2014 Top Frog Awards - Best Hollow Body Frogs

Intro:

So thats that, another Frog review season has officially come and gone, and during the (way to short) 2014season  I published 20  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….

PS. For the first time, I have decided to list ties when applicable, its not for me to pick the winner

Quality Award: Nories

The Nories NF60, takes home this and many other awards for 2014. In all honesty if was my favourite frog I fished with in 2014 and easily could have swept this competition.

with a thick durable body, smaller silicone tail (?) and quality hooks, there is very few frogs that will be able to compete with this frogs durability.

For the Full Review click HERE

Hook-up Ratio Award: 2 Way tie

Nories NF60

Spro Bronzeye Shad

These two baits easily ran away with the award for best hook-up ratio. Both proved to be highly editable, and made frog fishing nearly fill proof. If I was forced into picking only one, I would give the edge to the Spro Bronzeye Shad, it has a narrower body and softer body material leading to a slightly better hook-up ratio then that of the Nories NF60 (that being said I prefer the Nories overall)


For the Full Reviews click HERE and HERE

Castability Award: Nories

Yeah, yeah I know, this is getting a bit repetitive, but out of the 20 frogs I reviewed in 2014 none cast better then the Nories NF60. This frog can be cast for miles in all conditions, and still land with grace. It also has the ability to skipped when required.. in short it has it all.

For the Full Review click HERE

Presentation Award: 3-way tie

What a year when it comes to frogs that perform at a high level. I tested 3 frogs that all received a 4.5 out of 5 when it comes to their performance on the water.

Nories NF60
Spro Bronzeye Shad
River2Sea Spittin Wa

Again if I had to chose just one, I would have to give the title to the Spro Bronzeye Shad, it walked better then the other two, and can be used an high, medium and slow retrieves. The Spittin Wa is also a beast but since I prefer walkers over poppers, I think my bias showed through here.. sorry R2S

For the Full Review click HERE, HERE and HERE

Availability Award : SPRO Bronzeye Shad

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 Bronzeye Shad, this thing was absolutely everywhere.

For the Full Review click HERE

 Options & Price Award: Teckel

Here we go, a new frog to talk about. The Teckel Whacker scored a very respectable 7.3 overall score, but when it comes to colour options it was no contest. The Whacker is available in 16 pretty cool colour options and two leg options. Priced at under $10 a frog also makes it easy to crown this bait the winner of the Option/Price award


For the Full Review click HERE

Highest Overall Rating:  Spro Bronzeye Shad

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

Congrats to the team at Spro this is their first win for best overall frog. The Bronzeye Shad truly performers on a high level, ,giving anglers improved castabiliy, hook-up and one of the best walks I have fished. If you have not given this frog.. er.. shad a try, Im not sure what your waiting for.. get one.

For the Full Review click HERE

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 2 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

* 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. But in 2014 we saw the introduction of the Dobyns DX746 which gives you a bit more versatility in your frog fishing including the ability to fish larger frogs and froglets on the same rod.

Daiwa's Tatula series reel is the new standard in my arsenal, no matter if I'm frog fishing, jigging or finesse fishing the tatula will get the job done


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 3rd season using it, and it still hasn't been topped

Snag Proof "Frogzilla" Review

 Bush Z  : Colors: 6  Length: 6" inch  Weight: 3/4oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

Just as I was getting on roll and rating Snag Proof frogs up almost some of the best frog on the market, I come across one I don't love.. not that I don't like.. I just don't love it.. here's why:

Overall Rating: 7.0/10

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

Quality & Durability: 4.0/5

The standard Snag Proof body material and large 7/0 hook will make the majority of this bait as long lasting as they come. But thin little add on legs won't do the trick while battling big fish in heavy cover.. I can see some replacement legs in my future

Castability: 4.0/5

if you read checked out the size and weight listing above, then you know the Frogzilla really lives up to its name. Coming in at 3/4 oz there are few frogs on the market that have more meat on their bones and believe me when I tell you, this added weigh makes this frog cast a county mile.

Now it stealth is in order, your going to want to down size to another Snag Proof frog as this one isn't exactly sneaky. It hits the water with a loud slap and can often spook fish in shallow water conditions

Presentation: 3.0/5

Frogs this size often have an issue with mobility, and although the Frogzilla can be walked it is not exactly graceful in its presentation and the swim legs do nothing for me, and in all honesty I would have preferred if they stuck with silicone strands.

Again, I don't believe this frog was designed to be used as a finesse bait so I find it hard to knock it. Its was designed to sit well on heavier cover and for its large profile to give off a big shadow and/or target to the fish below. In both these cases this frog is a success.

Hook-up Ratio: 3.5/5

You know my rules.. big bodied bait (strike 1) rubber legs instead of strands (strike 2) and single hook instead of double hook (stoke 3).. so yes this frog hits on 3 of my pet peeves when it comes to hook-up ratio, yet I have little issue hammering this frog home even on smaller fish, hence the 3.5 rating.

In my experience the sharp hook and light weight body material make up for some of the above missteps (or strikes) and I have to also go with real world success over personal pet peeves.

Availability: 3.0/5

Snag Proof baits are one of the most common frogs available on the market today and although this frog is very common it all my local haunts, it is not as widely available on-line. Truthfully there are only two retails I found that I would trust my business with. (see below)

Options & Price: 3.5/5

Only available in one size and with only 6 colour options the Frogzilla  pretty much falls in line with the rest of the Snag Proof family of frogs (no surprises here). As for pricing it kinda sits somewhere in the middle. It is more expensive then SnagProofs standard line but cheaper then their specialty frogs such as the ISH or Guntersville and Buzz lines.

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($7.99)

Snag Proof ($10.00)




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): C+

Pads (Medium Cover): A

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): B

Walk the Dog: B

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: C