MegaBass Pony Frog Review

Pony:   Colors: 8     Length: 2 1/4 inch    Weight: 3/8oz   Pack Count: 1

Intro:

This is my first foray into MegaBass products, like many anglers their price points scared me a bit, but as I have learned with rods, reels, line and frogs, you pay for what you (most of the time) so I took the plunge.. and if this is their best effort, I hate to see what a $10 Megabass bait fishes like

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 & Durability: 3.5/5

This frog at first glance has a lot going for it. It is a soft pliable body that held up well for multiple fish and even a toothy bowfin. I loved the extra nose ring that lets the bait swing loose and allows it to walk as good if not better then any frog on the market

Where things go wrong is on the retrieve, sure it moves well, but thats only when its not sinking. I had a really hard time keeping this frog above water on any cast more then 20 yards, and if I didn't empty it after each cast it would sink in under 10 yards.. I don't get it, Frog Fishing 101.. it has to float? the megabass Pony does not

Castability: 4.0/5

this bait is built for casting, its short, sleek and bottom heavy. It cant be cast for distance or short flipped into targeted areas, one thing you need to watch out for is that on most long casts this bait was under water by the time I finished my retrieve. (did I mention it sinks?)

Presentation: 4.0/5

I want to be clear here, the Pony frog is small, and it sinks... but, it moves very well. The bull style nose ring allows you to walk this bait with ease, and almost in circles. I find the tail to be a bit odd, Im  not too sure what benefit you get from the raised tail (this baits name sake) but I do know that I like a single tail over a pair of legs, due to the fluid action it gives your frog

Even when sinking this bait looks good, it moves and flashes under the water, still walking the dog, but looking more and more like an injured baitfish

Hook-up Ratio: 4.0/5

I went back and forth on this rating, the size and design of the Pony makes it a nice light snack which means the hook-up ratio should be pretty solid. I went 2 for 2 on my first two blow-ups, but my issue is that it took me 3 trips to get that first blow up.. so yes, the hook-up ratio is good.. the fish blowup ratio was poor

Availability: 3.0/5

Lets see, I can't find these locally and I can barely find them on-line. Their only saving grace is that TackleWarehouse picked them up, which means most of Canada and the US can easily get their hands on one if they really wanted too (trust me you don't)

Options & Price: 3.0/5

My wallet went thru some pain this year as I test drove quite a few Japanese import frogs (some reviews have yet to be posted) all of which come with a hefty price tag, in all honesty after fishing with many of these baits I would gladly pay the price a second time.. the Megabass Pony is not one of those baits, at $17.99 I expected a more durably, and a higher quality bait that doesn't sink like a stone, the only good thing about the price point is that knowing Megabass they could have asked for more (and some anglers would pay it)

As for options, there is only one size available (tiny) and 8 colour options... which are cool

Where to Find:

In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.

Tackle Warehouse ($17.99 

The Tackle Trap ($17.99)

Field Test Report Card: 

Open Water (Sparse Pads):  A-

Pads (Medium Cover):  B

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C- 

Walk the Dog:  A+

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: B-

Equipment:

This tiny little frog often felt to small when fished with a Dobyns 736c so I down sized a bit working it with the 735c (you know, the other frog rod). This frog is really only good for its walking ability, so the extra tip in the 735c will help with that as well.. now if there was some way to stop it from sinking