It has become an addiction of sorts. I love bass fishing in the summertime more than I use to. The reason for this turn of events is do solely to one kind of lure. The frog! The frog comes in many colors and numerous different companies make them. I have found a couple different ones that I like and work well for me. The frog is a heart attack waiting to happen as the strikes are rarely subtle. A big hole opens in the water or the mass of matted vegetation and your lure disappears in a fury of splashing water and flying weeds. Bass will attack a frog with a vengeance. They will chase it down, they will sneak up on it, and they will inhale it. Welcome to frog fishing 101. Your guide to equipment, set up and the addiction that lays ahead.

The set up for frog fishing cannot be confused with light line and crappie fishing. We are set up for battle with stout rods and heavy line. My standard rod is a Fenwick 7'0 Medium heavy rod with an Abu Garcia Revo spooled with 30 pound Spider Wire Stealth. The braided line is a must for continued success in heavy vegetation. We will discuss hook setting in a moment. I use several different types of frogs depending on how sparse or dense the vegetation or cover I am fishing is. For thick weeds, I prefer either the Spro Bronzeye frog or the Bass Pro Shops Kermy. Either of these lures has great double hooks alongside a soft durable body with rubber skirts for legs. They sit eyes up in the water like a frog does and look quite realistic. The other frog I use is mostly for light vegetation or even open water. (Yes frogs work in open water to.) The Big Bite Baits Floating Toad is a flat shaped frog with outward kicking legs that leaves quite a wake in the water. It can be rigged Texas style and I prefer a screw in type hook to help the lure last even longer. Colors are simple for me. If it looks like a frog, that's the color I buy.

For dense vegetation let's take the Bass pro Shops Kermy and tie it directly to the braided line using a Palomar knot. The frog is cast out over the vegetation paying attention to any holes that might appear in the matted mess. I want to work my frog with rod at the 1:00 position to ensure I still have some slack in the line as I hop the lure and make it "Plop" down on the thick vegetation. This will help any hungry bass to home in on the helpless lure. When I see holes in the weeds, I try to work my frog close to or into those holes, pausing the lure while in the hole. Watch for disturbances behind your lure. Bass will sometimes give themselves away in this fashion. The best way to work this lure is to mimic a real frog, so that is what I do. As the lure clears the matted vegetation and comes to open water, pause before moving it forward. This is when the strike can come, if not work it a little more before reeling it in. Here is a trick I do, to make this open water retrieve more successful. Cut about an inch off one of the skirted legs of the frog. When you twitch it in open water this will cause the frog to "walk" side to side and often results in vicious strikes!

Working the frog in open water or sparse vegetation or cover like lay down logs, I like to use that Big Bite Baits Floating Toad. In some cases I will throw the lure up on the bank and then hop it off into the water. A deadly technique in clearer water, you will often see the wake coming from 15-20 feet away. If not I will then reel the frog slowly and occasionally stopping it and letting it "float" there like a real frog would. Then I continue the retrieve. A great lure to use around logs or when there is a big log lying shallow around weedy areas, the floating toad can be deadly on a straight Buzz bait style retrieve or just a stop and go style retrieve. Either way, the fish will usually tell you how they want it.

Hook setting on both these type of lures is what seems to give anglers the most problem. The way I do it is to wait to feel the bass swimming with my lure before I set the hook. Changes are they will NOT let go of it because they think it's the real deal. A bass will hold on to these lures exceptionally well. So let them have it or you will most likely be swinging at air if you don't. Let the Bass swim with it to make sure he has got the frog and not missed it or just has a moth full of grass. Relax, make sure he has got it and then set the hook hard, keep your rod up and reel, reel, reel to get the fish's head up and out of the weeds and coming toward you. That is how you will be more successful when fishing a frog. It if looks like a frog, acts like a frog, a bass will eat it. If you have the proper equipment, wait to ensure the bass actually got the frog, set the hook hard and keep the fish coming toward you, you will be more successful with the frog.

One of the best reasons to fish a frog is that they tend to attract large bass. Some of the biggest bass I have ever caught in small lakes and ponds have been fooled by a frog. The frog is part of their diet and a big easy meal when it's available. The angler can with just a little practice make his lure look to be the real thing and land some big bass. An exciting lure to fish, with big results, I would suggest you fish the frog and hop to it!

