HUNT ‘ EM DOWN Cover water quickly with the Spro Flappin Frog 65 . The kicking legs provide a buzzing action that stays weedless through the heaviest cover . search frog
The hollow-body frog may be one of the game ’ s most underrated search baits . Work it over a mat or grass-filled flat and bass are apt to show themselves .
On practice days , Rojas bends the hooks into the body of the frog to prevent hook ups . He works the bait quickly , noting areas with concentrations of bass and where bass are situated with respect to the cover .
“ You can cover a lot of water , break down an area quickly and identify the high-percentage spots ,” he says . “ When you are trying to break down a 30,000-acre reservoir , you need to utilize your time effectively .”
Some frog anglers remain in search mode during tournament time . They work their frogs quickly , waiting for a fish to show itself .
Cox always has a follow-up bait ready to pitch to the exposed location — a General , Gilly or Creature Hawg from the Berkley Powerbait line . Rojas is similarly armed , usually with a Fighting Frog or Trick Stick from Big Bite Baits .
dare to live the froggin ’ life
Want to be a better frogger ? Fish it . Fish it . Then fish it some more . Don ’ t get discouraged . You will enjoy the ride , and the results are worth it .
“ You catch a better quality of bass with a frog ,” says Cox . “ When bass get on it , there ’ s nothing better .
“ And it is , by far , the funnest way to fish !”
4-inch TH Marine Atlas Jack Plate
Dean Rojas
Fred Roumbanis
John Cox
FROGGING WITH THE CHAMPS
FROG FIENDS can thank Dean Rojas for popularizing the hollow-bodied bait . Nearly two decades ago , Rojas brought the frog into the contemporary age when he designed the Spro Bronzeye Frog . A durable frog available in a wide array of colors , it presented a versatile range of presentation options and set new standards for quality .
In addition to Rojas ’ original Bronzeye Frog 65 , Spro ’ s frog lineup now features walking frogs in smaller ( 40 / 50 ) and the larger King Daddy ( 90 ) sizes . It also continues to spawn new frog variants . The cup-faced Bronzeye Pop 60 was followed by the Bronzeye Shad 65 , a . k . a . the Glide , a bait specifically made for walking . More frogs have since followed .
“ The one I like best is the Bronzeye Spit Shad ,” says Rojas of the bait that led to his BPT win on Smith Lake in 2019 . “ It is a hybrid of the popping frog and ‘ shad ’ models . It has a cut mouth but a release on the bottom , so it spits , walks and chugs really well , and it has a great hook-up ratio .”
Another variant is the Spro Flappin ’ Frog 65 , a hybrid lure that mates a pair of paddle-tail legs to a hollow frog body for a buzz-type presentation .
Fred Roumbanis learned to frog on famed California waters like the Sacramento River Delta . He designed his own deep-bodied , textured Boom Boom Frog along with a companion model , the Boom Boom Poppin ’ Frog , both marketed by Stanford Baits . The former was designed to walk . The Poppin ’ Frog , he says , offers a more subtle action than other lures in the category . “ It spits more than pops ,” he says . “ It has more of a pencil popper design , best worked in open water situations like next to laydowns , under boat docks and undercut banks . It excels in pressured water .”
For the past two seasons , John Cox has frogged with prototypes of two Berkley frogs , a regular hollow-body ( the Swamp Lord ) and a popping version . The baits were released to the public at the 2023 ICAST show .
74 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023