisted in the building of Osprey in 1995, along with a good many other boats on Kariba over the last 30 years. Owner of KB Engineering in Kariba, he is fortunate to have the wherewithal to modify and maintain Osprey as needs dictate.
Osprey’s crew - chef, captain and deck hands - a great bunch of guys.
Ramps onto the tender boats, and down the stair well very easily move wheelchairs around the boat.
Ramps onto the tender boats, and down the stair well very easily move wheelchairs around the boat.
Osprey eloquently kitted out for a wedding.
the Umi river, and has a rescue/back-up speed boat which he can deploy should there be a problem with Osprey or any guests on board. Quite a comforting feature.
Although Osprey is a huge boat, her rates have been structured on a WET or DRY rate - as well as a sliding scale making her competitive for smaller groups too. Dry rate pricing ranges between $500 - $900 per day dependant on number of pax. There is also a fully catered option available for those who require it, and this service is supplied by Harbor View Café.
For more information and bookings, visit their website at www.kariba-houseboat-cruises.com or email them at karibahouseboatcruises@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can call Cally on (+263-61) 2292 or 2293 or cell (+263-774) 578622 and (+263-774) 502677.
Issue #4 February 2015
Hunters of the Murky Depths
By Anthony Williams
Some years ago, I was witness to a strange phenomenon which gives credence to the intelligence of one of our ugliest fish. Maramba, pong, barbel and catfish - names which conjure images of smelly, slimy belching scavengers. It is true that while few anglers revel catching a pong, their powerful hard-fighting nature make them a worthy adversary for even the toughest of tackle, or the most experienced of anglers.
Documented cases of catfish hunting in packs, working together to drive smaller fish into the shallows, have been common knowledge for decades. While we accept this behavior amongst more "intelligent" creatures, the thought of this "dumb" scavenger being capable of such intelligence is almost unbelievable. Reading about it, and actually witnessing it are two very different things.
Whilst at the Bangala Ranch before it became a government re-distributed wasteland, we visited the hunting camp established on the ranch. The camp is set on a small weir of about three or four acres, more of a pond providing a tropical setting for the chalets which ramble through the granite boulders. After dinner every evening, we gathered around the blazing camp fire, whiling away the evening until the cold seeped through the warmth of the glowing fire.
Directly below us, the waters of the weir lapped up against the platform on which the camp fire is sited. From the darkness beyond, loud splashes emanated from the water below, drowning out most other night sounds. My interest piqued, I found it hard to concentrate on conversation. Theories of feeding bass to hunting crocs (there were two small crocs in the weir) seemed likely given the volume of noise.
Panicked skittering noises (as small fish skimmed across the surface) were punctuated with loud splashing sounds similar to that made when the water is slapped with a plank, or cricket bat. The sounds would begin slowly, building to a crescendo... then stop, only to begin again in another part of the weir. I could stand it no longer, and armed with a Maglight went to investigate.
It took several attempts to pin-point the culprits. As a frenzy erupted just below us, I shone the torch into the murky water. There, with eyes shining were the sinister silhouettes of a dozen or more catfish, strung out in a semi-circle moving toward the shoreline. Small fish, trapped by the slowly approaching wall of hungry mouths, would come up against the shallow water. With no escape, and obviously aware that they could not get through the closing net, they took to the surface, tale walking (more like running) three or four metres before diving to their escape.
Homing in on the "walking" fish, the catfish seemed able to anticipate their line of travel, and the loud splashing noises were made as the large, flat, bony head rose from the depths to snatch a passing fish from the surface. It was a most chilling attack to witness.
Moving away from the cool water's edge, where only pinpricks of starlight reflected while eyes shone from the depths, and in spite of the leaping flames from the fire, shivers rose the hair on my neck. In my mind's eye, I could see those dark, menacing and persistent hunting machines moving through the murk. With human emotion, I felt a pang of sympathy for those hunted fish. Without a final retreat, they would spend the entire night running and hiding, running and hiding, until dawn brought a new game, and a new set of rules.