One of the absolute best adventures I have ever been on! That is the first thing that came to mind when I sat down to write this article. It had been a long time since I had traveled back to Ontario. This province was where my love for Canada started and where I spent many a summer fishing with my dad. It was always fun, and there were always lots of fish. Fast forward 30 years and the first drive in camp I have been to in a very long time. I headed up to Fin and Feather with friend and one of the excellent camera men for Midwest Outdoors, Coulter Mitchell. You will be seeing a couple segments from our adventures at Fin and Feather on Midwest Outdoors this season. But for now, get a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy a recap of our trip.

I talked with Kim and Bruce Legros at the All Canada show last January and we decided to plan a trip for September. Their lodge is their home, so the family feel was apparent as soon as Coulter and I pulled in. The resort is the only lodge on river (Eagle Lake) so the view from their deck is outstanding. With the leaves changing colors, I was thrilled my cell phone was out of range and no Chicago traffic noise to be heard! Phones are available at the lodge but mine was not ringing and I loved it! The lodge itself is set among the trees and seems to disappear from the short access road and even quicker after you pull away from the dock. I was there to hunt ducks, geese and grouse, but what I found was so much more.

Fin and Feather has incredible fishing that includes walleye, but the numbers and size that really impressed me was the small mouth and Muskie. I literally ran out of time hunting because if I had more opportunity the small mouth were accessible on the reefs and from what we heard were averaging 18-20 inches! Muskie fishing was also going well and a monster 55" was caught in the river that summer! Even if the weather is bad, the river is protected so you will never lose a day's hunting or fishing from this lodge. The first day we were there we enjoyed an awesome pig roast that the lodge put on for the locals and, wow, did we eat well. Fin and Feather is known for their food and I have to say the BEST chicken wings I have ever had. No question, you will eat well here. Kim and Bruce are even putting together a Lodge cook book because so many people have asked for the receipts. We met a bunch of people and had a grea time. Just a great experience and we were off to a wonderful start.

The next morning we hooked up with one of the guides who work for the resort, Kevin Weberg. Kevin excels at guiding for deer, wolf and bear. Let's put it this way, we saw more deer and BIG deer in our short stay than I saw all last year. The first year Kim and Bruce owned the lodge, they had 9 deer hunters, this year they had over 40. There is more you don't know. This lodge is set up to be an awesome base for waterfowlers. The lodge even has an excellent room called Marshland manner complete with fireplace. Attention water fowlers keep reading you'll like this.

Within 2 minutes of leaving the dock, we saw, mallards, teal, wood ducks, the closer we got to the main lake we saw, bluebills, Goldeneye and some canvasback. Next time I am there, I am bring my own boat, because I could easily set up in the river with a minimal decoy spread and have my limit. The ducks were everywhere! Our guide had another idea. Kevin said," I want to take you guys to an island and drop you off." I was not sure why being stranded on an island was a good thing, but I was open to any ideas. I was seeing ducks and enjoying the scenery, so I was up for anything. Kevin dropped Coulter and I off on an island that was less than a ˝ acre in size.

He threw out 8 decoys gave us a hand held radio and said, call me when you shoot a duck and I'll come get it. Away he went. Coulter and I were on a small island out in the middle of a lake on a beautiful, quiet, slightly windy day and here came the ducks. A small bunch of diver ducks speed passed us to high to take and settled in a tall patch of grass off an island not too far from us. They quickly got up again and were flying parallel to us. I "quacked" on my call and they did a 90 degree turn heading right for us. Weaving up down and in and out like diver ducks do, I saw white patches, golden eyes! We were hidden by a fur tree on the small island. I stepped out fired and yelled, "duck down" First shot of the year and a duck down. What a display those divers put on. Their incredible speed and agility is a thing of beauty for a duck hunter and my adrenalin was surging. They came right to the call with lighting speed. I am getting chills retelling it to all of you. I radioed Kevin, he came got the duck, and away he went to hide behind another island. A couple minutes later, I hear a quack of a hen mallard. I quack back and the conversation continues. I hear her but can't see her. She quacks again. I remain silent, looking and listening. From the corner of my eye, I see movement. A big mallard is swimming into our decoys from behind us. I am still in shock to what I am seeing. I am here on an island out in the middle of Eagle Lake seeing divers and puddle ducks with NO OTHER HUNTERS around! Suddenly the mallard sees me and we have this "what do I do now moment" together. The duck rockets into the air. I focus and fire and give Kevin a call, "we have another duck down, another duck down" I said. All morning we watched the aerial display of mallards, bluebills and Goldeneye ducks. It was simply awesome.

