Bass Fishing May - Jun 2018 | Page 70

MastEr­thE­ZooM­horny­toaD­
by­May,­brandon­Cobb­pretty­well­always­has­a
handful­of­topwater­baits­at­the­ready,­but­his­favorite
is­a­Zoom­horny­toad.
“i’ve­probably­made­more­money­on­a­horny­toad
than­any­other­bait­in­my­boat,”­says­Cobb.
a­major­part­of­Cobb’s­success­with­the­horny­toad
stems­from­hours­and­seasons­of­experimentation,
both­with­rigging­and­choosing­the­right­scenarios­for
different­presentations.­
Greenfish Tackle Toad Toter Buzz –­Cobb­used­to
make­his­own­version­of­this­buzzbait,­but­is­now
working­with­greenfish ­to­mass-produce­it.­the
buzzbait­only­comes­in­one­weight,­which­Cobb­settled
on­over­several­years­of­experimentation.­he­says­it’s
the­perfect­size­for­either­a­fast­or­slow­retrieve,­and­it
won’t­roll­over.­Rigging tip: Cobb likes to mash the keep-
er barb down with pliers and glue the Horny Toad in
place. Sliding the Toad clear over the lead weight results
in a cleaner setup that skips easily.
1. The Right Scenario
While­the­horny­toad­is­Cobb’s­favorite,­he’s­not
stubborn­enough­to­think­it­works­all­the­time.­a
horny­toad,­a­buzzbait­rigged­with­a­horny­toad­trail-
er­and­a­floating­frog­are­interchangeable­in­certain
situations.
Toads –­“When­i’m­burning­down­the­bank,­cover-
ing­water,­‘wolf­packing’­or­just­hoping­to­catch­one
swimming­the­bank,­i’m­throwing­a­horny­toad
because­i­can­fish­fast.­i­also­like­skipping­a­horny
toad.”
Frogs –­“When­i­get­to­something­like­an­overhang-
ing­bush­or­a­target,­i­switch­to­a­hollow-body­frog.
you­just­can’t­cover­water­as­well­with­a­hollow­frog.
the­only­time­i­throw­one­is­when­i­know­where­fish
are.”
Buzzbait –­“i­generally­throw­a­buzzbait­with­a
horny­toad­trailer­if­there’s­a­ripple­on­the­water­or­it’s
windy.­When­it’s­dead­calm­i­throw­just­the­horny
toad.”­
Greenfish Tackle Toad Toter –­in­open­water,
around­floating­docks­and­when­burning­down­the
bank,­Cobb­fishes­the­horny­toad­on­this­open-hook
jighead­that­he­says­has­a­tremendous­hook-up­ratio.
he’ll­throw­it­just­about­anywhere­he­doesn’t­need­to
worry­about­snagging­on­wood.­it­casts­a­mile.
Rigging tip: Slide the Horny Toad clear over the jighead.
2. Proper Rigging
3. Color Selection
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you­can’t­go­wrong­with­the­two­horny­toad­color
staples:­black­and­white.­however,­Cobb­will­swap­for
green­pumpkin­if­he­thinks­the­fish­are­feeding­heavily
on­bluegills.­and­in­gin-clear­water,­he­likes­grey­ghost.­
“if­you­throw­white­in­water­that­clear­it­looks­like­a
softball­coming­back,”­he­adds.­“grey­ghost­is­not­quite
as­intrusive.”
Weedless hook –­For­skipping­docks­with­cables­or
around­any­type­of­snaggy­cover,­Cobb­rigs­weedless.
he­used­to­use­a­wide-gap­hook­with­a­spring­lock,­but
he­was­losing­too­many­fish­because­the­plastic­could-
n’t­slide­away­from­the­hook­gap­on­the­hookset.­now,
Cobb­uses­a­5/0­gamakatsu­superline­EWg­hook.
When­he­sets­the­hook,­the­bait­usually­slides­free­up
the­line.­Rigging tip: “If you crack them really hard on
the hookset, you’re not going to straighten the hook out,
but you’ll flex it a little bit. So, it sounds ridiculous, but
after every good one I catch I swap the hook out. You
could bend it back, but then it’s weaker.”
FLWFISHING.COM I MAY-JUNE 2018