Top Frog Awards 2015 - Best Hollow Body and Soft Body Frogs from 2015

I thought I would switch things up this year, and instead of nominating a frog from each of my review categories, I will be focusing on the highest rated frogs overall, and this year (although I expect some flack) the Top frog Awards go to.. Teckel USA Honker and the Gary Yamamoto Yamma Frog

Here's why...

Top Frog Award - Best Hollow Body

TECKEL USA HONKER

With an overall score of 7.8/10 the Teckel Honker not only was the highest rated hollow body frog from this seasons reviews, but it was also the most surprising. After reviewing the Teckel Whacker last season I expected to be in for more of the same, but in all honesty the Honkers unique blade like legs really gave this bait a new lease on life.

the flutter and splash produced by the blade feet were visible from almost the moment this frog hit the water, and although I expected them to get hung up on every little piece of floating debris they actually fished fairly clean.

Couple it's on water performance with the fact that Teckel uses quality components and you have a frog that is built to last all while putting fish in your boat, a pairing not often seen in this industry where quality baits don't always catch fish, and fish catching baits rarely last. If only this frog was more readily available it would be nearly perfect.

Check out my full review HERE

Top Frog Award - Best Soft Body Toad

Gary Yamamoto Yamma Frog

This Top Frog choice i expect to get a little flack for. I heard it when I first posted the review and I expect to hear it a bit more now. But with that said I instantly fell in love with the Yama Frog's on water performance which led me to giving it a 8.6/10 review, which was not only the highest rating for a soft body toad in  2015, it was my highest rating every in this category.

With a wide body and thick flexible legs the Yama frog can be swam both as a swim frog (soft churn) as well as a buzz frog (hard churn) the ribbed body gives off a little extra commotion and it's incredibly soft plastic body is pliable enough to ensure solid hook-ups and dense enough that its added weight makes the Yamma frog a dream to cast.

The elephant in the room here is that its durability is suspect, a problem that plaques all Yamamoto baits.  It is nothing for me to go through a pack of these frogs in a single trip (when the frog bites on) and with a Yamamoto price tag things can and will get expensive quick.

All in all this is a frog that shouldn't be overlooked, and is my Top Frog choice from 2015

Check out my full review HERE

Teckel USA Honker Frog Review

Teckel Honker:    Colors: 16     Weight: 1/2oz    Size: 2 3/4"   Pack Count: 1

      

Intro:

Last season I had an opportunity to review the Teckel Whacker Frog, and gave it a sold 7.3, I purposely left the Honker for this season in order to ensure my biases from the original frog did not carry over to the honker. And in all honesty I expected to give this frog a review of between 6.8 and 7.3.. but as you can see, I was wrong. 

Overall Rating:  7.8/10

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

Quality & Durability: 4.5/5

Both Teckel frogs have soft yet durable bodies, and strong sharp hooks. The legs on the Honker are what make this frog an exception. They flash and cause commotion on the water really letting fish know that something is going on. (aka ringing the dinner bell) 

Castability: 4.5/5

This frog casts like a dream, the body of the frog has some nice heft (1/2 oz) and its aerodynamic shape lets it cut though the wind for long bombs no matter the weather conditions/

The legs can hurt the frogs ability to be skipped, they catch water if you don't nail the perfect angle
but overall this doesn't hurts the frogs rating.

Presentation: 4.5/5

I was honestly blown away by the way these legs flutter and flash all while the frogs body walks perfectly. This bait scream "eat me" and is a blast to fish.

Obviously light to medium cover allows you to really work this bait, the thicker the cover and the more slop involved the less this frog shines. With that said its did not get all caught up in the slop as I kinda expected it would. You can expect some cleaning from time to time, but the benefits outweigh the issues.

Hook-Up Ratio: 3.0/5

Solid hook-up ratio for a bait that has large metal blades coming off its ass end. The legs can get in the way at times and the flutter and flash can results in short strikes as fish try to take this bait out at the knees.

Availability & Price: 3.0/5

This frog is only easy to find if your shopping at tackle warehouse, if not, good luck getting your hands on one. As for the price, $10.99 is at the high end of what I like to pay for non imports, but well worth it for this versions of Teckels frog. 

Options: 4.0/5

16, count em', 16 color options. But only one size.. lets spend more time on size offering and cut those colours in half and you still get a great score here.

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($10.99)

Equipment:

I ran this frog on a Dobyns 736c, paired up with a Daiwa Tatula HD reel on 40lb braid. It you are working sparser cover feel free to drop down to a 735c and use that extra tip to really make this bait dance. 