From the lodge a couple of hundred metres away, the din continued through the night. In the dying moments of consciousness before I drifted off to sleep, I felt a new sense of respect awakening for a creature I had previously given little regard.
It has been many years since this personal observation, and with the dawn of the Millennium new research into both catfish and other “nocturnal” species like Cornish jack has been undertaking, revealing the extent of their ability to communicate. What follows, are a couple of reports penned by John Minshull on this behavior. It is interesting stuff, and will force us simple anglers to re-think the way we approach these species.
Also included here, are a couple of videos showing catfish hunting prey. One is in the Okavango, which is more of a feeding frenzy which occurs annually and is spurred by a sudden abundance of food (small fish) as they re-emerge into the river proper after the annual flooding onto the plains.
The other video (on your right) - if one ignores the rather childish story boards insertions which accompany it - is very interesting as it is similar to the experience detailed above. Watch as the animals come to drink, and the catfish detect the movement at the water’s edge or on the water’s surface, and launch an attack, obviously believing it to be a small fish or at least something to eat.
Pack Hunting by Sharptooth Catfish in the Okavango Swamp
By John L. Minshull Msc TRE, Environmental Ecologist
It is amazing how much information lies in fish anatomy for instance, and in gut contents, state of male and female gonads and length and age of each fish. Once species are determined, a daily or weekly trapping and gill-netting program is set up and all possible data extracted from every fish caught for a year or two. Thus fairly detailed information on each species life-style emerges that directs you into various other scenarios to be investigated. Publishing the results brings other scientists into the picture from other Universities, often from other countries. The behaviour of fish is to me the most fascinating study, out of which yet more aspects arise, dangling like carrots in front of the proverbial donkey. We can never stop learning from Nature which envelopes us; we are very much part of it.
The story of catfish pack hunting will, I hope, illustrate to you the driving force behind scientists to find out more and more and finally, to turn a hypothesis into a scientific theory that will stand the test of time; for this, it must be replicable by other scientists the world over. This is what Creationists refuse to understand.
In 1979 the JLB Smith Institute (now the South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity) at Rhodes University conducted the first of many expeditions to Okavango swamp to capture and identify fishes. In 1983 Glenn Merron from the University of Michigan was appointed as Okavango Research Officer and continued sampling and observing fish behaviour in the delta. There he witnessed the pack-hunting of Clarias gariepinus, the Sharptooth catfish, described by Dr Mike Bruton in 1979 at Lake Sibayi in Zululand. Intrigued, he captured 363 catfishes by gill-nets during pack-hunting runs and removed their gut contents; later identified by him back in the Grahamstown laboratories. He found that 67% were male bulldogs only, Marcusenius altisambesi and 26% the Churchills, Petrocephalus catastoma. Both of them belong to the weakly electric mormyrid group of fishes that German and USA scientists had shown able to communicate with each other using varying pulses of high frequency electricity from organs in their tails. This species specific “language” appears to be their evolutionary speciality. They apparently have no need of good eyesight as their eyes are small and they are very active at night. Glenn published these results in 1993, hypothesizing that catfish had selected weakly electric mormyrids as prey.
Many anglers have only a hazy idea of the work that aquatic biologists actually do in their lives. Getting to know all the species of fish and giving illustrated talks at club meetings, is only a small part of the workload that is driven by an insatiable urge to understand the behaviour and interactions between individuals forming the many aquatic communities found in rivers and lakes.
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Dr Bernd Kramer of Regensburg University in Germany was intrigued by this data, thus joined SAIAB expeditions to Okavango Swamp and Upper Zambezi River, to record electric pulses produced by various mormyrids in the region, storing them on CD’s. Back in Germany he arranged for young C. gariepinus, bred at Utrecht University, Netherlands, to be sent to him. Live bulldogs that are the most abundant Okavango mormyrids, and Churchill came from southern Africa. Susanne Hanika performed the laboratory experiments to find out if Sharptooth catfish could sense mormyrid presence by their electric discharges, using both live fish and the CD’s.
