Bass Fishing Feb - Mar 2018 | Page 45

DURABLE MATERIAL: SMART DESIGN: The bait is made using super-stretchy material that resists tearing. Its meaty midsection features a deep hook slot for good penetration with eWG hooks. BIG CLOMPERS: The boot feet catch water and create a deep, gurgling sound on the retrieve. Performance Advice One of the main keys to optimum performance is pairing the frog with the right hook. I threw it with a number of single and double hooks with a variety of keeper styles, and the best overall was a single Owner 5/0 eWG. Wire and prong-style keepers did a decent job of holding the frog in place, but they eventually pulled out. The material doesn’t accept a traditional spring very well, either. springs equipped with a centering pin like those used on Owner’s Double Toad Hook are a much better choice. No matter which single hook you choose, it’s a good idea to skin-hook the point to prevent snagging on vegetation should the bait land upside down in the slop or not right itself for some reason. also, don’t store the Frog in direct contact with other soft plastics. I did so on purpose to see what would happen, and as suspected a soft-plastic worm melted an imprint into the Frog’s back after a few days. FEBRUARY-MARCH 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM HITS & MISSES + Floats when idle + Extremely tough material + Works with multiple retrieves + Large profile + Casts well – Limited hook choices – Pricey, though they last awhile APPLICATIONS • It works well around all sorts of flooded vegetation, bushes, docks and over open-water grass flats. • The bait skips easily under overhanging trees or docks and stays on the hook thanks to the durable material. • It casts well enough and can be fished fast enough to be a great search bait in shallow water. TRIMMED FOR POPPING A torn nose doesn’t render the Zoom Frog useless. Rather than toss a spent bait in the trash, I trimmed off the damaged portion and gave it a popper-style head. Then I could fish it with short twitches just like a pop- ping frog. I experimented with knives and razor blades, but sharp scissors provided the most uniform cut. The best results were achieved by gripping the head around both eyes, squeezing firmly to make the nose protrude and then making the cut. The cut should be made swiftly at a downward angle to give the frog a slight overbite and create a small cup. 43