( L to R ) BOOYAH Pad Crasher in Leopard Frog , SPRO Bronzeye Frog 65 in Natural Red , and River2Sea Ish Monroe Phat Mat Daddy Frog in Yellow Head .
Dawg ,” he says . “ The bites can come so far out that you ’ ll need braid to set the hook .”
Bait selection
Size of the dog matters .
“ In spring , I start with a smaller bait and go bigger as the weather warms ,” Suggs details . “ But then in August and going into fall , I start big and downsize my bait later as the season progresses . I always try to match the size of my bait to what the fish are feeding on .”
Suggs takes the Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg for these topwater strolls . The 5 / 8-ounce , 4.5-inch Sexy Dawg is the workhorse . The Sexy Dawg Jr ., a 3 / 8-ounce bait and 3.75 inches long , serves best when bass are guarding fry or favoring smaller forage . When bass are feeding on larger forage and on blue herring lakes , he favors the 2- ounce , 6-inch Mega Dawg .
“ I like the Mega because it causes commotion ,” he says . “ Often , you ’ re calling fish from 20 or 30 feet down . The louder and more erratic the action , the better .”
He keeps rods rigged with all three sizes on his deck in preparation for an open-water bite .
“ When bass are up and feeding feverishly , it doesn ’ t matter which one you throw ,” he explains . “ But when they go back down and you ’ re trying to get them in singles again , I ’ ll go through all three of these baits to figure out the best size for that day . Their preference can be a different size from day to day .”
Suggs builds his color selection largely around shad colors , but prefers chrome , white and baits with flashes of chartreuse on clear-water lakes to draw fish from a distance .
tips
Smallmouth bass are suckers for a small walking bait during a mayfly hatch on northern lakes . Suggs colors a feathered treble tail hook brown or some other color resembling a mayfly to seal the deal .
He eschews snaps , split rings or any other terminal connection to his walking bait .
“ A loop knot is all I ever use ,” he says . “ It allows the lure to make a full swing .”
last word
Fishermen too often limit their walking bait ’ s potential by sticking to a single retrieve .
“ Don ’ t make it one dimensional ,” Suggs advises . “ Once you ’ ve learned the zig-zag retrieve , there are so many ways to go . These baits are so versatile .”
Jordan Lee : Frogging
Alabama ’ s Lake Guntersville is home waters to MLF star Jordan Lee . To him and many others , it ’ s “ Froggin ’ Heaven .”
“ When I was 16 , 17 , and 18 and learning how to fish , we fished a lot of frog tournaments on Guntersville ,” says Lee , whose star-studded career first found him under the limelight as a college champion at Auburn University . “ Fishing hollow-bodied frogs is what I do a lot in summer and fall . It ’ s produced so many cool bites and some awesome memories .”
JUNE-JULY 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 47