The results were at first paradoxical, catfish surprisingly being unable to sense the high frequency pulses over 2500Hz, generated by the mormyrids. This problem was solved when they discovered a marked sexual dimorphism in the EOD’s (electric organ discharge) of male bulldogs on becoming sexually mature, with no other mormyrid species exhibiting this. Young adolescent male bulldogs of 12.6cm length, showed an almost 10% increase in the strength and duration of their DC component, producing an EOD of low frequency below 2500Hz that was detected by the catfish (perhaps this is analogous to the traumatic voice-breaking phase in teenage boys as their testes drop and they start raucously running after pretty girls?).
And what was the average length of Glenn’s large sample of male bulldogs from catfish stomachs?: 12.5cm! This clearly confirms the hypothesis that Sharptooth catfish specifically electro-locate adolescent male bulldogs after they become sexually mature.
Unfortunately for the bulldogs in the Okavango swamps, the dry winter months cause shallow water levels to drop and floating papyrus beds become grounded, causing vast numbers of small fish to leave cover and take to well oxygenated river channels where they are open to all predators in the delta. Catfishes appear to be the most efficient as thousands congregate, hunting in packs, forcing and enclosing shoals of small fish against walls of papyrus; electro-locating and swallowing mostly bulldogs.
One of Glenn’s catfishes had eight bulldogs in its stomach. Numerous other predators line the papyrus alongside the frenzied melee that moves slowly down the channel, taking their pick of little fish. Pack-hunting is a very efficient way of feeding; far better than hunting on your own and catfishes capitalize on this bonanza by being one of the first species to breed in the swamp when the Okavango floods arrive.
This research is typical of the work carried out by Universities, Museums and Conservation Departments/Organisations, utilizing keen young students who wish to obtain MSc or PhD degrees that can carry them around the world into varying ecological positions. Such investigations open up new research projects too, eg the Clariid catfishes of Asia and Africa and other swamp-dwelling fish may be tested to reveal if electro-location is more prevalent than originally thought. Indeed, it may be far more common throughout the world of fish.
Pack Hunting in Cornish Jack
By John L. Minshull Msc TRE, Environmental Ecologist
Lake Malawi, with crystal clear water, offers unique opportunities for the study of many species of fish using underwater scuba. A main predator has been found to be the strange Mormyrid fish, Mormyrops anguilloides, the Cornish jack, also found in Lake Kariba. It is only 50 years ago that Mormyrid fishes were first recognized as weakly electrical fish by the scientific world, although anglers had received surprise shocks from large bottlenose or Cornish jack.
It was thought that shocks deterred predators and small impulses used for communication and sensing prey. In the 70’s we observed bottlenoses swimming in tandem, nose to tail as if one fish, in a very large tank at Lake Kariba Fisheries Research Institute, suggesting they could indeed keep in contact in the dark. To my knowledge this was not published. In the 1960’s the Germans and Americans began to experiment with small Mormyrids from West Africa and they became important in medical biology in unravelling the intricacies of electric fish brains, nerves and “organic batteries”, all of which are important in understanding how the human brain functions too; (remember, that all vertebrates started off as fish and evolved into amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).
We now know that amongst the estimated 400 odd Mormyrids of Africa, most of which are in the Congo Basin and West Africa, certain groups have evolved a so-called split brain which deciphers electric signals from other fish of the same or different species to an astonishing degree. They have a sort of dot-dash Morse code, a crude “language” so to speak; capable of identifying individuals, sexes, age groups and different species. Recordings have been taken and sound like fat sizzling in a frying pan, varying in timing and intensity. Fishes with an ordinary Mormyrid brain produce a limited range of impulses. The whole issue is very complicated, with many types of differing electric cells in the West African and Congo fish. Our bottlenose and Cornish jacks appear to be split-brains with a fairly advanced language.
