IMA DaBeat Frog Review

Da Beat  : Colors: 5  Length: 1.8"  inch Weight: 1/4oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

I have been fishing with IMA's Da Beat frog for two seasons now, and Im not sure why its taken me so long to get around to actually reviewing it. I really like this little morsel of a frog, and although it does have some issues, it is a blast to fish with, and Bass eat this sucker up

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: 4.0/5

if you have ever fished an IMA bait you already know that they make a quality product, from head to toe their baits are made with love and to meant to last. After two seasons on the water my Da Beat frog has held up really well, and landed me some monster fish.

Castability: 3.0/5

Obviously casting distance is always going to be an issue when fishing with baits this size.. and on top of that the Da Beat is a popper and thus its mouth adds even more drag. In order to get around this I opt to use a rods with a bit more whip in the tip.. a Dobyns 734c is ideal for this frog and will get you some good distance without sacrificing accuracy. Again don't expect to launch this bait miles, unless you have the perfect conditions and the right, rod, reel, and line combo

Presentation: 4.0/5

This frog walks with ease and its little  mouth gives off some surprisingly big sound. I was really impressed with who well the Da Beat twitches in place, I caught the majority of my fish in open water situations while just twitching the bait in place. It drove bass crazy and they came running for the dinner bell.

Hook-up Ratio: 4.0/5

The fact that this frog is nearly always swallowed whole, means that more often then not you are not going to have an issue getting your fish back to the boat. But on the off chance you swing and miss, and the bite is short, you may have greater issues drilling home these small hooks.

With very tight placement to the baits body and being that the hooks are slightly turned-inward I would have rated a larger frog mush lower in this category, but with that said, this one-bite candy has been a dream to fish with.

Availability: 3.5/5

The DaBeat frog is not widely available, but the fact that it is carried by two of the largest and best (in my opinion) on-line retailers tells me that if you really wanted to get your hands on this frog then you easily could. I purchased direct from Optimum, they are great to deal with and always provide free stickers ( and I love me some free stickers)

Options & Price: 3.5/5

Only available in one size and with only 5 colour options the DaBeat does not really push the envelope when it comes to choices. I purchased the white and dark green colours and was happy with both.

I would be interested in seeing this frog available in a bit larger of a size. If they are able to replicate the action in a slightly larger/heavier frog i think they would have a real winner on their hands

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($10.99)

Land Big Fish ($10.99)

Optimum Baits ($11.99)


Equipment:

All  testing was done on a  Dobyns DX746 & 734C the lighter rod allowed for better casting accuracy and distance. The Daiwa Lexa pairs well with both these rods and gives you a nice over sized spool for that added distance and power. Line choice was Daiwa Samurai for its casting ability. The fact that this frog will be fished in open to medium cover also allows you to get away with using lighter powered line (20-30lb)

Field Test Report Card:

Open Water (Sparse Pads): A

Pads (Medium Cover): B+

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C-

Walk the Dog: B

Popping Action: B

Sit/Pause: B

Molix Frog Review

Molix Frog  : Colors: 7  Length: 2 1/2"  inch Weight: 3/4oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

It appears the trend towards "realistic" legs over silicone legs is alive and well. Since the launch of the LunkerHunt Frog we have seen more and more companies trying a versions of this frog.. and yet it is still along way from perfect.

Overall Rating: 6.6/10

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

Quality & Durability: 3.0/5

First things first, Molix makes great looking baits that hook me long befor they hook a fish on the end of my line. Once out of the package they have a great look and feel, and everything about them screams that they will be fishing catching machines.. but then you get them on the water

The Legs on this bait appear to be strong, but being removable means that they can and will get ripped off during a battle. It happen to mine on the 6th fish I caught on my first trip, with the bait.. but to be honest they were not all the impressive anyways, so I will continue to fish this frog with the provided back-up skirt (although its a bit dumpy looking to me)

I do really love how Molix puts all this effort into pushing that the legs are reinforced for strength and durability.. maybe they should have spent more time on the  tiny plastic clip used to hold them in place

Castability: 3.5/5

casting distance with the Molix frog is about average, you can easily short to mid range targets but will need to put your back into it if you want to get any distance. Im not sure if the legs are causing some drag but I thought for the size if this frog I should have been getting more distance on the cast

Presentation: 3.0/5

As mentioned earlier Ive yet to find a realistic legged frog that blows me away with its presentation, and all in all Im not convinced that this style of leg is any better then the silicone legs being used on 90% of the frogs on the market today.

The Molix frogs biggest presentation issue stems from the body design. If you look at the top image in this review you will notice that the nose the bait is slightly pointed down, meaning that on each and every pull the frog does a slight dive and the more you pull the further it dives. This makes it harder to work the bait in heavier cover of slop, but still makes it a winner in open water or medium cover

Hook-up Ratio: 4.0/5

Surprisingly enough I achieved a pretty decent hook-up ration with this bait, the legs (while still attached) did not get in the way and most fish ate the Molix frog whole and would not let go.

With that said my legs did not last all that long so its hard for me to give full points here. Like with all legged baits the legs are thick and may hinder your ability to hook-up from time to time.. again that was not my experience, just a warning.

Availability: 3.0/5

Not widely available you may need to hunt this frog down on-line. Both TakleWarehouse and LandBig fish currently stock this bait, so you if you want to give it a try, go-ahead and check them out

Options & Price: 3.5/5

Although the Molix frog is only available in one size, they do offer 7 colour options the give the angler a mix of the traditional and funky. Each from comes with a pair of legs as well as a matching skirt that clip on and off

Pricing is not bad at $9.99, but is at the top of what I would expect to pay for this bait

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($9.99)

Land Big Fish ($9.99)


Equipment:

All  testing was done on a  Dobyns DX746 this is a new rod in their line-up that handles both hollow and soft plastic baits alike. As for reels, the Daiwa Lexa pairs well with this rod and gives you a nice over sized spool for that added distance and power. Line choice was SunLIne FX2

Field Test Report Card:

Open Water (Sparse Pads): B

Pads (Medium Cover): B

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C+

Walk the Dog: N/A

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: B