Lunker Frog: Colors: 2 Length: 2.5inch Weight: 1/2oz Pack Count: 1
Intro:
I have been excited about this frog for awhile now, I love the look of it, and I was interested to see how well the swim legs would perform in the water and over the pads.. I took my time in the testing and after my first few outings I was not really blown away by the frogs performance. But as I used it, I became more and more comfortable with the way it fishes, and how incredibly well it hooks-up..but unfortunately at the same time I came across a few issues that are hard to overlook.. you be the judge
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: 3.0/5
Oh, how I wanted to sit here and rave to you about the overall quality of this frog.. but alas too many things went wrong during testing...
I will start off with what went right, because there is a lot to like, including the highly realistic paint job that has a metallic like shimmer giving it more flash in the water then it's muted competition. The body of the Lunker frog is also super soft and highly compressible, yet durable.. (unfortunately the same cant be said for the legs). Believe me when I tell you that this frog has incredible hook-up capabilities and when a fish takes it, hold on because he ain't letting go
The legs are my main concern, yes they are very flexible and they move very well in the water, folding back up against the body of the frog on each and every pause.. but they can be torn off easily, the damage seen below was not done by a fish, but simply by being caught up in pads as I hopped and swam the frog over them.. I'm not abusive with my baits and was very surprised on how easily the Lunker Frog became an amputee.
The second main concern I have with the Lunker Frog is how fast it takes on water (even before loosing a leg) this bad boy sinks quickly when fished over open water, and often would fully submerge on the pause during longer retrieves.. It you keep it moving fast or over structure you will not experience this issue, but if fishing it over open areas be ready to drain it after every cast
Castability: 4.0/5
The Lunker Frog casts very well, and lands almost always upright. Because this hollow body frog is really a swim frog, I like to long bomb it and actively cover water more then I would with a standard hollow body. The legs make it harder (but not impossible) to skip, but overall pitching it is much easier when you need to get into tight spaces or over hangs.
Presentation: 3.0/5
It took me some time to get use to the way this bait swims. The legs move and kick sporadically and it looks much nicer from afar then it does up close and personal.. don't get me wrong, it swims as advertised and pauses even better. When you pause the Lunker Frog the legs snap back up next to the body and it sits perfect, ready and waiting to be eaten.. this is when most of my strikes took place
Obviously the fact that the Lunker Frog takes on water, will effect this rating and it's overall presentation in the water. be sure to give it a squeeze after each cast if you want to stop it from turning into a diving frog
Obviously the fact that the Lunker Frog takes on water, will effect this rating and it's overall presentation in the water. be sure to give it a squeeze after each cast if you want to stop it from turning into a diving frog
Hook-Up Ratio: 5.0/5
The body of the Lunker frog is one of its best assets.. it is soft, supple and collapses super easily. The hooks are sharp and placed properly so that they do not get in the way during your retrieve but quickly find a home once a fish hammers them. Fish after fish swallowed this bait hole and I continuously got great "top of mouth hook-ups" so much so that I'm pretty willing to over look some of the other flaws this bait has and continued to fish it, even with the missing leg
The legs surprisingly enough don't get int he way of your hook set and are so soft that if they did the hook would easily penetrate them. Again I cant overstate how well this frog collapses under pressure
The legs surprisingly enough don't get int he way of your hook set and are so soft that if they did the hook would easily penetrate them. Again I cant overstate how well this frog collapses under pressure
Availability: 3.0/5
Even after their ICAST win in 2012 for best soft plastic bait Lunker Hunt products are still not widely available. Luckily enough they can be picked up at TackleWarhouse wich is the largest on-line dealer to carry them. They can also be found at some Bass Pro Shops as well as WalMart in the US. In Canada your best bet is to check out Canadian Tire store
Options & Price: 3.0/5
So far there are not many choices as of yet. The Lunker Frog comes in one size and 2 colour options. Not great, but a good start. As for the price they can be found as low as $7.99 and as high as $8.99. this is a good price point, putting them under the $10 mark but pricing themselves slightly higher then the Booyah Pad Crasher (who currently set the standard for quality/price)
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.
Equipment:
You could easily fish the Lunker Frog on a Dobyns 736c (my hollow body rod of choice) but since you will be "swimming" it more then you would with most hollow body frogs, I would recommend dropping down to the 735c, that little extra tip gives you more bait control.
Testing was done with a Daiwa Lexa 300 series reel, a super smooth cast, that may have actually helped give this frog its high score in the casting section
Yes the legs have a great swimming action, but on the second strike one leg was gone. In less than 5 minutes of fishing I now have a one legged frog. Very poor design for leg attachment. I will not buy another, for $7 want better durability.
ReplyDeleteUnless you want a legless frog do not buy this bait.
When the leg comes off, replace them with a skirt and "walk the dog".
ReplyDelete