Top Tips from Frog Experts

Line: Line is important when plying the waters with a frog, and all our experts agree that braids in the 50- to 65-pound class are ideal.

“I generally spool 65-pound braid when fishing Snag Proof frogs, and 50-pound for a Horny Toad,” Barrack says. He darkens the first few feet of line with a marker to camouflage it.

Rojas uses 65-pound Izorline braid. “Most line manufacturers braid their line and then dye it, but Izorline dyes each filament separately before the braiding process,” he says. “This makes the line more manageable, so it holds a knot better and is less apt to tangle around the rod tip.”

New Breed of Frog

Over the years, frog specialists have customized lures to increase their effectiveness. This tactic can be traced to Barrack himself. “In the early years, we lost a lot of fish on frogs,” Barrack says, “sometimes less than a 50 percent hook-up-to-land ratio. We felt we could win tournaments on frogs if we could figure out how to get bass in the boat.

“When braided line came out, we figured our problems were over,” he adds. “Braids brought our ratio over 50 percent but we still were losing a lot of bass. Fish were missed when the double hooks penetrated the thighs of the Snag Proof frogs, keeping the points from hooking the fish securely,” he recalls. “When we started cutting the frog’s thighs off and adding skirts, our success rate skyrocketed.”

Snag Proof contacted Barrack and asked if he’d be interested in designing a frog for them. “That’s how Bobby’s Perfect Frog was developed. We designed a frog that doesn’t need any modification. Now, the only time I don’t use a Perfect Frog is when I need a color that isn’t available in the new version.”

Today, several manufacturers offer high-tech frogs. “We knew Dean Rojas was having great success with frogs on the Bassmaster Tour,” says Tim Norman of SPRO. “We contacted him and asked if he’d be interested in helping us design a new frog.” Rojas agreed to join the team.

“I was excited about the project,” he says. “We started with the hook, which is the most important part of the frog, designing the Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog around Gamakatsu’s 4/0 double hook. A common problem with frogs is that the skirted legs pull out of the body and the nose gets pulled down from the front of the hook. We fixed the legs so they won’t pull out, and also remedied the nose by wrapping the shaft of the hook and glueing it.

“This frog is more streamlined than standard frogs,” he adds, “which helps the hookset. Its narrower body shape means you can walk this frog in a spot for an extended time, to tease a big one into biting. It doesn’t need any modification. Some people may want to shorten the legs a little or add some weight, but it doesn’t need that to work.”

Soft-bodied frogs also have gained wide acclaim in the last year. Zoom Bait Company started the trend with their Horny Toad, which quickly became the secret of many pros on the circuit. These small-bodied baits work like small plastic buzzbaits that excel in and around weed clumps and emergent vegetation, as well as over open water. Many manufacturers have come out with their own frog designs—Stanley’s Ribbit, Berkley’s Batwing Frog, YUM Buzz Frog, Voodoo Baits Zombie Toad, Sizmic Lures Pop’n Toad, Culprit’s Pro Frog, Spike-It’s Bog Frog, and more.

“They’re great for open-water applications,” Barrack says. “I fish them along ledges near tule clumps or by rock walls where the vegetation thins out. In those situations, the weeds can be too tangly for a traditional buzzbait, and the grass binds the blades. That’s when I go to a Horny Toad. Bass race over and engulf these baits. Most of the time, you couldn’t take it away from the fish if you wanted to.”