Ultimate Bucketmouth's Lunker Ugly Frog.. X-Rated or Misunderstood?

In my quest to fish every form or frog I can get my hands on, Im bound to come across some duds, and some highly unusual things.. this frog meets both of those descriptions.

How do I even try to explain to you how this frog works, looks and feels.. how many baits have you seen that need a X-rating because they seem to have a penis? this is a first for me. Another first is actually needing instructions on how to rig a frog. this is not your average nose hook bait (more on that in a minute).. actually nothing is really average about this frog.. but then again nothing is really great either.

How do you fish an x-rated frog?

well thats a good question. First off, you better have some large hooks.. this bad boy needs to be fished with a 7/0 oversized worm hook (Owner). A traditional 11/0 hook will be needed for any other brand.

The hook is pushed through a section of the frogs belly and not the frogs nose (see image below). the point of the hook is then slid into the penis section (Im sorry but its true!). This allows the hook to run weedless when in the water

Unlike may other frogs in the soft bodied market, this is not as much as a swimming frog as it is a sitting frog. when in the water the head sits above the water level and the legs and hook hang down similar to the way a real frog would sit in the water. But I forgot to mention, if you really want to achieve this you need to add some weight the the legs. They recommend adding insert weighs to the knee section. If you dont weight it, this frog lays perfectly flat on the water

If you check in with Ulitmate Bucketmouth, they give you two ways to fish this bait, the first being the weighted knees and slow retrieve with many pauses, allowing the frog to sit in the water with legs down.  The second way is unweighted, you give the frog short pops back to the boat and on the pause the frog will float with the entire body sitting on top of the water.  This will give a large silhouette to any fish underneath it.

They say extensive research has gone into this design and that this is a realistic big fish frog. I personally dont see it. It is huge, but life like is a stretch, it looks like a chalk outline of a dead frog and it swims just as poorly. The large heavy body may allow for great distance when casting and the "interesting design" may allow you to fish it weedless and still get a good hookset.. but you have to fool a fish first. and personally I dont think the fish are that crazy

the fact that these have been found on sale from $0.99 to a $1.49 for a pack of 4 should have told me something. But these are the things I do for you guys. As you know I usually recommend that you give it a try for yourself, but on this one I will warn you.. if you are fishing with kids.. cover their eyes, there are something you just dont need to see.

Weapons of Choice:

If you are going to take the plunge and try this frog, you will need to use similar equipment as you would with a hollow body. I would recommend a Dobyns 736c. this bait does not have much swimming motion, and the heavy bait will need a rod with good backbone to control it.

Gary Dobyns Making the Perfect Rod (Part 2)

Back in June I shared with you an article called "making the perfect rod", the article was from http://www.insideline.net/ and was writen by Terri Battisti. Well since that day I have been waiting on part 2

today the wait is over.. check out the below link to read part 2 on Making the perfect rod.

Making-the-perfect-rod-part-2

for those of you who missed it, you can still find part 1.. here

Evolve's Nervous Walker Frog- Making Bass everywhere nervous!

I have to admit with the big guns in the marketplace already making a splash in the Hollow Body field.. Live Target, KVD Sexy Frog, Spro.. it was a littler nervous to say the least about pulling the trigger on Evolves new frog "Nervous Walker".. but Im glad I did.

When my nervous walker arrived (courtesy of Tacklewarhouse) I was instantly impressed with the high quality, bright color paint job that would rival any frog on the market.. even Koppers Live Target. But in taking this bait out of the package, thats when you really get to see what this bait is all about!

the soft supple plastic used makes for by far the most easily collapsable frog I have ever laid my hands on. Under the slightest pressure the body of the bait folds up and exposes the hooks (sorry no matter where I looked I could not find who makes there hooks).

the second perk to this frog is the beads inserted into the hollow body.  I dont know about you, but adding a rattle/beads to my hollow bodies is a must, the extra sound, commotion and weight really helps to call the hawgs in close. (if this is not something you do.. I would recommend giving it a shot)

the third perk to this frog goes back to my opening paragraph, these frogs are well designed, well painted and although they may not be quite as realistic as the Live Target frogs, they do look awesome, and the bright color selection is something I love to see.  Weighing in at 5/8oz and 2.5 inches in length, this will not be the bully in your arsenal but they fish bigger then they look. They share length with many frogs on the market but the wider body design may help when "walking" this frog.

UPDATE: 08/25/2011

I though this was some valid info to share. The frog fishes very "heavy" it casts far and lands hard. It is much heftier then other frogs on the market and although it swims well, i feel lots of drag or resistance on the retrieve.  Great for long distance on windy days 

Evovle scared me away earlier this season when I saw the "original" and "pulse" series frogs. those strange looking things with $20 price tags made me shake my head.. but the nervous Walker has restored my faith, and has me eying up another member of the Evolve family.. the pond doctor. I would recommend giving this bait a try. (at $6.99 this frog is cheaper then most of its competitors)

Weapons of Choice:

I recently decided to add a second frog rod to my arsenal. A Dobyns 736C will be the newest member of  my rod family. it's sole purpose in life will be to throw hollow bellies. It has many of the same traits as the 735C with just a bit more backbone

Frog Hooks.. the large the small and the way to many

You may be surprised by this, but there is almost as many frog hooks available to anglers as there is frog designs them selves! Many companies have created their own hook to be used with there specific frog.. do we need this many options? will a sizmic toad hook work just as well on a gambler toad? will a double hook get you higher hook-up ratios then a traditional 3/0 hook? well I cant claim to know all the answers but I will tell you what works for me..