Field Test Report Card:

Open Water (Sparse Pads): B+

Pads (Medium Cover): A

Slop & Grass (Heavy Cover): B-

Walk the Dog: B+

Popping Action: N/A

Sit/Pause: B

Gary Yamamoto Yamma Frog Review

Yamma Frog:      Colours:13   Size: 3.75"     Pack Count: 5     

             Leg Style: Swim               Weight: N/A

Intro:

Its about damn time Gary and the Yamamoto Baits team started to pay attention to us frog fisherman.

Yamamoto baits has been an industry leader in soft plastic for as long as I can remember, so long their website is actually www.baits.com! and although that have sat back and reaped the glory of their senko baits, the all new Yamma frog is a true contender in the soft plastic toad market, and makes this frog fishing very happy.

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: 3.5/5

When it comes to a quality soft plastic bait Yamamoto has it down, their soft plastics are incredibly soft, and agile in the water, however it is they mix up their plastics, they seem to have found the right blend of plastic, salt and flake that provides anglers with a very life like on water performance

Durability on the other hand seems to always be an issue, and again it comes down to the same blend I just praise in the last paragraph. It seem its hard to get the best of both worlds when it comes to performance vs. durability, and in this case, I'm happy with the trade off. 

Castability: 4.5/5

Although I don't know the exact weight of this frog, the Yamamoto store will have you believe it is just under 1oz (over 3/4 but under 1). It does not feel that heavy on the rod, but this beefy little dude casts very well.

It can be bombed or skipped with ease, but I will recommended you watch your skipping action as the nose of the frog can get beat up and this will effect how long it lasts. I use a screw-on hook to ensure less trauma to the head of the bait

Presentation: 5.05

Not since the launch the Gene Larews Three Legged Toad have I been as impressed with the performance of a soft bodied toad on the water. The Yamma frog has a nice wide stance that moves across the water very easily. The thick legs allow you to achieve a soft churn/swim motion during slower retrieves as well as tearing up the water of faster retrieves. This bait also has a nice kill action with the legs twitching/fluttering on the fall.

I would say that this bait is a cross between Gamblers can toad and a Mann's swim toad. Taking the best qualities from each and improving them. If only this bait had a harder nose, it would truly be a beast to reckon with.

Hook-Up Ratio: 4.5/5

With a very deep belly slow and soft skin the Yamma frogs allows you to hide even the largest of EWG hooks. There is a lot of plastic on this bait, and as you know Im prone to knocking off points for this, but due to the baits incredible flexibility and softness even plastic that gets in the way should not hinder your hook-up ratio.

Availability & Price:3.5/5

You can walk into a bait shop without seeing some Gary Yamamoto product, but with that said the Yamma frog does not have the same market penetration as the Senk or Kreature lines, but it is still relatively easy to find. As for price, its a Yamamoto bait, so its expensive. These run about $7.00 a pack or $1.40 a bait.. not exactly ideal, but again a price I'm willing to pay.

Options: 5.0/5

Although there is only the one size option (the perfect size) the Yamma frog comes in 13 natural colors. Im not stoked on the color I purchased, but will try out a few more colors when its time to re-order.

Where to Find:

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

Tackle Warehouse ($7.19)

Land Big Fish ($7.19)

Pro Tackle Solutions ($6.49)

.

Equipment:

I completed all my Yamma frog testing with a Dobyns 735c paired with a Daiwa Tatula HD.  This frog is heavy duty but still needs a soft tip to help finesse it around. Feel free to beef up or down, depending on your taste.

2014 Top Frog Awards - Best Hollow Body Frogs

Intro:

So thats that, another Frog review season has officially come and gone, and during the (way to short) 2014season  I published 20  frog reviews, as always each frog was rated on Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-Up, Availability, Options & Price. Below is a list of the best of the best  for each category and of course the overall Highest rated frog (reviewed this year)..  This is kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. so here we go….

PS. For the first time, I have decided to list ties when applicable, its not for me to pick the winner

Quality Award: Nories

The Nories NF60, takes home this and many other awards for 2014. In all honesty if was my favourite frog I fished with in 2014 and easily could have swept this competition.

with a thick durable body, smaller silicone tail (?) and quality hooks, there is very few frogs that will be able to compete with this frogs durability.

