Hollow Body Frog Fishing on Lake St. Clair
Lake St. Clair · Michigan · Midwest
Lake St. Clair is a naturally shallow glacial lake averaging just 10–12 feet deep, with a dredged shipping channel cutting through its center and extensive grass flats, sand/gravel shoals, and emergent weed beds ringing its margins. The lake sits at the crossroads of the St. Clair River inflow to the north and the Detroit River outflow to the south, meaning current influence is ever-present and fish positioning responds strongly to flow and wind direction. Smallmouth bass are the marquee species — numbers and size class both — while largemouth stack in the Anchor Bay and Marshy areas of the Michigan shoreline.
A soft, hollow body with two upturned hooks that rides over surface vegetation completely weedless. Work it across mats, let it fall into pockets, and work it around pad edges. When a bass grabs it from below, the soft body collapses and the hooks drive home. Big-fish technique — frog fishing consistently produces 4+ pound fish.
Hollow Body Frog Setup for Lake St. Clair
| Rod | 7'3"–7'6" heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1–8.1:1 baitcaster |
| Line | 50–65 lb braid (no stretch, cuts through grass, positive hooksets) |
| Weight | 1/2–5/8 oz (BOOYAH Pad Crasher, Livetarget Frog, Spro Bronze Eye) |
Seasonal Tactics on Lake St. Clair
Lake: Smallmouth push onto gravel and sand shoals in 4–8 feet once water temps climb past 55°F, typically mid-May, making tube baits and finesse drop shots on hard-bottom flats extremely productive. Largemouth stage in the emergent vegetation edges of Anchor Bay ahead of the spawn.
Hollow Body Frog: Fish the edges of sparse early grass and around pads as water warms above 60°F.
Lake: Post-spawn smallmouth scatter across the main lake flats in 8–14 feet, suspending over cabbage and milfoil edges; topwater walking baits and Ned rigs on the weed lines draw consistent action through July and August. Largemouth bury deep in Anchor Bay hydrilla and milfoil mats, rewarding punch rigs and hollow-body frogs.
Hollow Body Frog: Prime season. Work across matted grass and punch into pockets. Midday bite can be excellent under mats.
Lake: Smallmouth stack on the deeper grass edges and transition to feeding aggressively on gobies and shad as water temps drop through the 50s — glide baits, tube jigs, and swimbait-head rigs produce outsized fish through October. Largemouth compress into the remaining green weed pockets and respond to a slow-rolled swimbait or a swim jig.
Hollow Body Frog: Fish open pockets in dying grass. Work slowly as fish become less aggressive.
Lake: Legal ice-fishing seasons permitting, jigging spoons and blade baits over hard-bottom areas in 10–14 feet produce smallmouth through winter. Open-water anglers targeting the southern end near the Detroit River outflow find actively feeding bass around current transitions.
Hollow Body Frog: Not applicable — bass leave shallow vegetation in cold water.
Best Conditions
Thick grass mats, lily pads, surface vegetation, shallow water in summer, post-spawn through fall, morning and evening
Wait on the hookset. After the explosion, lower the rod tip slightly and wait until you feel pressure before sweeping hard. Premature hooksets cost half your fish.
More Techniques for Lake St. Clair
Ready to fish Lake St. Clair?
Ask Hank about current conditions, water temp, and exactly what to throw today.
Ask Hank →