Monday, November 25, 2013

The Frog Pond is now Closed for 2013.. See ya next spring



As you know the objective of the Frog Pond is to provide you with accurate on-water reviews of Frogs and Frog related products. With the cooler temps moving in and the fish moving out, the frog bite is no more.. so it's time for the Frog Pond to go into it's winter hibernation.

Rest assured come the spring we will be back at it, providing you with weekly Frog reviews of Hot
new products as well as good old classics




 We spent the off season stock piling frogs from the coming season, if you have any recommendations for products you would like to see reviewed in 2013 please let us know

To get your frog fix in the winter months follow us on Facebook were we will be posting all year long

Fog Pond Facebook Page

Monday, November 18, 2013

Top Frog Awards 2013 - Best Soft Body Frog/Toad




Intro:

Last week we awarded TOP Frog Rankings to a selection of Hollow Body frogs, so this week it's time for the soft body frogs (or toads) to shine.

The Same rules apply: Top Frog awards are given to  products that came out on top, not only in their overall rating, but also in each of the categories I review.. kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. this year 2 frogs and 1 mouse split the hours





Options & Price Award: Mann's Hard Nose

Although this bait wont blow you out of the water when it comes to choices, you do have 8 color options that cover the "must haves" like black, white and some chartreuse. More sizes would be help in elevating the Hard nose's casting ability, but Ill take what I can get.

I'm not sure but I believe Mann's may be in the process of retiring this frog, selection is very limited at most retailers, and a low price of just over $2.00 a pack make me curious about it's life span.. if you get the chance be sure to pick up a pack or two and give these a whirl 

click Here to see the full review




Quality Award: Warrior Buzz Frawg

The Buzz Frawg scored very well across the board in it's original review back in October. It;s built ford tuff but still very agile in the water giving off a very nice buzz, that has almost converted this swim frog fisherman into a buzz frawg believer.. almost

I really can appreciate how well this bait takes the abuse doled out by fish and fisherman alike, as I really put it through its paces and did not have to changes frogs once.

click Here to see the full review


Castability Award: Warrior Buzz Frawg

coming in at 5" in length the Buzz Frawg its nearly the perfect size/weighted frog for short pitches or casting for distance. It's body shape gives it a softer landing then most (no slapping) but makes it more difficult to skip

If you find yourself confronted by windy conditions or situations in which you need to cast long and deep, then this is a frog worth tying on

click Here to see the full review







Presentation Award: Evolve Rx Mad Mouse

One of the coolest frog baits to hit the market in 2013 was the RX Mad Mouse from Evolve. I knew from the minute i saw this mouse that I had to have it.. I guess I just have a thing for 3-legged baits!

The RX Mad Mouse was built to swim, it has a belly keel and a raised nose that helps keep the head of the bait up, both on the swim and on the pause. The three legs each have built in crimps that move some additional water but still keep its action fairly subtle.

If it was not for its small frame this may have become my go-to soft plastic frog, but it's 5" frame is much larger on paper then on a hook. The body of this bait could use some beefing up, t his will not only improve profile but also hook placement  


Hook-Up Ratio Award: Evolve RX Mad Mouse

The body of the RX Mad Mouse has a squishy nearly gummy bear like texture that gives it the ultimate in hook-up ratios. The rubbery body holds the hook well but is easily pierced making sure your hook point finds its home. The body design of this bait is also conducive for a quality hook-up, there is very little material that will get in the way


click Here to see the full review



Highest Overall Rating: Evolve RX Mad Mouse

Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price

There is not much more I can say about the RX Mad Mouse that I have not said twice already. It is a quality bait that gives the fish a very different look.  I love the profile, the action and hook-up ratio.. if my dream come true the team at Evolve will evolve this bait into a larger version.. just don't change anything else!

click Here to see the full review


Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal


The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to soft body frog (or toad) fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 735c, I always have one rigged up and ready for battle no matter the conditions.