For the Full Review click HERE

Hook-up Ratio Award: 2 Way tie

Nories NF60

Spro Bronzeye Shad

These two baits easily ran away with the award for best hook-up ratio. Both proved to be highly editable, and made frog fishing nearly fill proof. If I was forced into picking only one, I would give the edge to the Spro Bronzeye Shad, it has a narrower body and softer body material leading to a slightly better hook-up ratio then that of the Nories NF60 (that being said I prefer the Nories overall)


For the Full Reviews click HERE and HERE

Castability Award: Nories

Yeah, yeah I know, this is getting a bit repetitive, but out of the 20 frogs I reviewed in 2014 none cast better then the Nories NF60. This frog can be cast for miles in all conditions, and still land with grace. It also has the ability to skipped when required.. in short it has it all.

For the Full Review click HERE

Presentation Award: 3-way tie

What a year when it comes to frogs that perform at a high level. I tested 3 frogs that all received a 4.5 out of 5 when it comes to their performance on the water.

Nories NF60
Spro Bronzeye Shad
River2Sea Spittin Wa

Again if I had to chose just one, I would have to give the title to the Spro Bronzeye Shad, it walked better then the other two, and can be used an high, medium and slow retrieves. The Spittin Wa is also a beast but since I prefer walkers over poppers, I think my bias showed through here.. sorry R2S

For the Full Review click HERE, HERE and HERE

Availability Award : SPRO Bronzeye Shad

There are only 3 companies that can get a perfect or nearly perfect score when it comes to availability.. SPRO, Live Target and Booyah. For the baits I reviewed this season there was none that came close to the ease of purchase as the Spro Bronzeye Shad, this thing was absolutely everywhere.

For the Full Review click HERE

 Options & Price Award: Teckel

Here we go, a new frog to talk about. The Teckel Whacker scored a very respectable 7.3 overall score, but when it comes to colour options it was no contest. The Whacker is available in 16 pretty cool colour options and two leg options. Priced at under $10 a frog also makes it easy to crown this bait the winner of the Option/Price award


For the Full Review click HERE

Highest Overall Rating:  Spro Bronzeye Shad

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

Congrats to the team at Spro this is their first win for best overall frog. The Bronzeye Shad truly performers on a high level, ,giving anglers improved castabiliy, hook-up and one of the best walks I have fished. If you have not given this frog.. er.. shad a try, Im not sure what your waiting for.. get one.

For the Full Review click HERE

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 2 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to hollow belly frog fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 736c. On my boat it is used exclusively for hollow belly fishing and always has a frog tied on and ready to go. But in 2014 we saw the introduction of the Dobyns DX746 which gives you a bit more versatility in your frog fishing including the ability to fish larger frogs and froglets on the same rod.

Daiwa's Tatula series reel is the new standard in my arsenal, no matter if I'm frog fishing, jigging or finesse fishing the tatula will get the job done


When it comes to line choice, Sunline FX2 is really up for the challenge that is frog fishing. It's tuff, yet smooth, and holds up well under the stress a frog line can be put under. This was my 3rd season using it, and it still hasn't been topped

Top Frog Awards 2013 - Best Soft Body Frog/Toad

Intro:

Last week we awarded TOP Frog Rankings to a selection of Hollow Body frogs, so this week it's time for the soft body frogs (or toads) to shine.

The Same rules apply: Top Frog awards are given to  products that came out on top, not only in their overall rating, but also in each of the categories I review.. kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. this year 2 frogs and 1 mouse split the hours

Options & Price Award: Mann's Hard Nose

Although this bait wont blow you out of the water when it comes to choices, you do have 8 color options that cover the "must haves" like black, white and some chartreuse. More sizes would be help in elevating the Hard nose's casting ability, but Ill take what I can get.

I'm not sure but I believe Mann's may be in the process of retiring this frog, selection is very limited at most retailers, and a low price of just over $2.00 a pack make me curious about it's life span.. if you get the chance be sure to pick up a pack or two and give these a whirl 

click Here to see the full review

Quality Award: Warrior Buzz Frawg

The Buzz Frawg scored very well across the board in it's original review back in October. It;s built ford tuff but still very agile in the water giving off a very nice buzz, that has almost converted this swim frog fisherman into a buzz frawg believer.. almost

I really can appreciate how well this bait takes the abuse doled out by fish and fisherman alike, as I really put it through its paces and did not have to changes frogs once.

click Here to see the full review

Castability Award: Warrior Buzz Frawg

coming in at 5" in length the Buzz Frawg its nearly the perfect size/weighted frog for short pitches or casting for distance. It's body shape gives it a softer landing then most (no slapping) but makes it more difficult to skip

If you find yourself confronted by windy conditions or situations in which you need to cast long and deep, then this is a frog worth tying on

click Here to see the full review

Presentation Award: Evolve Rx Mad Mouse

One of the coolest frog baits to hit the market in 2013 was the RX Mad Mouse from Evolve. I knew from the minute i saw this mouse that I had to have it.. I guess I just have a thing for 3-legged baits!