It was thought that shocks deterred predators and small impulses used for communication and sensing prey. In the 70’s we observed bottlenoses swimming in tandem, nose to tail as if one fish, in a very large tank at Lake Kariba Fisheries Research Institute, suggesting they could indeed keep in contact in the dark. To my knowledge this was not published. In the 1960’s the Germans and Americans began to experiment with small Mormyrids from West Africa and they became important in medical biology in unravelling the intricacies of electric fish brains, nerves and “organic batteries”, all of which are important in understanding how the human brain functions too; (remember, that all vertebrates started off as fish and evolved into amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).
We now know that amongst the estimated 400 odd Mormyrids of Africa, most of which are in the Congo Basin and West Africa, certain groups have evolved a so-called split brain which deciphers electric signals from other fish of the same or different species to an astonishing degree. They have a sort of dot-dash Morse code, a crude “language” so to speak; capable of identifying individuals, sexes, age groups and different species. Recordings have been taken and sound like fat sizzling in a frying pan, varying in timing and intensity. Fishes with an ordinary Mormyrid brain produce a limited range of impulses. The whole issue is very complicated, with many types of differing electric cells in the West African and Congo fish. Our bottlenose and Cornish jacks appear to be split-brains with a fairly advanced language.
The organic battery consists of lateral muscle cells that form plates, stacked in piles, each connected to another by nerves and forming a series. Each cell/plate is called an electrocyte and the organ is situated in the tail end of the body. The electric organ discharge (EOD) is triggered by the brain and can be affected by hormones in the blood.
M. Arnegard and B. Carlson, scientists from America, researched fish behaviour in Lake Malawi and observed fish at night. The Mbuna (cichlid bream) inhabit the rocks and are very numerous, feeding on algae, tiny crustaceans and insects. The Cornish jack was found to actively hunt these fish in the dark. By day they holed up in a cave out of the sun and were inactive. Activity began with sunset with the start of EOD’s. By detecting distortions in their own electric field Mormyrids can detect objects, their size, distance and electric field. When swimming alone at night a Cornish jack will send out irregular pulses ranging from 40 – 300 millisecs.
However, when they hunt in a pack, they keep in touch with each other by coordinated bursts of EOD’s at 40 – 70 msecs. As they sense prey they slow down and creep up to within a few centimetres, then start probing at 18 – 20 msecs to estimate prey size. Prey fish appear unaware of them. If size is right, then within a few seconds a strike ensues. If a miss occurs then fleeing prey fish may be caught by another pack-member. Pack hunting yielded more prey per individual than hunting alone. The pack follows a circuitous route around the reef, occasionally returning briefly to their lying up hole that can be 20 metres away. Pack fish often leave the group on catching a fish but soon after return easily to the same pack, even if it has moved away 15 metres. They consistently hunt together in the same packs of 1-10 fish at night. The packs retain their members even though they mingle with other packs after identifying each other before moving on. This shows clearly that individual recognition maintains group integrity. It is based on individual variations of EOD’s that measured from 0.7 to 2.4 msecs.
This interesting behaviour is similar to hunting dogs or to wolves, whose cohesion relies on sight, sound and smell and this appears to be the first ever recorded pack hunting in fish, albeit electric pulses and sound are the senses used. We can expect a lot more research done on Lake Malawi to elucidate the finer points of Mormyrid communication. For example, in breeding behaviour; are they monogamous or catholic in choice of mates, do they guard areas where eggs are laid? Do bottlenose exhibit more specialized behaviour due to their electro-communication? They do follow each other nose to tail like circus elephants, as previously mentioned. Is this group cohesion in both species due to family connections or not? This will entail both genetic and behavioural observations.