When it comes to line choice, Toray Finesse Braid has become my new favourite. It's tuff, yet super smooth, and holds up well when toad fishing. T

Monday, November 4, 2013

Top Frog Awards 2013 - Best Hollow body Frog


Intro:


Alright, another Frog review season has come and gone, and during the 2013 review period  I published 27 frog reviews, as always each frog was rated on Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-Up, Availability, Options & Price. Below is a list of the best of the best  for each category and of course the overall Highest rated frog (reviewed this year)..  This is kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. so here we go






Quality Award: EverGreen Kicker Frog

Hook-up Ratio Award: EverGreen Kicker Frog

One of my favourite frogs from this season (or ever really) the EverGreen Kicker Frog was in the running for the overall best frog of 2013, and although it did not take home top honours it scored  high enough to place in the top 5 Hollow-bodied frogs of all time

The EverGreen Kicker Frog is a wicked combination of size, quality, presentation and hop-up ratio, the only real issues you will come across is getting your hands on one, and the hurt they do to your wallet. But if you are looking for the perfect bite-sized frog, this is one not to miss

For the Full Review click HERE





Castability Award: Snag Proof Ish Poppin Phattie 

Not to give anything away, but this is not the only award the Ish Poppin Phattie will be taking home this year, but I find it's important to highlight it's strong points, like castability

Often Poppin frog will rate lower on the castability scale as wide open mouths cause drag and will reduce the distance the bait will travel. I had no such issues with the poppin phattie and was able to cast it for distance or short pitches. I also like the flat bottom that allows me to skip this bait up under structure

Note: this is the second year in a row the an Ish frog took home top honours in the cast-ability section

For the Full Review click HERE






Presentation Award: Optimum Poppin Furbit

This was a very tuff category to rate this season, as multiple frog baits received a perfect score of 5/5 for presentation. One of those frogs was the Optimum baits Poppin Furbit, and why I chose it as the overall winner is it's fur tail

If you are not a believer in fur tails on baits, then you are really missing out, they not only move/slither in the water while walking a bait, but the also continue to move more naturally then silicone when paused. Fish eat these baits up.. PETA be damned!

For the Full Review click HERE



Availability Award : SPRO 

There are only 3 companies that can get a perfect or nearly perfect score when it comes to availability.. SPRO, Live Target and Booyah. For the baits I reviewed this season there was none that came close to the ease of purchase as the Spro series of frogs, hell you can almost buy them at the grocery store they are so common.

For the Full Review click HERE






 Options & Price Award: Booyah Popin PadCrasher

Booyah has been banging out quality frogs at amazing prices, the pad crasher series of frogs not only competes with other high end hollow body frogs on the water, but they are by far the easiest on your wallet.

Available colour options and sizes have been growing each year, and the addition of this popping model as made them an instant top contender with the likes of Live Target and Spro


For the Full Review click HERE




Highest Overall Rating:  Snag Proof Ish Poppin Phattie

Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price

Congrats to the team at Snag Proof, as I was truly blown away by all aspects of the Ish Poppin Phattie, it casts long and smooth, it walks with ease and spits up more then a new born baby. This frog is nearly perfect in every way and came very close to running the table and taking home all of thee above awards. 

If you are like me and are (were) on the fence a bit when it comes to poppin hollow body frogs, this is the frog you want to try.. just hold on tight

For the Full Review click HERE


Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal


The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to hollow belly frog fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 736c. On my boat it is used exclusively for hollow belly fishing and always has a frog tied on and ready to go.  http://dobynsrods.com/champion-series

If you are looking for a beefy reel that is not hard on your back, arms or wallet check out the Daiwa Lexa 300 series reel. It was my go to reel all season long and never let me down once

When it comes to line choice, Sunline FX2 is really up for the challenge that is frog fishing. It's tuff, yet smooth, and holds up well under the stress a frog line can be put under. This was my first season using it, and I could not be happier.