Combat Frog : Colors: 11 Length: 2 1/2" Weight: 3/4 Pack Count: 1
Intro:
Long after the hype around the original Lunker Frog wore off I was still taking flack for my original review. Some believed I was too hard on the frog but many others believed I was too soft. The more I fished the Lunker Frog the more I would have to agree with those calling me soft. The all new Combat frog had my hopes up for improvements, but really all I saw were downgrades.
Overall Rating: 6.1/10
Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price
Quality & Durability: 3.0/5
Some will still call this a soft rating as the legs of the Combat frog continue to be an issue, but in defence of LunkerHunt no one has perfected this yet, and the rest of this frog is designed with quality in mind. The body material is top notch as well as the hook quality.. but the legs, oh those legs
Castability: 3.0/5
The Combat frog is bigger and beefier then the original Lunker frog and although it still casts well, I found the landing to be more of an issue.. this fat boy belly flops instead of Olympic diving. Being that it is much larger profile it can and will get caught up in the wind causing the frog to spin or rotate in air. The Legs also do more harm then good when skipping. Not that its not possible, its just a bit of a bitch.
Presentation: 2.5/5
I absolutely hated fishing this frog, the large body and flailing legs made it damn near impossible to properly swim. Even if you slow it down and give the frog erratic jerks it won't walk but instead it usually gives a short dive. If I wasn't reviewing this frog I would have cut it off shortly after I started fishing it.
Hook-up Ratio: 3.0/5
I think I'm being generous by giving this frog a hook-up rating of 3.0/5. Sure the body is very soft and collapses easily, but there are a few flaws, including the possibility of the legs getting in your way, and even more of an issue is the hooks that have slightly been turned upwards to follow the frogs body shape. I have hear this feature discussed as a positive for improved hook-ups, but getting a fish hooked and keeping it hooked are two different things, and I believe the turned up hooks will effect how many of your hooked fish end up back in your boat.
Availability & Price: 3.5
Being a home grown Canadian company Lunkerhunt products are surprisingly easy to find on both sides of the border (that's what a couple ICAST awards will do for you). As for price the frog comes in under $10 at most retailers and to me that's fairly important.
Options: 3.5/5
The Combat frog is only available in size XL, as it is meant to be a larger bodied version of the original Lunkerfrog and even more so to their popular pocket frog. But if colour options are important to you then you will be happy to know that the Combat frog comes in 8 colours, 4 of which are camp variations. I do really like the color selection here and had a hard time choosing just one.
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.
All testing was done on a Dobyns Champ 736c it is the gold standard of frog rods and handles all size hollow body frogs like a dream. As for reels, the Daiwa Tatual HD is a beast of a frog rod and pairs well with this rod and gives you a nice over sized spool for that added distance and power. Line choice was Daiwa J-Braid.
Field Test Report Card:
Open Water (Sparse Pads): D
Pads (Medium Cover): C
Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): C
Walk the Dog: D-
Popping Action: N/A
Sit/Pause: C+
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