River2Sea BullyWa 2 Review

BullyWa 2 : Colors: 6  Length: 2 5/8"  inch Weight: 4/5oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

Disappointed, that's all I can really say about the relaunch of the BullyWa frog by River2Sea. The quality and finish is not as sound as Im used to and this frog is severely out of tune!

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

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

Quality & Durability: 3.0/5

I've said it 100 times, River2Sea makes a quality frog, but the BullyWa II feels kinda rushed, the finishing touches are a bit rough, everything from the  seams looking unfinished to the thread wrapped noses left un-trimmed, and finally of course the big issue is the hooks not properly set or tuned on the bait.. this frog is a monster slop catcher.

Castability: 4.0/5

The BullyWa II is larger and bulkier then its older brother, its casts and skips extremely well but I found that it lands pretty hard. I'm not sure all this added bulk was needed and not sure how (or if ) it was meant to improve on the original BullyWa design.

Presentation: 2.5/5

The score here is mainly due to the poor hook tuning. With the hook points not sitting snug to the frogs body it is way to easy for this frog to pick up slop and anything else floating on the waters surface. The picture above was a common occurrence and caused a great deal of frustration. If I was not reviewing the frog I would have cut it off after a few casts.

On top of the tuning I also felt that the BullyWa II did not walk as easily as the standard BullyWa, it may have been the piggy backers it picked up but this frog feels chunky in the water. The Original model moved like an olympic swimmer while the BullyWa 2 is closer to a fat man doing the doggy paddle.

Hook-up Ratio: 3.0/5

strong beefy Frog hooks and a soft collapsible body allow for a decent hook-up ratio, with that said its hard to hammer home the hooks when you have 2 lbs of salad loaded on. The image below shows you just how out of tune these hooks are.

Availability: 3.5

River2Sea is becoming a standard on most tackle shelves, you really won't have an issue getting your hands on this frog (if you want to).. just take my advice and have some pliers on hand to give this bait an adjustment before you hit the water.

Options & Price: 3.5/5

The Bully Wa 2 is only available in one size (unlike the original model) and has 6 color choices. The options are pretty standard, nothing fancy but if you like them light, dark or neon, they pretty much have you covered.

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)

River2Sea ($11.54)

Land Big Fish ($10.99)


Equipment:

All  testing was done on a  Dobyns DX746 it is my go to rod and handles both hollow and soft plastic baits alike. As for reels, the Daiwa Tatula HD 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): C

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C-

Walk the Dog: C

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: B

Gambler Buzz'n Cane Toad Review

Air Frog:      Colours: 6   Size: 4.5"     Pack Count: 5     

             Leg Style: Swim               Weight: N/A

Intro:

What I find the oddest about the Buzzin Cane toad is it's name, this frog is a swim toad and omits a soft churn or bubble , where as its older brother the standard cane toad is much closer to a buzzing toad.. but if thats your only beef I guess we are in good shape. 

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

Gambler always makes a quality product and I never shy away from tying something in their line-up. The Buzzin Cane toad is no exception, it is well built and holds up fairly well on the water. I do find that body shape can be a bit off from the way the toads are packaged. This can make some of the baits difficult to fish as they veer off to the side or start to submerge slightly,  

Castability: 3.5/5

With its aerodynamic shape this frog is pretty easy to cast. It does not have a tone of weight to it, so you may have to play around with your reels breaks in order to find the sweet spot. I rod with more tip may also help with accuracy when casting this frog.

Presentation: 3.0/5

I found this frog was pretty average on the water, the keel shaped belly doesn't really bring much to the table and the swim legs are pretty run of the mill. Pair this with the issue I mentioned above and you will understand why this frog received a pretty average rating here.

Hook-Up Ratio: 4.0/5

This category is where the Buzzin Cane toad shines, with its belly slot and deep V back  you can easily hide your hook point without having to bury or even skin hook it. The body and legs are very soft and will move out of the way even if your set the hook like my 8-year old niece.

Availability:3.5/5

Gambler baits are readily available, but this frog is not as common as some of their baits (yeah you know what Im talking about.. Otter). You can get it from the big 2 on ,one so that helps save the day here.

Options & Price: 4.0/5

The baits themselves come 5 to a pack and on average they will cost your $4 or $0.80 a frog. This is a great price point and I would love to see more frogs hit this mark.