Reference ; Arnegard, ME & Carlson, BA 2005. Electric Organ discharge in Hunting by a Mormyrid Fish. Proc. R. Soc. B 237 : 1305 – 1314.
 Connor Lashbrook (6 years old) with his 18lb Cornish Jack, caught just off Antelope Island at half term at the end of 2012. |
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 Liesl Grundling of Bulawayo caught this 85cm Cornish Jack at D Camp Nyakasanga at 8am on September 6th, 2014. |
 Alec Mammoth with his Cornish Jack in Kariba. |
Issue #4 February 2015
Explosive Frog Fishing!
Compiled By Mohomed Ali
Cool, so now that you have broken up the structure into a more manageable size, the next step is to start actually looking at the structure and start dissecting it by identifying any changes in that piece of structure, no matter how small. If you force yourself to adopt this thinking, you will start to notice certain things about the piece of structure or grass/weeds/structure you are targeting. And suddenly, things like grass lines, holes, isolated patches, reed points, mixed vegetation, sheltered areas etc, (to name a few) will start to appear. And the structure that looked all the same at first now looks like a mine field of specific targets at which to cast. To attached illustration demonstrates this.
The next and most important step is before casting out at the farthest structure, target the areas closest to the boat first, with multiple accurate casts and different retrieves. In this way you will spook less fish and give yourself the maximum opportunity to target any fish in the area.
How?
Ok, so now that we know where and when, the big question is how? Earlier in the article I mentioned the two different types of frogs, so now I will cover their different applications.
Whenever I intend to fish a frog, I always have two rods, unless I know what the fish prefer. The first rod consists of 50lb braid and the Spro hollow bodied-type frog. The second rod, I fish with 20 to 25lb Flouro Carbon and the Horny Toad solid, soft plastic-type frog. By having the two different set ups, I can easily cover the area with different techniques until I find what the fish want.
I normally start with the Spro and start off with a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve. If that does not do anything then I will employ the walk the dog action, which does take some practise and modification to the bait which I will discuss in the tips section. Lastly, I will cast it out and fish it as slowly as my patience will allow, slowly crawling it over the cover and allowing it to sit still, for up to a minute sometimes, and then give it a slight twitch and then repeat the process.
If that does not work, I will then switch over to the next rod with the Horny Toad and start off by buzzing it across the surface, but as soon as it reaches the end of a grass line or a gap or hole in the vegetation, I will allow it to sink to the bottom, and this is usually when I will get a strike if the bass are not committing to the surface. Hence the reason I prefer to fish this type of frog on Flouro rather than braid.
Lastly, another technique I use a lot, especially when fishing very shallow, is to cast the bait out, right over the area I wish to fish, onto the bank. You will not believe how many bass - and sometimes big bass - position themselves right up against the bank, especially if there is an overhanging branch of some sort from a tree or bush. I will then slowly retrieve the bait until it plops softly and naturally into the water, so as not to spook the fish by casting it on top of their heads chasing any fish in the vicinity away. I have caught a number of bass in this manner, as the bass usually attack the bait as soon as it enters the water.
Tips
Finally, in conclusion I will briefly discuss some of the modifications I make to my baits, which allows me to get the best action out of them for specific situations. The key is not to be afraid to experiment.
One of the things I do when fishing a Horny Toad, especially when I want it to sink into the holes, is to use a bullet sinker in front of the frog, the same as you would a Texas rigged creature bait. This allows me to get the bait down quickly and elicit reaction strikes from the bass, when fishing the holes or edges of the grass lines. The size of weight will depend on how thick the cover I’m fishing is, or how deep the water is.
