Intro:
In a season loaded with new frog baits from some of the industries biggest names, its a smaller company that made the loudest noise.. or should I say BOOM. When Stanford baits team up with angler Fred Roumbanis they caught fire by teasing and then releasing the Boom Boom frog, a not so average hollow body walking frog that introduced us to Frog Fur. Does the Boom Boom frog make as much noise on the water as it did on the internet.. keep reading
Manufactures Description :
The one of a kind Boom Boom Frog with Frogfur™ Stanford Baits teamed up with Elite Series Pro Fred Roumbanis to develop the ultimate Frog. A Frog that has all the innovative fish catching components. Frogfur™ is a patented pending innovation that greatly increases increases your fish hook up ratio! The Frogfur™ snags the sand paper like rigidness of the Basses mouth. Making it harder for the fish to miss or throw the topwater Frog. The Diamond shaped belly weight was designed so that the weight doesn't interfere with the hook. Allowing the hook to pop further up on hooksets. It also features a razor sharp Mustad Wide Gap Frog hook.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price
Quality & Durability: 4.55
Don't let the packaging fool you, the Boom Boom frog is a quality made bait that is ready to fish right out of the package. It has a soft pliable body that so far has held up for multiple fish with no signs of wear. The hooks are stout and sharp, not to mention well angled requiring no tuning out of the package.
The Frog Fur is the portion of the bait garnered most of the hype upon release, this feature is new and innovative but even without it, the Boom Boom frog is a quality frog that deserves your respect. The Fur itself is locked firmly in place like your Uncles Toupee and so far and held up well to multiple fish and being beaten off structure (more then once). I at this point can't say that it has helped me land a fish, but I'm a believer that it will come in handy down the road.
For you non believes try loading the frog fur up with scent, the thick Fur should hold it well, and give the fish a nice taste when he locks on.
The only issue I came across pertaining to the frog fur was that when fishing thicker slop it would tend to cling to the rough frog fur, matting it down. This meant spending some time after my retrieve cleaning it off.
Another nice feature to this frog is the seeing eye that is placed on the belly of the bait, which gives it a dead bait fish look while paused, the eye appears to just be a stick on and not embedded in the bait, so I'm hoping it will last, but so far so good.
Internally Stanford really beefed up the frogs harness, making what on some frogs is a weak spot nearly indestructible. I also love the flat line ties they moved to which (although it may be all in my head) really feel like they allow me to cinch down that knot even tighter.
One area I was really impressed with was how little water the frog takes on even on the hardest retrieves. I had read and watched some reviews that mentioned it took on some water, but this isn't the case in my experience.
The Frog Fur is the portion of the bait garnered most of the hype upon release, this feature is new and innovative but even without it, the Boom Boom frog is a quality frog that deserves your respect. The Fur itself is locked firmly in place like your Uncles Toupee and so far and held up well to multiple fish and being beaten off structure (more then once). I at this point can't say that it has helped me land a fish, but I'm a believer that it will come in handy down the road.
For you non believes try loading the frog fur up with scent, the thick Fur should hold it well, and give the fish a nice taste when he locks on.
The only issue I came across pertaining to the frog fur was that when fishing thicker slop it would tend to cling to the rough frog fur, matting it down. This meant spending some time after my retrieve cleaning it off.
Another nice feature to this frog is the seeing eye that is placed on the belly of the bait, which gives it a dead bait fish look while paused, the eye appears to just be a stick on and not embedded in the bait, so I'm hoping it will last, but so far so good.
Internally Stanford really beefed up the frogs harness, making what on some frogs is a weak spot nearly indestructible. I also love the flat line ties they moved to which (although it may be all in my head) really feel like they allow me to cinch down that knot even tighter.
One area I was really impressed with was how little water the frog takes on even on the hardest retrieves. I had read and watched some reviews that mentioned it took on some water, but this isn't the case in my experience.
Castability: 4.0/5
The Boom Boom frog casts well, but does feel lighter than its 3/8oz frame would suggest. I found I had to put a little extra mustard on some casts to get it where I wanted it to go and when I did It often landed hooks down. With a flat top like the Boom Boom has, this is an issue as rolling it over is not as easy as with some of the other frogs on the market.
I had no issues target casting the Boom Boom frog for shorter distance or skipping it up under cover. it sits well when it lands belly down and its ready to fight when you are.
Presentation: 4.5/5
This is a tried and true walking frog design. Its narrow body with the legs set between the hooks makes walking the Boom Boom frog a breeze. You can easily control the walk, working the frog in a pocket for extended periods of time or speed walking it back to the boat while covering water.