The RX Mad Mouse was built to swim, it has a belly keel and a raised nose that helps keep the head of the bait up, both on the swim and on the pause. The three legs each have built in crimps that move some additional water but still keep its action fairly subtle.

If it was not for its small frame this may have become my go-to soft plastic frog, but it's 5" frame is much larger on paper then on a hook. The body of this bait could use some beefing up, t his will not only improve profile but also hook placement  

Hook-Up Ratio Award: Evolve RX Mad Mouse

The body of the RX Mad Mouse has a squishy nearly gummy bear like texture that gives it the ultimate in hook-up ratios. The rubbery body holds the hook well but is easily pierced making sure your hook point finds its home. The body design of this bait is also conducive for a quality hook-up, there is very little material that will get in the way

click Here to see the full review

Highest Overall Rating: Evolve RX Mad Mouse

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

There is not much more I can say about the RX Mad Mouse that I have not said twice already. It is a quality bait that gives the fish a very different look.  I love the profile, the action and hook-up ratio.. if my dream come true the team at Evolve will evolve this bait into a larger version.. just don't change anything else!

click Here to see the full review

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to soft body frog (or toad) fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 735c, I always have one rigged up and ready for battle no matter the conditions.

When it comes to line choice, Toray Finesse Braid has become my new favourite. It's tuff, yet super smooth, and holds up well when toad fishing. T

Top Frog Awards 2013 - Best Hollow body Frog

Intro:

Alright, another Frog review season has come and gone, and during the 2013 review period  I published 27 frog reviews, as always each frog was rated on Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-Up, Availability, Options & Price. Below is a list of the best of the best  for each category and of course the overall Highest rated frog (reviewed this year)..  This is kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. so here we go

Quality Award: EverGreen Kicker Frog

Hook-up Ratio Award: EverGreen Kicker Frog

One of my favourite frogs from this season (or ever really) the EverGreen Kicker Frog was in the running for the overall best frog of 2013, and although it did not take home top honours it scored  high enough to place in the top 5 Hollow-bodied frogs of all time

The EverGreen Kicker Frog is a wicked combination of size, quality, presentation and hop-up ratio, the only real issues you will come across is getting your hands on one, and the hurt they do to your wallet. But if you are looking for the perfect bite-sized frog, this is one not to miss

For the Full Review click HERE

Castability Award: Snag Proof Ish Poppin Phattie 

Not to give anything away, but this is not the only award the Ish Poppin Phattie will be taking home this year, but I find it's important to highlight it's strong points, like castability

Often Poppin frog will rate lower on the castability scale as wide open mouths cause drag and will reduce the distance the bait will travel. I had no such issues with the poppin phattie and was able to cast it for distance or short pitches. I also like the flat bottom that allows me to skip this bait up under structure

Note: this is the second year in a row the an Ish frog took home top honours in the cast-ability section

For the Full Review click HERE

Presentation Award: Optimum Poppin Furbit

This was a very tuff category to rate this season, as multiple frog baits received a perfect score of 5/5 for presentation. One of those frogs was the Optimum baits Poppin Furbit, and why I chose it as the overall winner is it's fur tail

If you are not a believer in fur tails on baits, then you are really missing out, they not only move/slither in the water while walking a bait, but the also continue to move more naturally then silicone when paused. Fish eat these baits up.. PETA be damned!

For the Full Review click HERE

Availability Award : SPRO 

There are only 3 companies that can get a perfect or nearly perfect score when it comes to availability.. SPRO, Live Target and Booyah. For the baits I reviewed this season there was none that came close to the ease of purchase as the Spro series of frogs, hell you can almost buy them at the grocery store they are so common.

For the Full Review click HERE

 Options & Price Award: Booyah Popin PadCrasher

Booyah has been banging out quality frogs at amazing prices, the pad crasher series of frogs not only competes with other high end hollow body frogs on the water, but they are by far the easiest on your wallet.

Available colour options and sizes have been growing each year, and the addition of this popping model as made them an instant top contender with the likes of Live Target and Spro


For the Full Review click HERE

Highest Overall Rating:  Snag Proof Ish Poppin Phattie

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

Congrats to the team at Snag Proof, as I was truly blown away by all aspects of the Ish Poppin Phattie, it casts long and smooth, it walks with ease and spits up more then a new born baby. This frog is nearly perfect in every way and came very close to running the table and taking home all of thee above awards. 

If you are like me and are (were) on the fence a bit when it comes to poppin hollow body frogs, this is the frog you want to try.. just hold on tight

For the Full Review click HERE

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to hollow belly frog fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 736c. On my boat it is used exclusively for hollow belly fishing and always has a frog tied on and ready to go.  http://dobynsrods.com/champion-series

If you are looking for a beefy reel that is not hard on your back, arms or wallet check out the Daiwa Lexa 300 series reel. It was my go to reel all season long and never let me down once

When it comes to line choice, Sunline FX2 is really up for the challenge that is frog fishing. It's tuff, yet smooth, and holds up well under the stress a frog line can be put under. This was my first season using it, and I could not be happier.

Top Frogs Awards 2012: Soft Body Toads

Intro:

Last week we awarded TOP Frog Rankings to a selection of Hollow Body frogs, so this week it's time for the soft body frogs (or toads) to shine.

The Same rules apply: Top Frog awards are given to  products that came out on top, not only in their overall rating, but also in each of the categories I review.. kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. here we go

Quality: Stanley "Ribbit"

there are not many frogs on the market today that are built as tough as the Stanley Ribbit. The quality of plastic/rubber used is soft enough to impart the action required in a buzz frog, yet firm enough to do battle with a Pike and live to cast again.

This is a well designed frog and deserved of it Rank as Top Frog: Quality

click Here to see the full review

Castability: Kicker X Fish "Xplodin Toad"

As an angler that prefers to work with swim frogs over buzz frogs I was pleasantly surprised by the Kicker X Fish Xplodin Toad.  It's fishes very well at various speeds and casts like a bullet. A very aerodynamic body made of a firm dense rubber/plastic is the key behind this baits casting ability. If you are looking for a frog that you can cast into tight spots or on windy days, look no further then the Xplodin Toad

click Here to see the full review

Presentation: Gene Larew "Three Legged Toad"

Some may say I'm bias here, as the Gene Larew Three Legged Toad is one of my all time favourite frogs, That being said, I'm awarding it the Top Frog award for Presentation, not based on on my bias but based on how well this frog fishes, and that fact that it flat out catches bass.

the Three Legged Toad is designed well using two kind of plastic/rubber.  The body is super soft and marshmallow like, and the legs are a more tradition plastic that give off the subtle churn I like to see when fishing a swim frog. 

Hook-Up Ratio: Gene Larew "Three Legged Toad"

The soft squishy body of the Gene Larew three legged toad is what provides it with it's superior hook-up ratio. It holds your hook firm when retrieved, but any pressure from a fish will loosen it and the body collapses as it is was a hollow body frog. I think you would have a hard time finding a frog with a better hook-up ratio in the market today

click Here to see the full review

Availability: Zoom "Horny Toad"

The Zoom Horny toad has been on the market for years now, and continues to impress anglers with its durability, presentation and it's ability to catch fish. This frog is in most anglers tackle bags, and Ill tell you why.. it's because it is priced right and can be found on the shelves of most tackle stores from coast to coast. 

click Here to see the full review

Options & Price: Outdoor Advantage "Boss Frog"

This is one of the more recent frogs I have reviewed, and the timing could not be better, as I cant think of another frog that so easily won it's category. Outdoor Advantage's "Boss Frog" clearly takes the cake when it comes to available options... 35 Colours, 8 scents

match that with a price point of $4.50 a pack or $0.64 a frog and you can see why the Boss Frog gets the Top Frog Award for Options and Price 

click Here to see the full review

Highest Overall Rating: Stanley Ribbit

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

This years Top Frog award goes to the Stanley Ribbit, with perfect or near perfect scores in categories like Quality, Castability and presentation, there was not frog that could touch it for "best overall score".

This was my first season fishing with the Ribbit and I was impressed with it's action on the water and how well it help up fish after fish, as noted many times, I'm not much of a "buzz frog" guy, but the Ribbit helped open my eyes to a wide selection of buzz frogs.

Congrats to Stanley for banging out a Top Frog

click Here to see the full review

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to soft body frog (or toad) fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 735c, I always have one rigged up and ready for battler no matter the conditions.

