Bass Junkies Frog Pond: June 2016

Friday, June 24, 2016

Terminator Walking Frog Review

Walking Frog : Colors: 8 Length: 3" inch Weight: 11/16oz Pack Count: 1

Intro:

The Terminator walking frog has been on my radar ever since an Instagram teaser post announced its arrival. Terminator is not a bait company you will find in my tackle box often, but if they make all their lures with the attention to detail found in the Walking frog, this won't be my last Terminator bait

Overall Rating: 9.2/10

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

Quality & Durability: 5.0/5

A thick tough body gives the Walking frog a good base to start with. It holds up well fish after fish and can even take the abuse of being bounced off rocks and timber (yeah I'm that guy). The hooks are well placed and strong, while the unique leg position reminds me of the Ish Phat phrog from Snag Proof.

Castability: 4.5/5

This is a beefy frog and casts incredibly well. I have been able to get this frog in and out of dangerous situations with ease while finding those holes you can't usually reach without throwing your shoulder out. It can be skipped but the odd body shape will catch water at times, and in all honesty that's the only thing that held me back from a perfect score here.

Presentation: 5.0/5

Attention to detail.. that's all you need to know. Terminator built the frog that frog fisherman have been asking for. It has a wide upper body and narrow waist meaning its extremely easy to walk and sits nicely on the pause.

At times it looks like its on steroids and yet everything that makes it easy to fish, was also designed to help with the hook up ratio.

Hook-up Ratio: 4.5/5

Two razor sharp VMC hooks make up the dangerous end of the Terminator frog. The hug the body well and pick up little to no debris. The frogs body tapers in at the waste allowing you an improved hook-up ratio in comparison to other fatter frogs.

One of my favourite frogs in recent years has been the Ish phat frog and the tail end of the Terminator frog takes some of its family traits, yet the upper portion of the frog is improved from what Snag Proof offers

Availability: 4.0

Not exactly hard to find, but its not common either. I grabbed my frog from TackleWarehouse but I also found it in a few of the larger local shops. I'm kinda happy its scarcer as it means on my lake I may be the only one throwing it.

Options & Price: 4.5/5

With the Canadian dollar still slightly in the tank I was pleasantly surprised by how cheap this frog was. Coming in at under $10USD it was much easier to swallow than $18CAD for a new Live Target Sunfish.

As for options, it is only available in one size and with 8 color choices. The color options are nice and I can forgive them on the sizing since I believe the available size is perfect.

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($9.69)

Land Big Fish ($8.76)

Bass Pro ($9.99)

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): A

Pads (Medium Cover): A

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): B

Walk the Dog: A+

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: A

Monday, June 6, 2016

Live Target Hollow body Sunfish Review

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

Intro:

The Live Target Hollow Body Sunfish has to be one of the hottest baits to hit the market in years. The demand has been huge ever since they were launched back at ICAST 2015 and most retailers (Canadian anyways) are just starting to get their first shipments in now.. like the horror stories from Cabbage Patch Kids Christmases of the past, it won't be long before anglers are fighting in the aisles over the very last one before bass season even opens.

Overall Rating: 8.6/10

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

Quality & Durability: 4.0/5

Live Target makes a quality bait, no surprises here, they use a body material that holds up fairly well yet still collapses when setting the hook. The hooks are sharp and well positioned to stay debris free yet still find a home. My only real concern was that this bait was fairly leaky and I ended up needing to drain it on almost every retrieve.

This bait is so life like it even pisses on you just like every sunfish you have ever caught.

Castability: 4.0/5

I didn't really get to test drive the Hollow Body Sunfish under all the conditions I would have liked. I used shorter to medium casts in non windy situations and the bait performed flawlessly, It got where I wanted it to go and landed with a nice slap. The body shape makes it easy to skip meaning you should be able to fish the Sunfish in areas some other frogs might not get.

Some complaints I have heard when dealing with wind or longer casts is the baits tendency to knuckle due to its odd shape. This seems like it could be frustrating and may effect how and where you utilize the Sunfish.

Presentation: 4.5/5

Again a near perfect score in presentation is slightly sullied by how much water the sunfish takes on during each and every retrieve. If you don't give it a squeeze you can expect this top water frog to turn into a wake bait running 1-3 feet underwater.

All other areas of the frogs performance are perfect, it walks incredibly well and can be retrieved at both high and low speeds giving fish a very different look.

You can drag the Live Target Sunfish across thicker slop and pads but it really excels in open and sparse cover, its wounded bait fish look really needs to be seen to be believed and will ring the dinner bell of any fish in the vicinity.

Hook-up Ratio: 4.0/5

strong beefy Frog hooks and a soft collapsible body allow for a decent hook-up ratio. The bait has a small profile, the smallest size being the ultimate in one-bite brownie size.

Availability: 5.0

Live Target takes their queue from Apple and makes it really hard to find new baits when first launched. Sure the big guns will get stock but most of the smaller shops see delays which ends up hurting them as it drives anglers who desperately want this bait to buy it somewhere other then their local shop. With that said once in full launch mode this bait is everywhere and you should have no issues getting your hand on one if you really want to.. at times you may just have to sacrifice size or color choice since more smaller retailers won't stock all 24 sku's.

Options & Price: 4.5/5

When it comes to options are price the hollow body sunfish gets a near perfect score. It comes in 2 sizes that I will call small and medium and its available in 12 colors.. most of which are not sunfish. As for price this bait is slightly more expensive then the standard Live target frogs.. why? because anglers will pay for it (I did.. twice).

As mentioned above most tackle shops in my region are not carrying all 24 versions of this frog (2 sizes x 12 colors) so although the options are available you may be limited locally to what you can buy. This also goes for size, one major shop in my area is only stocking the smaller size and in all honesty I find it too small for my liking.

Where to Find: