X Plodin Toad: Colors: 9 Size: 3.5" Weight: N/A Pack Count: 5
Leg Style: Buzz Scent: N/A
Intro:
This frog caught my interest last season, but I was not able to get my hands on it until the season had closed and I waited 6 long months to actually be able to throw it. As you will see from the below review I really love this frog and feel it would be a great addition to your soft body frog arsenal
Overall Rating: 7.2/10
Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price
Quality: 3.5/5
Im in a bit of a quandary here, the Kicker Fish X Plodin toad is what I would call a very well build quality product.. yet, the issue I have is that the legs of the frog are ripped of fairly easily and I go through a pack of these frogs like a fat kid goes through potato chips.. one after the other. I actually had to pace myself on a recent trip as I did not want to run out prior to a tournament I had coming up.. yes they were working that good, and that bad.
The issue seems to stem in the "knee joint" of the bait, all frogs that I added to the dead bait pile came from ripped legs, and all were in the exact same spot.. why I say this is a quandary, is due to the fact that I love the motion of this bait, and the weak spot may be the actual area that makes the frog move the way it does, so would I rather use less baits, but be less successful or would I rather catch fish but eat up baits.. this is a no brainer!
Castability: 4.5/5
With an aerodynamic body and a fairly dense heavy frame this frog casts very well. It can be bombed long distance, pitched in high corners and skipped up and under cover. I found no concerns with the cast ability of this frog and rated it accordingly
Presentation: 4.0/5
Ive said it a few times here, "Im not really a buzz frog guy" I much prefer the more subtle churn of a swim frog, but the X Plodin toad has my attention for sure. It moves very well in open water and over pads. Because of the rubbery material it can have some drag over heavily padded sections, but not enough that it was frustrating and the violent buzz in the water more then makes up for any drag around the pads.. theses legs kick like Michael Phelps!
Hook-Up Ratio: 3.5/5
For a frog made out of a very dense tire rubber like material, this frog has a surprisingly high hook-up ratio. The body seems to compact well and not really ball up when a fish strikes. Kicker Fish also designed it with a small tail or tab at the ass end of the frog, if using a 5/0 hook this will allow you to place the hook in the area of the frog with the least amount of plastic/rubber. (see about pic)
Availability: 2.0/5
damn, just when this frog was doing so well, I had to go and slam it it with a "2", but hey thats how this works, if the X Plodin Toad was available in more then one on-line retail store (other then their own) then maybe I could have upped the rating, but the fact is, this frog is hard to find, you can buy direct for $3.50 a pack and get all 9 colour choices, or you can buy from TW and get 7 of the 9.. so "2" it is
Options & Price: 4.0/5
At an average price tag of $3.30 a pack (with works out to about $.66 a frog) this X Plodin toad is very affordable and it has above average selection. Kicker Fish designed this frog with two body types (a standard and floater model) and 9 colour options, for a smaller company this sizable offering and what I would call their marquee product.
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.
Equipment:
After preaching and preaching about the Dobyns 735c, I have slowly started to move over to the 805c for almost all of my soft body frogs, I find that extra length really allows me to throw them a great distance and it still has the power to get me out of trouble. I don't know if I'm along on this, but try it out and let me know what you think
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