When it comes to line choice, Sunline FX2 is really up for the challenge that is frog fishing. It's tuff, yet smooth, and holds up well under the stress a frog line can be put under. This was my first season using it, and I could not be happier. When Toad fishing I usually drop down to 40lb or lighter, no need for 60/80lb line

Top Frog Awards 2012: Best Hollow Body Frogs

Intro:

Alright, another Bass season has come and gone, and during that time I had the pleasure to review 41 different frog baits. Each frog was rated on Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-Up, Availability, Options & Price. Below is a list of the best of the best  for each category and of course the overall Highest rated frog (reviewed this year)..  This is kinda like the Oscars, you may not win best picture, but you still have the chance to win for cinematography.. so here we go

Quality: Booyah Pad Crasher

The Booyah Pad Crasher has quite a few things going for it, and was in the running for Top rated frog of 2012. But the team at Booyah will have to console themselves with the award for 'Quality" as the PadCrasher frog is as good as it gets when it comes to the durability of the body, hooks and overall package.

For the Full Review click HERE

Castability: Ish Phat Frog 

For me, the Ish Phat frog redeemed Snag Proof's entire family of frogs. I had long since moved on from the Pro series or Bobby's perfect, finding them behind the times and not able to keep up with all the advancements made by other companies. Then came the Ish Phat Frog, and everything changed, yes it still looks kinda ugly, but hey, it fishes with the best of them and casts like a dream. This year the IPF takes top prize when it comes to "cast ability" of a hollow body frog. Its hefty body gives you the perfect weight for casting for distance in any weather and it's flat bottom makes it one of the best "skipping" frog on the market today.  If you are like me and wrote this guy off as "just another snag proof" frog, then you need to take the time to see what your missing.

For the Full Review click HERE

Presentation: Deps Slither K

The Deps Slither K has to be the best frog I fished with this season and if it was not for my passion to test and review baits I probably would not have thrown any other frogs.

Yes, it is designed well, yes it has a great hook-up ration, but all in all, the best thing about the Slither K is how it moves in the water.. it slithers, crawls and skates across any form of structure or open water. This thing was build to move, and move it does

For the Full Review click HERE

Hook-Up Ratio: Deps Slither K

Between the test drive, the original review, and the above statement, there is not much more I can say about the Deps Slither K. It has been awarded top prize for "Hook-Up ratio" based on the fact that no frog I have ever purchased produced right out of the gate as well as the Slither K. Blow-up after Blow-up the hooks of the Slither K constantly found their home and fish were boated.. nuff said

For the Full Review click HERE

Availability: Live Target 

The saying goes "they multiply like Rabbits" but whoever coined the phrased obviously did not know about Live Target frogs, because if they did the term would now be "multiply like frogs"

These things are everywhere. I cant remember the last time I walked into a Tackle shop that did not carry Live Target products, and even more specifically frogs.


For the Full Review click HERE

 Options & Price: Scum Frog (Original)

One of the frogs that got me hooked on frog fishing is still one of the best products on the market today. These lightweight beauties cast well and their hooks always find a home. But where they truly excel is in the sheer range of selection available. The below 8 are colors I carry and are by no means the entire list of options. When it comes to price, the Scum Frog is also hard to top and often can be found in around the $3 mark.. Try one, they are worth 10x's what you pay for 'em


For the Full Review click HERE

Highest Overall Rating:  Live Target Hollow Belly

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

It should come to no surprise that this years top overall rating was awarded to Koppers Live Target. This frog set the gold standard in quality, presentation, hook-up ratio, and availability. The Live Target Hollow belly really blew the competition out of the water ( 2 years ago) and started what has now become the evolution of the frog market.. they set the bar, and it will only get better from here

congrats for banging out a great frog

Best Places to Frog Shop:

When if comes to service, price, shipping and availability, here are the 3 best places to build your frog arsenal

LandBigFish (*)

Tackle Warehouse

The Hook-Up

* For you Canadian shoppers, LBF is your best bet, they ship USPS and you will avoid all those messy brokerage fees that UPS charges. Tackle Warehouse is quick, but since they Ship UPS, you can expect a minimum $20 plus duty and taxes on any order over $19.99

Frog Equipment:

When it comes to hollow belly frog fishing there is no better rod on the market then the Dobyns 736c. On my boat it is used exclusively for hollow belly fishing and always has a frog tied on and ready to go.  http://dobynsrods.com/champion-series

When it comes to line choice, Sunline FX2 is really up for the challenge that is frog fishing. It's tuff, yet smooth, and holds up well under the stress a frog line can be put under. This was my first season using it, and I could not be happier.