XS-Soft Bloop Frog: Colors: 8 Length: 2.75" Weight: 7/10oz Pack Count: 1
Intro:
If this frog looks familiar thats because it is.. Storm a sister company to Rapala makes the XS-Soft Bloop frog using the same body mold as the Terminator frog. it's not stealing when you designed the the original is it?
Like most Storm lures the XS-Soft Bloop frog is a small step down in quality from the Terminator frog but unlike other storm products I didn't notice a price drop? Interesting.
Manufactures Description :
Built specifically to fish the toughest cover, Storm's SX-Soft Bloop Frog soars into snaggy spots and pops its way into the mouth of a big, hungry fish. It can be fished straight like a frog crossing a lake; walked side-to-side; or blooped agressively for maximum splash.
Trailing legs add additional attraction.
Comes rigged with VMC double hook
Like most Storm lures the XS-Soft Bloop frog is a small step down in quality from the Terminator frog but unlike other storm products I didn't notice a price drop? Interesting.
Manufactures Description :
Built specifically to fish the toughest cover, Storm's SX-Soft Bloop Frog soars into snaggy spots and pops its way into the mouth of a big, hungry fish. It can be fished straight like a frog crossing a lake; walked side-to-side; or blooped agressively for maximum splash.
Trailing legs add additional attraction.
Comes rigged with VMC double hook
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: 3.05
The name "Storm" never really strikes fear in the hearts of fish, but it has often been a fisherman favorite often due to the lower retail value on many of their products.
Don't get me wrong, there are many areas you can get away with spending a little less, but when it comes to frog fishing few companies can pull off the low cost to quality ratio.. with that in mind The Storm XS-Soft Bloop Frog did experience some noticeable cut backs, the XS body for one is very thin and can be torn up easily. The VMC hooks though quality are not are stout as the heavy duty hooks found on the Terminator frog a frog as mentioned above sold by their sister/parent company Rapala at pretty much the same price.
A quality complaint I do have is that I bought the clear (ghost frog) and after a few trips is was starting to yellow. Now it's more of a piss frog then a ghost frog.
Don't get me wrong, there are many areas you can get away with spending a little less, but when it comes to frog fishing few companies can pull off the low cost to quality ratio.. with that in mind The Storm XS-Soft Bloop Frog did experience some noticeable cut backs, the XS body for one is very thin and can be torn up easily. The VMC hooks though quality are not are stout as the heavy duty hooks found on the Terminator frog a frog as mentioned above sold by their sister/parent company Rapala at pretty much the same price.
A quality complaint I do have is that I bought the clear (ghost frog) and after a few trips is was starting to yellow. Now it's more of a piss frog then a ghost frog.
Castability: 3.5/5
No real concerns here, the light weight crazy soft body still casts well due to its well placed rear weight that not only propels the frog forward but also ensures its lands ass/hooks down.
Presentation: 4.0/5
Like with the Terminator Popping frog the Bloop frog is a great walking bait and I usually only take advatage of the cupped popping mouth then I get it out in the open or fishing between pads. This Terminator/Storm family of frogs are known for their walking and sitting capabilities and there is no question this frog lives up to his big brothers reputation.
Hook-Up Ratio: 4.5/5
You may have expected to see a bit of the score jump here as the XS-Soft frog was designed for increased hook-up ratios. But with the down grade to the hooks, and the fact that the points have more then once buried themselves in the side of the bait, i couldn't really go any higher then the 4.5 I gave the Terminator frog.
Innovation & Design: 3.0/5
This is where things get weird. The Innovation and Design was done a couple years ago on the Terminator frog, all Storm did here was release a bait with a much softer body material than the original Terminator frog. With that said I do like the idea of companies releasing frog with thinner or thicker skin and offering that up as an option, a frogs body material is just as if not more important than length, weight and color options.
Availability, Options & Price: 3.0/5
I think I'm being generous here as I'm having a hard time finding this frog online other then on the Storm Website (and you cant buy it there) and on Ebay (for outrageous prices). I'm not sure if this frog has been sent into retirement but what I can say is it is getting harder and harder to find.
Situations for Success:
Like with most popping frogs the XS-Soft Bloop frog excels in medium to sparse cover situations. Target cast the frog to open pockets or structure in which you would like your bait to spend more time in the attack zone.
The Soft skin is great for those days in which the fish are not fully committed but watch using this bait on lakes with toothy fish as it will shred under the teeth of a pike or musky
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.
Storm Lures (?)
Equipment:
I fished the XS-Soft Bloop Frog on a Dobyns 735c which provides enough tip to walk and pop along with the backbone needed to yank fish from cover. Pair it with a Daiwa Tatula reel with a 7.3:1 gear ratio
Field Test Report Card:
Open Water (Sparse Pads): B+
Pads (Medium Cover): B-
Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): D
Walk the Dog: B+
Popping Action: B+
Sit/Pause: B
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