There’s no one frog for everything, so choose wisely
Everyone has their favorite frog, but putting aside the debates over brand and color patterns, we can break down the basic shape/style options based on their applicability.
Walkers: The more narrow nose comes through cover best, especially when navigating pad clumps.
Poppers: This style tends to tumble and roll across uneven, junky mats, as every high spot catches the concave nose. However, for working the lighter edges, the holes and gaps or the adjacent open water, the popping display tends to attract more attention — especially in low light.
Strategy note: Walking frogs need relatively calm conditions for open water use, while poppers don’t mind a little chop on the surface.
Beyond the basics models, a few specialty designs merit a note. Because the general hollow body frog design can be used to mimic panfish, as well as amphibians, Strike King created the KVD Popping Perch with molded fins and gills complementing a fish-like tail in place of traditional frog “legs.” Elsewhere, Live Target offers a Sunfish line that turns the realistic panfish body laterally for a convincing profile with the traditional frog alignment.
Lastly, for additional appeal in open water, Lunker Hunt recently introduced its Prop Series Frog, which replaces traditional fringe style legs with molded legs capped by free spinning feet. The result is a topwater hollow body frog with action similar to a soft plastic buzz toad.
River2Sea makes the kicking commotion optional with its new Ish Monroe Phat Mat Daddy frog, which can be enhanced with a Plopper spinner (same design as the popular Whopper Plopper topwater bait) that attaches to the hooks with a double arm bracket. The spinners are sold separately in a kit that also includes a rattle bracket.