After lunch, which again was mouth watering, we talked with Kevin about hunting some geese in the morning. He told us, that some geese were using a small field about 5 minutes from the lodge. So we went to check it out. Sure enough there were about 30 geese using this small field right off a gravel road. About a hundred yards behind them were a series of small beaver ponds that the birds were roosting in. Kevin said "You can hunt that field if you want, I'll take care of it" and he did. Why did I never get the memo on this area? We saw geese and ducks everywhere. We ended up finding half dozen shells and literally two BigFoot decoys that someone had probably used for yard ornaments. Those would work for me in the morning. Coulter and I got an early start. I set up the decoys in the field, and found a ditch 25 yards from the highest point in the field. I could fit perfectly between a couple trees and have overhead and side to side cover with a great shooting lane. I put three Kent shells in my 870 and I was ready! It was a slow start as it was a cloudy day, but about 9:00am I heard a honk and then another. The geese were leaving their roost and here they came. The first flight took a quick look and then passed over. Another group was honking and moaning, so I did the same call back. They circled and four broke off from the group. I watched them drop lower and I called to them. The geese saw the decoys and here they came. Wings locked and literally headed right for me! I was shaking, excited and amazed all at the same time. Wings locked, feet down is when I said to myself, "Take'em!" As I stood up, all four geese put on the brakes and back peddled in the air. They had no idea I was there until it was too late. I fired twice and two BIG geese fell to the ground. If this is a dream, don't wake me. Again, I am by myself with BIG Canada geese and no other hunters. Hey goose guys, this should excite you. I have driven to Manitoba to hunt, and although it was great, so was this. Plus it is a lot closer to home with rarely if ever hunted areas.

There is a lot more to tell but here are some things you all need to know about Fin and Feather. You can easily hunt in the morning, than fish in the afternoon. If you want to duck hunt in the morning and grouse hunt in the afternoon, you can do that to. If you want to fish in the morning and bear or wolf hunt in the late afternoon, you can accomplish that as well. Fin and Feather is in one of those rare areas that have so much to offer, I ran out of time. This was my first trip to Canada where I did not fish. I was too busy having an awesome time hunting for everything!

Although you can have guided trips, this is a great lodge for do it yourself hunting. I am bringing my boat next time and a mess of field decoys because I can easily have an awesome place to stay, eat well, sleep great and hunt close by. Kim and Bruce have done a lot to make this lodge extremely comfortable and continue to do so. There is a day Spa for the ladies yet the family feeling of sitting on a comfy couch and just relaxing fills the air. You will feel like part of the family here, yet if you want to have a place to set up a yearly reunion I would highly suggest Fin and Feather. The dining room/ bar area is the best I have seen. Great fishing and hunting with a much shorter drive. Water fowl hunters, I cannot stress this enough, look into Fin and Feather. How often can you hunt divers, puddle ducks and geese in the same day? Contact Bruce and Kim Legros at 1-800-919-3474 or e-mail them at reservations@finandfeather.com. You can also check them out at www.finandfeather.com or by visiting them on Facebook.

I had an incredible time and look forward to my next visit. It's very rare that you find a lodge that has so much to do, that is easily accessible and feels so comfortable. Where the smiles are big, the meals are exceptional, the service is wonderful and the fishing and hunting are truly amazing. In my honest opinion Fin and Feather Resort is the lodge you've been hunting for.

The most incredible duck hunt of my life. I could end the story right there, but that would take the fun out of you reading it and me reliving it! There is no question that my passion runs deep when it comes to waterfowl hunting. It's a total experience from anticipation thru preparation and then plan execution. When it all comes together and the birds want to be where you're at it's an exhilarating experience. So on yet another return visit to Manitoba Canada, I and friend/cameraman Kirk Ijams were the guest of Rick and Colleen Liske who own Agassiz-Waterhen Lodge and Outfitters. If you're a serious duck and goose hunter or want to experience what it's like to be on the "X" relax and relive the moments with me. It was an incredible adventure.

When Kirk and I landed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we had been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, so we quickly loaded up the rental car and headed to the lodge. As we headed out of town, we saw thousands of Canada geese which always seem to be in the Winnipeg area. Looking back now it must have been a sign of what we were about to experience. We pulled into the lodge and were immediately greeted by Tracker and Hunter, the two labs and experienced retrievers who are part of the Agassiz team. I am a lab lover and have one of my own, so nothing warms my heart more than to have labs running around with wagging tails. Colleen quickly greeted us and pointed us to our cabin, a great little place with a nice kitchen, comfortable bed and even a TV and refrigerator. Several nice cabins and camping area are part of the lodge with a new cabin being built for next season. Right on the river, so the scenery is beautiful with wildlife all around. As I walked down to the pier, I saw a group of redhead ducks land out in the river. Their amber heads caught the sunlight and glowed. I smiled immediately!

Kirk and I had a great dinner that night. Colleen is an excellent cook and you best plan on gaining weight while you are there. The food is very good and you will need the energy because make no mistake about it, you are there to hunt and Agassiz Outfitters makes sure you have plenty of it. We met our guide Matt and discussed a plan for a duck hunt in the morning. The plan was laid out in detail by Rick and we would be hiking back through the woods to this little creek that was adjacent to a much larger lake close by. The creek was being used by mallards and we would lie in wait for them to arrive. I could hardly sleep that night because of the anticipation!

We woke early and headed out. The creek was tucked back in the timber and we were glad Rick knew where he was going because the woods were thick. It was quickly evident that to find a spot like this, hard work, scouting and patience was required. You don't find spots like this by luck; you find them by knowing what and where to look. That only comes with experience and persistence. We arrived at a high bank that dropped off about 15 feet into a ravine right on a bend in the creek. I could make out a sand bar about 30 yards from us that the creek completely covered when the water was high. Now it was exposed and a perfect resting spot for ducks using a creek like this. A small array of decoys was set out near the bend in the creek. Now we waited, however, we did not have to wait very long.

It was a very calm and still day as Kirk, Matt and I sat back amongst the trees and bushes that lined that creek bend. You could hear a pin drop. We could now make out the trees as dawn was approaching. I heard the wind pick up and the sound was loud as it came through the trees. It was then I realized it was not the wind! It was hundreds of mallards flying over the trees headed to a field. I have a chill running up my back as I tell this story because then, the sound made the hair on my neck stand up. You could hear and feel the wing beats as the leaves in the trees rustled. It was an incredible sight to hear and see. Hen mallards started quacking and a group of about ten landed right in the creek. It was mayhem as ducks flew by us and had no idea we were there. We did not even shoot at first because we were astonished at what we were seeing. If heaven has duck hunting, God just gave us a preview!

It was an amazing experience and we had a three man limit in 1 hour and 15 minutes. That's 8 ducks a man, 24 in all of some of the biggest mallards I have ever seen. We literally sat down afterwards and just watched the ducks. It's hard to describe such an incredible feeling that was emotional as well as overwhelming. The best duck hunt of my life.

The story I just told you was just one morning of our 3 day experience at Agassiz-Lodge and outfitters. We had incredible afternoon hunts for geese and it some cases hunted the river for diver ducks including, ring necks, redheads. Kirk and I each shot our first redhead and I am having mine mounted for my office wall. The snow geese hunts were awesome and we talked with one guest who shot his entire case of shells in one morning that he brought for his entire stay. He was already thrilled from one mornings hunt and we could hear his group laughing and relieving their story.

I have always love coming to Manitoba and have stayed at great lodges. I have had a different fishing or hunting adventure on each occasion with more memories and new friends than I could have ever hoped for. Our time at Agassiz-Waterhen Lodge and Outfitters was not only incredible it was spectacular. You cannot consistently have quality hunts such as we did along with the other guest that were there if not for hard work, overwhelming knowledge of waterfowl habits and tendencies and the drive and passion to get it right. Agassiz-Waterhen Lodge and outfitters has all that and more. It's a well run, customer satisfaction driven operation that I feel is so successful because the owners want you to do well and are committed to seeing that happen because they so love the sport and the relationships that are built from it.

Along with doing this story, I was lucky enough to film some of these events that you will see on www.hookandhunttv.com . It was an incredible time. I want to sincerely thank Rick and Colleen Liske for the excellent time we so enjoyed and to Matt our guide who we truly enjoyed laughing and hunting with. Thanks also goes to Travel Manitoba for once again allowing me to visit one of my favorite destinations and come home with even more unforgettable memories. Waterfowl hunters I highly recommend you visit AGGASIZ-WATERHEN LODGE AND OUTFITTERS at www.agassizoutfitters.com and/or give them a call 1-888-468-3394. For the best waterfowl hunting you may truly ever experience, you need to be with the professionals at Agassiz who in my opinion definitely have a Fowl Attitude!