GEAR
PRODUCT REVIEW
ZOOM FROG
I
t’s been awhile since
somebody brought a
buzz frog to market that
is truly unique. Leave it to
the same company that
started the buzz frog craze
with the Horny Toad in
2004 to break the mold.
While the all-new Zoom
Frog has the traditional
look of a soft-plastic buzz
frog, it’s built to do more
than zip across thick cover,
make racket and leave a
bubble trail in its wake. It’ll
take a serious beating, too.
First Impression
The Frog is a big-bodied
bait at 4 inches long and 1
inch across at the widest
point, so it casts a large pro-
file. Zoom designed it with
raised eyes, a pointed head,
flat legs, boot-style feet and
a meaty belly section with a
deep hook slot on the bot-
tom to allow for maximum
penetration and bite.
What really sets the frog
apart from the competition
42
DETAILS:
is the material from which
it’s made. Zoom wouldn’t
reveal exactly what it used,
but the result is soft to the
touch, yet stretches like
rubber and is so durable
that you can’t tear it apart.
In Action
as with buzz frogs of
comparable design, the flat,
flimsy legs and boot feet
flutter wildly when the bait
skims the surface at a
steady clip, creating a
defined bubble trail and a
significant gurgling sound.
But that’s where the simi-
larities end. Zoom’s new
buzzer is capable of doing
a few tricks that most oth-
ers can’t.
For starters, it’s a
floater. even a big 5/0 or
6/0 eWG hook won’t sink it.
I found this to be a huge
plus for incorporating
assorted retrieves – from
ultra-slow to burning fast –
while also delivering some
maneuvers usually
By Matt Williams
reserved for hollow-body
baits. I could kill it over
open holes in grass or give
fish that missed on the first
attempt a second chance
to eat it.
It can also be worked
like a prop bait. By stop-
ping and twitching intermit-
tently, its legs and feet
swish and spray water. The
action isn’t as pronounced
as a prop bait’s, but it’s
similar, which is a nice
touch when fishing around
shallow vegetation or
bluegill beds.
as I mentioned, the
material is incredibly tough
and much more resistant
to tearing than traditional
soft plastic. I made three
different trips before I got
into one of those magical
frog bites that resulted in a
half-dozen blow-ups and
five fish weighing 2 to 4
pounds apiece. all of the
fish choked the bait and
were hooked in the roof of
the mouth. a couple were
PHOTOs BY maTT Pace
hooked so deep I had to
reach for the pliers.
amazingly, the Frog still
looked new with no evi-
dence of wear. FLW Tour
pro Troy morrow of
eastanollee, Ga., reports
catching as many as 20
bass on the Frog before it
needed to be replaced.
Final Thoughts
The bait’s ability to pull
double duty as a buzzer
and a floater, coupled with
the fact it can take some
serious abuse, should
make it a good choice just
about anytime the condi-
tions favor a buzz frog
bite. The Frog traverses
thick cover like a 4x4 and
churns up plenty of com-
motion when buzzed on
the surface, so it’ll shine
bright in flat or choppy
water. The bait is a little
pricey at $10 for three, but
then again, each one lasts
so long that it’s probably
not a bad buy.
Length: 4 inches — Colors: 6 — MSRP: $9.99 for three — Contact: zoombait.com
FLWFISHING.COM I FEBRUARY-MARCH 2018