The long rod helps make long pitches. It also takes up line quickly so you could get a good hookset. This is especially important when the bass swims toward you on the pick-up, as they often do. The heavy rod helps with the hookset, too, but also gives you the backbone to pull a large bass from the heavy cover.

"I'll break off large bass on the hookset if I drop down to 30-pound-test line," said Barrack. "So I spool up with 50-pound-test Spectra line."

Other knowledgeable anglers drop down to a still-hefty 30-pound line, while some bump it up to 65-pound-test line. But they all use Spectra line.

Monofilament line gives too much, and it won't allow you to get the required solid hookset. You need to try to cross the fish's eyes on the hookset. Monofilament won't give that to you.

These lures have large double hooks that get a lot of purchase in a fish's jaw. You can really manhandle it out of heavy cover then, but it requires a good jerk to drive the hook in past the barbs.

Use dark-colored line to match the stained water where you find bass. Galen Jensen showed me how he marks the last 6 feet of the Spectra with a black felt-tip marker to reduce its visibility. A dark green or other dark-colored line is a good hue to keep visibility low in typically stained bass water.

AIN'T EASY BEING GREEN
Frogs' natural color is green or dark brown. They may have various colors on their underside, but brighter-color plastic frogs seem to work better than natural colors. White or yellow are also good colors.

Some frogs have spots on their backs, but the fish never sees them. The color on the bottom is what's important. One angler I talked with dots the belly of the frog with colored Sharpie marker.

Most soft-bait manufacturers make frog imitations. The dominant ones in the West are the ones with the double hook around the body. Snag Proof makes a Pro Series Tournament Frog as well as Bobby's Perfect Frog, which is Bobby Barrack's modification with their thighs cut off.

Some anglers prefer a lure made by SPRO. Mann's also makes good frog lures.

The normal weight of these lures is about a half ounce, but a large one may weigh 1 ounce. The smallest ones weigh 3/8 of an ounce.

Learn how to fish a frog lure, and your catch of large bass can take off. Fish in the obvious places like heavy cover, but also cast it into open water and along docks. You will find these lures to be very versatile.