Spro Baby Popper 60mm: Colours: 16 Size: 2 3/8" Weight: 1/2oz Pack Count: 1
Spro Baby Popper 50mm: Colours: 16 Size: 2 3/8" Weight: 1/4oz Pack Count: 1
Intro:
If you have been reading this blog for any period of time you will know that Im not a huge fan of Spro frogs, it is a preference thing, not a personal thing, so when I saw the Spro Baby Popper introduced at ICAST back in 2011 it really peaked my interest and I just had to have one, and I have to say, although it is not without its faults, Im a fan.
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price
Quality: 4.0/5
No matter your personal preference in frogs that is one thing that can't be argued here, and that is that Spro makes a mean frog, and not only in looks! this are quality frogs built tuff.
With a high grade plastic body these frogs take abuse well and hold up fish after fish. The Baby Poppers are equiped with a 1/0 Gammakatsu frog hook, a hook I personally consider to be one of the best currently available
Castability: 3.0/5
I came across some casting issues with this tiny frog. The 1/4oz more so then the 1/2oz but either way it took some break adjustment and a rod change (or two) before I found a comfortable set up for throwing the Baby Popper. It's small size and weight make it hard to throw on a standard hollow body rod, so you may need to downsize a bit if you want to get distance and accuracy.
Presentation: 3.5/5
When it comes to presentation this frog really excels in open water or sparse cover situations, it walks, pops, and gurgles with the best of them. I did have some issues when fishing heavier cover and I believe that comes down to weight more then design. It sits very lightly on cover and won't pound the roof as much as larger/heavier frogs. I felt like I was accomplishing very little when fishing think slop and would tend to stick to sparse pads, timber and other other water situations
Hook-Up Ratio: 4.0/5
This snack sized bait (also know as a froglet) will give you a great hook-up ratio, like a 2-bite brownie hawg bass will inhale it and all you have to do is set the hook. I also find the body material more supple then traditional Spro frogs, with was also a concern for me in their previous models
Availability: 3.5/5
It's Spro, if you can find there product in your local shops you really need to move. They are one of the best selling brands on the market and can be easily found. That being said the baby popper is not also so easily found and many of the retailers I deal with don't carry it, or if they do, carry only one colour
Options & Price: 4.0/5
This is Spro we are a talking about, so you know there will be a tone of options and you know kinda where the price will land. This frog comes in 2 sizes and 16 color options, wich is why it is rated so high. On average these frogs come in at just under $9 a piece which is not bad, like mentioned before I really dont want to pay more then $10 for a frog (but I will!)
When Spro first hit the market they were responsible for the now standard price range of $10-$13 a frog, I think I still hold a grudge against them for that, even though currently many other frogs well out price the current Spro line-up.
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.Spro ($10.40)
Equipment:
Rod selection is tuff with this frog as it took me some time to get use to throwing the 1/4oz model on my standard go to Hollow belly rod. I originally tied it on to my 736c but then changed over to the 735 and probably could drop down to a 734.
Poppers in my opinion are more of an open water (or sparse cover) presentation, so you can get away with using lighter line then when fishing heavy cover. that being said I would not drop below the 30-40lb mark. Lighter line will help the casting distance of this tiny frog
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