When it comes to the Spro, one of the modifications you can do to make the bait ‘walk’ better is to trim the silicone skirt shorter on one or both sides. Something else I like to do, especially when fishing in dirty or muddy water or very thick vegetation, is add glass rattles into the body cavity of the Spro Frog. I feel that the added vibration and noise it creates, helps the bass to track down the bait more accurately and even calls bass from further away. Lastly, if I am fishing rough water on a very windy day, I like to fill the body cavity with foam - the kind the sea fisherman use. I cut them into thin strips and fill as many as I can. This allows my bait to continue riding high on the surface and also stops it flooding with water too often, so I can make multiple casts before having to squeeze the water out.
KAWFT
RIFA
There is nothing more exhilarating than watching a bass muscle its way through a thick mat of weed to attack a lure. Explosive takes, aerial displays and the fight which ensues. Frogs make up a component of bass’ diet, and artificial frogs have been around for a long time. Today however, they are becoming more popular with anglers, and at this time of year as water creeps in to flood virgin shorelines, and aquatic vegetation flourishes, little can compete with the frog as an all-round surface bait. Tackle, rigging and technique though, need some special consideration.
I will discuss the tackle side of things, as to become more prolific at landing bass on a frog requires specific tackle to adequately deal with the terrain and size of fish you will be catching.
The Rod
The first thing you will need to look at is a technic specific frogging rod and there are a number of decent frogging rods on the market today. Now I am not saying that you will not catch fish on a frog with a general purpose rod, but having the right tools for the job will make you more successful. My recommendation is to get a rod which is at least 7' or longer. I personally prefer a 7'3". The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, the longer rod will enable you to make the longer casts often required when frog fishing and secondly, but more importantly, a longer rod will give you the required leverage to set the hook at distance and immediately put pressure on the fish to get it coming towards the boat as one is usually fishing a frog in the thickest of cover.
The second thing to consider when choosing a rod for frogging is the rating. Again, due to the type of cover one is normally fishing, you would need to get a rod which has sufficient back bone to haul those piggies out of the grass and structure. My recommendation is to get a "medium heavy" or "heavy" rated rod, depending on what feels comfortable in your hand. I prefer a rod with a 70/30 split. What this means is 70% back bone with 30% tip action so only the top 30% of the rod flexes. The reason I prefer a rod with a bit of tip action is again twofold.
Firstly the tip action will allow you to cast more accurately and secondly allow you to impart the correct action to your lure while also allowing for a bit of give when the fish swallows your bait. Another important thing to consider is the action. If you pick a fast action rod, you may find that you miss a lot of strikes. I prefer a medium action rod as it loads up slower than a fast action rod, which is important when striking. When the fish hits, the ideal is obviously to pause for a split second and feel the weight of the fish before striking, but I can assure you that when a big fish explodes on your frog, the excitement is such that you will rarely realise that you have to pause for a second before striking. So every bit of help you can get from your tackle to give the fish sufficient chance to inhale the bait before striking is a bonus.
Lastly the rod must be as light as possible, as fishing with a heavy rod will tire you out quickly and you will end up with sore wrists within the first hour. So buy the best that you can afford.
The Reel
The next important thing to consider is the reel. Here I will keep it simple. Basically you want a high speed reel with a decent drag and good torque, which unfortunately is a contradiction in most models. Generally the higher the speed of the reel the less torque or pulling power it possesses. That's why good cranking reels are usually the slowest ratio reels around. I prefer a high speed reel to quickly turn the fish and get it out of the cover before it has a chance to bury itself, otherwise the chances of landing it are reduced.
So ideally you want something along the lines of a 6.3 ratio reel and upwards. I personally prefer the Abu Garcia Revo stx in a 7.1 ratio which is one of the few reels I have used to date that has enough power to pull a big fish from cover whilst still maintaining a high retrieve ratio. A good way to test a reel’s drag and torque capabilities is to tighten the drag to about 70%and then strip line from it whilst the drag is engaged. If the reel lets out line immediately and smoothly without stuttering or locking up, then chances are it has a decent drag. You definitely don’t want a reel which locks up or stutters as this could cause you to snap your line or even your rod (if fishing with braid).
The Line
Lastly - line choice. All the best frog anglers I know fish frogs with braided line and with good reason. The first being its incredible strength per diameter and ability to cut through vegetation. The second reason I prefer braid is because the majority of frogging I do is on the surface and whilst you do get braids which sink, the majority of braids float allowing baits to ride high up on the surface which allows floating frogs to impart the correct action. However fishing with braid especially with a baitcaster can be very tricky and with the price of braids these days, getting an overwind is enough to put one off braids completely. So here are the important things to consider
Mohomed Ali with his 11.18lb bass, caught at Darwendale on a Zoom frog in the late afternoon.
Line Profile
The first thing to avoid when buying braid for a baitcaster is the braids which are like dental floss or have a wax coating. These are fine for spinning reels but a definite no-no for baitcasters as they will definitely dig in and cause you overwinds or lock up when casting. What you need is a braid with a rounded profile and not the flat or ribbon type.
The second thing is to ensure you get a braid which is rated at 50lbs or higher. Yip I know 50lbs seems excessive and some guys even fish 65lbs or more. But again there is good reason for this and the first is diameter. Because braids are usually very thin for their strength, using a smaller diameter braid than 50lb will cause the line to dig into your reel when retrieving under pressure causing overwinds. I find the 50lbs rating gives me the right balance and has a decent enough diameter to still get distance when while not digging into itself when retrieving under.
Lastly, when spooling braid onto your reel, wind the line on with the maximum tension that you can apply, this will further assist in eliminating the line from digging into itself and causing overwinds or getting stuck when casting. As for colour I prefer the dark greens as they mimic the vegetation and is less likely to spook the fish.
Again, these are merely guidelines and things that work for me. At the end of the day the most important thing is to fish with what you are most comfortable with and gives you the most confidence.
The Baits
Now for the business end. Due to the fact that I am writing this article mostly for the novice angler I will concentrate on the two major or most common types of frogs used today and the most popular brands.
The first type is the Zoom Horny Toad. This is a soft plastic frog which is rigged similar to a normal plastic worm using a special frog hook which is normally a 5/0 hook with a small spring attached to the eye.
The nose of the frog is screwed onto the spring and the hook is then threaded through the frog just before the split between the legs and skin hooked just like a normal worm to make it weedless. Generally these baits do not float when cast out or left still, although there are makes available which offer a floating version.
These frogs are generally designed to be cast out and retrieved at a constant speed to keep it buzzing across the surface, but they are very versatile and can be retrieved in a number of different ways, which I will cover in more detail in Part 3 of this article. They come in a number of different colours and I’m sure all will catch bass at some point. The key here is again to be comfortable and confident with the colour you have chosen. I personally just stick to three or four basic colours to cover the various water conditions, and it goes like this:
· Watermelon Red=Clear water and bright conditions
· Green Pumpkin=Stained and clear water
· Junebug=Dirty water or overcast conditions
· Black=Muddy/dirty water and during low light conditions
The second, and my favorite type of frog, is the Spro Bronzeye Frog which are floating versions with a double V shaped hook running through the body and the recently released Spro Bronzeye Popping frog.
Again there are various different brands of this type of frog and they also come in a number of different colours. My personal favourites are as follows:
· Natural Green=Clear and bright conditions
· Natural Red=Good all round colour and my favourite
· Rainforest Black=Overcast and dirty or muddy conditions.
There are three main sizes consisting of the “Bronzeye Jr” (small), the “Frog 65” medium and the “King Daddy” which is the largest of the three and designed to catch monster size bass. There is no special rigging required for these and they can be tied directly to the line. I normally tie mine using a Palomar knot with 50lb braid and have never had any breakages unless it was due to my own wrong doing.
Just like the Horny Toad, this is an extremely versatile bait and can also be retrieved in a number of different ways. The most common but most difficult to master of the retrieves is the ““walk the dog”” action. I will cover the different types of retrieves later when discussing the tactics and areas I fish.