I found I got most of my blow-ups while working it slow, with longer glides and pauses. it is possible to work it tighter or more erratic, but the fish really seemed to respond to the glide and pause combination.
When fishing heavier vegetation like slop or duckweed the thinner body pulled well over the cover. I would like to see this frog available in a heavier model to give it a bit better of a sit (or pad cling), but all in all I was impressed with its performance in every situation i could put it through.
One area some anglers may want to see improvement on is the baits sit, the Boom Boom frog sits completely flat on the water when paused. This may have been intentional, as it is a great way to keep your hooks clean, but it is becoming more and more unusual with most companies giving their frog a pronounced ass down sit, providing the fish a target that just so happens to be loaded with hooks. I myself am a medium ass guy, meaning baits that sit to far down annoy me, but I do like to see the nose of the bait up and the hooks down.
Hook-Up Ratio: 4.5/5
The Boom Boom frog comes equipped with a pair of razor sharp (and strong) Mustad hooks, they are positioned well right out of the package, up off the body of the frog and tuned slightly up. Combine this with it's soft pliable body material and your hook-up ratio worries will be a thing of the past.
One reason this score is not a perfect 5, is that as mentioned above the Boom Boom frog sits flat when paused. This makes it less likely that non committed fish just swiping at the bait or sucking down the legs will also get the hooks. For aggressive fish this is non an issue, but on those days they don't seem to be eating it, an ass down sit really helps with commitment issues.
Innovation & Design: 4.5/5
I love when companies put it all on the table to bring us something new, and this is where the Boom Boom frog really shines. Lets start off the with obvious and that is the Frog Fur, and new approach at trying to keep a frog in the fishes month buying you extra time to plant that hook-set, does it work?, they have a few convincing videos on their FB page that sure makes it look like it does. I personally didn't land any fish with the the frog fur placed at the top of the mouth so I cant say for sure it works, but I can say it sure doesn't hurt.
Stanford could have stopped here but instead they made a few more changes, including a well placed eye on the bottom of the frog giving the bait a wounded bait fish look when paused in open water. What a great quick add on, that must make other companies shake their head and say "why didn't we think of that"
Bonus points here for the finishing touches, aka the mean mug they added to their baits. This will not help you catch more fish, but it sure as hell looks cool and gives the bait some character.
Stanford could have stopped here but instead they made a few more changes, including a well placed eye on the bottom of the frog giving the bait a wounded bait fish look when paused in open water. What a great quick add on, that must make other companies shake their head and say "why didn't we think of that"
Bonus points here for the finishing touches, aka the mean mug they added to their baits. This will not help you catch more fish, but it sure as hell looks cool and gives the bait some character.
Availability, Options & Price: 4.0/5
The Boom Boom frog has 10 color options available right out of the gate, these include a mix of classics as well as some unique takes. The Fred's Frog color was the frog i gravitated towards with its white belly and legs and traditional dark drown and frog green top i was sold immediately.
It's currently only available in one size (3/8) I would love to see a heftier version and maybe a smaller profile for a better sit on the pads.
It's currently only available in one size (3/8) I would love to see a heftier version and maybe a smaller profile for a better sit on the pads.
Situations for Success:
The Boom Boom frog is a traditional walking frog that excels in most situations. Its size and weight makes it easy to cast for distance and work fast while covering water, all while offering a nice profile on the pause. As mentioned above the Frog Fur can get matted down with duck weed and slime rendering it useless, so it you plan to take advantage of this perk you will want to stick to pads and grass. with that said, this frog fishes well in the slop so don't let a little matted Frog Fur deter you from throwing it in the thick stuff, I know i didn't.
My success came mostly in medium to sparse cover fishing it at a medium to slow speed using longer glides and pauses. The fish often struck on the pause or the start of a glide.
Looking Back:
Back in April, 2018 we filmed an unboxing of the Boom Boom Frog and gave a short review of our first impressions. If you havent already give the video a watch and see how many of those initial thoughts still ring true HERE
Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.
Equipment:
I fished the Stanford Baits Boom Boom Frog on a Dobyns 736c which is my go to power rod when frog fishing heavy cover. I Paired it with a Daiwa Tatula 150 reel with a 7.3:1 gear ratio, these new reels are powerful, lightweight and look awesome. (like the Boom Boom frog)
Field Test Report Card:
Open Water (Sparse Pads): B
Pads (Medium Cover): B+
Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): B
Walk the Dog: A
Popping Action: N/A
Sit/Pause: B+