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($3.99)

Land Big Fish ($4.29)

Pro Tackle Solutions ($3.79)

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Equipment:

I completed all my Buzzing Cane toad testing with a Dobyns 735c paired with a Daiwa Tatula.  This frog is fairly light weight and can even be fished on lighter gear. this of course will all depend on the cover your fishing.

Savage Gear 3D Frog - Action Leg Series

3D Frog Imitation Legs  : Colors: 4  Length: 2 1/4"  inch Weight: N/A  Pack Count: 1
3D Frog Imitation Legs  : Colors: 4  Length:  3/4"  inch Weight: 3/4oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

You may remember that last April I posted a review of another Savage Gear from from the same series. The review was none to favourable and to be honest this one did not fare much better. There are two differences between the Action Leg frog and the Imitation Leg frog, one is the leg style and the other is that most retailers only seem to carry one or the other but not both.. and here's why

Overall Rating: 6.3/10

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

Quality & Durability: 4.5/5

The overall product quality and durability continues to be the strongest attribute on both of these frogs. They are built tough and will last (even longer if your not catching fish with them).

Castability: 4.0/5

The 3D frogs are larger bulkier frogs with a lot of rubber, meaning you can launch this bait a mile, and it almost always lands belly down. It's body profile and legs don't make it a great skipper, but if you have the skills you may be able to pull this trick off.

Presentation: 3.0/5

I actually think the Action leg series swims better then the Imitation leg series, but you loose the great profile that the Imitation leg series offers you, so its kind of a toss up, And since neither baits fishes all that well (blame the heavy duty pvc legs) I will have to give a leg up to the imitation series in this category.

Hook-up Ratio: 2.5/5

Both of the Savage Gear frogs suffer when it comes to Hook-up ratio. The thick, dense, air tight body and muscular legs provide way more resistance then most frogs meaning you will need to be spot on when it comes to your hook set if you want to bury it home.

Availability: 2.0/5

Savage Gear frogs in general are not that widely available and the Action Leg series seems to be even harder to find. I was able to locate the Imitation series in 3 on-line retailers but only one carried the Action Leg series. (it helped a bit that the one was Tackle Warehouse)

Options & Price: 3.0/5

Available in two sizes and an array of colors this frog scores well when it comes to options. As mentioned previously these frogs are priced at around $10 which puts them into the upper price range for a North American made bait. With the issues listed above I can tell you that this frog is not worth the coin being asked.

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)

Savage Gear


Equipment:

All  testing was done on a  Dobyns DX746 it is my go to rod and 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): C+

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C+

Walk the Dog: C

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: C-

River2Sea Step Wa Frog Review - RETIRED

Step Wa  : Colors: 4  Length: 2.75"  inch Weight: 7/8oz  Pack Count: 1

Intro:

The Step Wa is another unique frog bait from the River2Sea team, who are consistently launching new products in an attempt to stretch the limits of what we as fisherman call a frog bait.. some times they succeed, and sometimes they fail.. this time......

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

River2Sea makes a quality bait and I never hesitate to pick up a new product in their line. They use high quality components and aren't afraid to try something new.. case in point the Step Wa Frog.  Some people (not me) call this a popping bait and will tell you the large mouth/lips were designed to push more water. I disagree and believe this bait was created in the image of the all time classic Jitterbug lure, giving you the opportunity to fish like a jitterbug but in the hairiest of cover.

Smartly the lips of the bait are not a hard plastic add on, but instead are part of the soft plastic body mold meaning that will last forever and there is no chance of leaks coming in from add-ons.

Castability: 3.5/5

River2Sea frog are well designed meaning all aspects of fishing are considered in the final design. This includes casting distance and accuracy, the Step Wa is no exception, but, the large rubber lip at the front of the bait does cause some rag and can catch the wind veering the bait slightly off course. Both of these are minor things that only slightly effect the castabiliy of this frog.

Presentation: 3.5/5

This is an area I have a hard time providing a solid rating for.. mainly due to the fact that this bait was designed to move differently then any other frog on the market, and it does this very well. Equipped with wide soft rubber jitterbug lips this frog provides a  wide crazy wobble never seen on a frog style bait.. is this something you want to use every day? No, and that's why I'm torn. The Step Wa moves as it was designed to move and will allow you to fish in the classic jitterbug style but in situations you never thought you would be able to.. but with that said.. I don't want to. its not my style and all in all I will get little use from this frog, even thought it is quality from top to bottom.