The popping frog is designed to cause more disturbance making the bait splash around and spit water forward when jerked. This is an excellent bait when there is a chop on the water or when the fish are aggressive. It will often entice fish from a long way and also very useful when fishing in low light and muddy conditions. I also prefer using it when fishing in very thick cover as it allows me to create enough disturbances to entice a big bass lurking beneath the thick stuff.
 Adam Hassim's bass weighing +/-6.5lb, +/-8.5lb from Suji on a top water stick bait in the late morning. |
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Tips and Tactics
Now that the basics are out of the way, and you have hopefully got the required tackle and baits, the big question is what do we do with them? Unfortunately this is also the tricky bit, as there is no quick answer. Like any other facet of bass angling, one has to experiment until you find what is suitable for your individual style of fishing.
So in this part I will share with you my approach and what works for me. Again to simplify matters I will break it down into three steps and keep it as simple as possible.
Where?
Firstly, one must dispel any notions that frogs should only be fished in and around vegetation of some sort. They can be fished anywhere, whether it be open water, jetties, timber, rock piles, etc. Basically anywhere you would normally throw a top water lure; you can throw a frog with the added bonus of not getting snagged up, due to the weedless nature of the bait.
For the purpose of this article, and due to the type of dams or ponds we normally fish, which are usually overgrown with vegetation, I will concentrate on how to target these areas. The first piece of advice I can offer you, and a common mistake I see most anglers making when they first approach an area, is to blindly cast out in any direction in front of them, as far as possible and simply retrieve the bait back to the boat or bank, paying no attention to the structure at all. This tactic does sometimes work, but if there are fish in the area, you may end up spooking the majority of them and end up with nothing to show for your efforts. This usually followed by the complaint, “There are no fish here” or “the fish are not biting today.”
So the first skill to master is not to rush in and just start casting blindly. Which is easier said than done, especially when there is grass or weeds everywhere. The important thing to bear in mind is that bass are ambush predators and will position themselves accordingly. The second thing you need to learn is to break up the area you are fishing into smaller areas, even if it all looks the same at first, try to look for markers on the bank or on the structure itself, which will enable you to concentrate or target the structure more systematically. A technique I use quite often is what I like to call a “10 to 2” approach, which is simply to imagine a giant clock in front of you and the area you want to concentrate on is only the area between 10 and 2 on the clock face. Ignore everything else around you until you have finished fishing that area. The only time I do not do this, is if there is visible surface activity, where bass can be seen chasing bait fish on the surface. In that case I will cast out towards the area where the feeding is taking place.
When?
The best thing about fishing frogs is that you can fish them at any time of the day. The general perception is that one must fish them during the low light hours, i.e. early morning or late afternoon. This is normally a more productive time to catch bass on a frog but most certainly not the only time to throw one. In fact, I have had some of my best fishing during the midday hours, and the recent Small Bass Boat Challenge competition is a testament to that. Another time I prefer to throw a frog is on cloudy overcast days, and in my experience, on days like these you can catch them almost throughout the whole day, making it my most favourite of conditions. However when the conditions are sunny then I prefer a bit of a breeze. The least productive for me has always been hot sunny cloudless days with no wind during the summer months.
Zardeen Wazir and a 7.4lb bass caught early afternoon at Suji dam using a Zoom frog
Nazir Ghumra and his brace of 12lb and 12.6lb bass taken on a provate dam. These took a Zoom Junebug SuperFluke which is quite bulky. Don't be afraid to throw a big bait!
Mahomed Ali with a +/-4.5lb bass. Osborne Dam while moored on the big rock away from wind.
This concludes my article on Froggin’ My Way. I hope it was informative and useful. May you have many exciting hours of explosive strikes and catch lots of monster bass. This is for me, the most exciting way to catch bass and definitely my favourite technique. Tight lines.
Issue #4 February 2015
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