Hook-up Ratio: 4.0/5

River2Sea baits all provide you with an above average Hook-Up ratio. They seem to do everything right by making their baits with strong quality hooks and making sure there are no appendages to get in your way. In all honesty this frog felt like its body was slightly more dense then the other frogs in their line-up but that may have been all in my head.

Availability: N/A

This retired frog can still be found but is not exactly widely available. Most retailers have made room on their shelves for younger more popular River2Sea frogs like the BullyWa 2 and the Spittin Wa, that's not to say this was not a good frog, its was just a different approach that didn't really catch on.

Options & Price: 3.5/5

Only available in one size and with limited colours still available the options are not exactly endless. But with that said, in its prime this frog boasted a nice array of colours that River2Sea was known for (still only one size)

Where to Find:

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

Fishing Tackle Shop ($12.55)

Bass Tackle Depot ($8.99)

Outdoor Pro Shop/Monster ($8.99)


Equipment:

All  testing was done on a  Dobyns DX746 it is my go to rod and handles both hollow and soft plastic baits alike. As for reels, the Daiwa Tatula 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: A-

Popping Action: B

Sit/Pause: B

AR Lures - AR Frog Review

AR Frog:   Colors: 12        Size: 2"        Weight: 3/8     Pack Count:  1

      

Intro:

Hard body frogs are becoming few and far between nowadays. Mostly all you can find are various top-water baits painted to look like a frog, vs. actually being a frog bait. The AR Frog by AR Lures is the exception, this high quality hand made and hand painted frog look-a-like is the perfect bite sized snack for a hunger bass

Overall Rating:  6.2/10

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

Quality: 4.5/5

If its quality your after you really can't go wrong with the hand carved, hand painted AR Frog. This thing is a fishable piece of art that looks amazing on your shelf, but just as good on the water. The high gloss paint jobs/finishes are durable and lifelike and being that this bait is solid wood, there is little to no abuse this bait can't hold up to (unless things get toothy)

I'm not sure who makes the hooks used on the AR Frog but they appear to be the weak link in the baits overall structure. I've had no on water issues, but the look and feel of the hooks come off a bit "cheaper" then the rest of the material used on this 

 

Castability: 2.5/5

Small wooden baits often suffer in this category and the AR Frog is no exception. It's small round frame is hard to throw in the best of weather conditions and damn near impossible to throw in heavy rain or wind. You may even want to look at throwing this frog on sponging gear giving you some additional control and whip to your cast.

Presentation: 4.0/5

I really like the way the AR Frog moves in the water, it moves like a water-bug.. fast, frantic and erratic. The small blade on the ass end gives the bait additional flash and flutter both on the pause as well as the retrieve, helping draw attention your way.  Obviously this is frog excels in open water situations, and shouldn't be fish in anything more then sparse cover. The loose free hanging hooks will load up on vegetation if your not careful meaning you will spend more time cleaning the hooks then landing fish.

Hook-Up Ratio: 3.5/5

The Hooks of the AR Frog hang down below the frog when paused and cradle up against the belly when fishing. They are loose and there is little to nothing to get in their way.. this is all good. The downfall to this style bait is not the hook-up, but more keeping the fish hooked. There really is little to no play in the AR Frogs hooks, and an aggressive fish will be able to knock the hooks loose and our during the fight.

Availability: 1.0

I've never given a bait that I reviewed a 0 in this category, but it came pretty close this time. The AR Lures site lists a bunch of distributors, but in all honest I couldn't verify any of them.. TackleWarehouse and LandBigFish are both listed but neither have AR baits available for sale on their websites. You can't buy direct and all other north American distributors listed don't have websites

Options & Price: 3.0

If we avoid the elephant in the room (price) and only focus on options, I would rate this frog fairly high. Sure it is only available in one size (small) but its 12 colour options are each a thing of beauty, and for the art alone, this frog deserves a good rating.. OK. lets talk price. The AR Frog is pricey, not swim-bait pricey but pricey non the less. You can expect to spend $20 on a single frog, not even including any shipping charge you may incur.

Where to Find:

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

Distributor List

Equipment:

When using the AR frog I would opt to throw it on either a 735c for power or a 734c for action. The choice comes down to how and where you will be fishing. If your battling cover go with the 735C if you are fishing mostly open water the 734c will provide great action and still get the job done.

As for reels I used a Daiwa Lexa in the smaller 100 series size spooled up with Toray Finesse braid, again I focus on presentation over power when using this frog.