To save my fingers and your eyes Im really only going to discuss three different hook options that are available when soft body frog fishing, they are..

1) Standard EWG hooks
2) Double Frog Hooks
3) Twist Lock Hooks (weighted and un-weighted)

Standard EWG

Lets start off with the traditional EWG hook, these are readily available in all tackle shops, and are made by any hook company worth mentioning, the have a decent price point (for the most part) and will come in red or nickle. You can buy EWG hooks in thin or thick wire, for frog fishing the thicker wire hooks are preferred. they provide the extra strenght needed to pull big fish out of heavy cover and the little extra weight will give you some increased casting distance as well as help the frog sit down better on a strike. (If you are fishing a floating soft plastic frog be aware that the thicker wire hooks may force your frog to sink.)

When it comes to Frog fishing for the most part you will be looking for a hook size in the range between 3/0 to 5/0. In some rare instances you may need to jump up to 6/0 or 7/0 but this will be a rarity. I can get away with fishing 90% of my frogs on a 3/0 hook

The only downfall to EWG hooks are the damage the eye of the hook may cause to the nose of the bait on the retrieve or strike. most soft plastic frogs are made to swim, and after a few hits or being beaten in cover the eye of the hook will quickly wear the frog nose and increase the amount of dead baits you have. EWG hooks have a bend in the eye that will position the nose of the bait in a slightly downward position. this can effect the swim and bang up the nose quickly on hard retrieves.

Double Frog Hooks

double hooks started to flood the market a few seasons ago. The allowed the angler to set up a soft bodied frog similar to the way you would fish a hollow body frog. Owner, Tru Tungsten and Gamakatsu all currently produce a double frog hook. They are made in the same sizes available in standard EWG hooks, but take a little getting use to when it comes to rigging.

some of them double hooks can be pinched together and inserted into the frog the same way a EWG is rigged, others are firmer and you will need to use one hook to bore a path into the frog and then slide the head of the hook into place. Either of these methods work, but like with all soft plastics the more you insert and reinsert a hook, the quicker you weaken the plastic.

Not all frogs are created equal, and with the crazy amount of body types available today, not all frogs will be wide/narrow enough to be fitted with a double hook. This can cause frustration since you will have hooks that wont work for all the frogs in your arsenal. Companies like Tru Tungsten list the frogs that will work with their hook, this is a help if you decide to go this route.

The last con i see to the double hook set up are the hook points. Unlike rigging your frog with a traditional EWG these hooks are not easily barried into the soft plastic to make the frog run weedless. I found I was adjusting the hook more when using this set-up and continuously got caught on the pads. Hollow bodied frogs balloon out around the hook points making them slightly protected. Soft plastic frogs do not provide you with this option

Twist Lock Hooks

The twist lock hook is one of my favorite options available today. There are multiple options available including weighted and non-weighted, red, nickel and of course some size options. When looking at the twist lock hooks you should be looking for the frog option and not your standard EWG although they will work as well.

The Frog version of a twist lock hook has a slightly different body design then that of the EWG, it is made for frog designed bodies and although many of these hooks sport names that make it sound like they are designed for a specific frog, they will give you more versatility then both the standard EWG and the double hooks mentioned above. One complaint I have is that the frog versions of this hook appear to only be available in a thinner to medium wire. Some situations really call for a heavy wire, and from what i have seen this is not an option with these hooks

The key to the twist lock design is that it puts less stress on the nose of you bait and will increase the baits life span. Unlike traditional hooks the twist lock does not bore a hole in the front of your bait and can be reapplied multiple times on the same bait, even if the bait has a tare/rip . The head of the hook does not have the same extreme bend that most EWG hooks have, this allows your frog to site flatter on the hook and swim straighter on the retrieve. (some EWG hooks make the nose of the frog bend down)

these hooks are not as readily available (in my area anyways) and may need to be ordered on-line. They are priced well and stand up to multiple fish

Tips:

As stated above almost every company under the sun make the frog hooks nowadays.. find one you like and work with it. My personal preference is to use the Zoom twist lock hook (5/0) or to move over to Owners 3/0 EWG when a smaller hook is in order.

I do not throw weighted hooks on my frogs.. this is a personal preference. When fishing soft plastic frogs I like to be able to burn them across open water in between cover. The weighted hook pulls the frog down quicker ons the kill and forces me to increase my retrieve speed. If you are having trouble casting your frog for distance you should look at your rod and reel set-up and alter that instead of increasing the weight on your frog


When all is said and done there is a world of choice available to anglers today. the hooks I described today may not be the best for your style of frog fishing. be sure to play around and test out the options available to you. If you know of a hook design I did not cover, let me know, I would love to give it a try.


Weapons of choice:

There is no better rod on the market today for frog fishing with soft plastics then the Dobyns 735c, at 7'3 it has all the backbone needed to haul large fish from deep pockets. The soft tip allows for great castinf accuracy and allows you to throw this frogs long distances. For your reel look for somthing that can pick up the slack and burn a bait back over open water. I put my trust in the Shimano Curado series reels with 50-65lb powerpro braid

Wal-Mart donates 36 Million to Anti-Fishing Groups

My confusion level was on high yesterday as word spread from board to board in many fishing forums in both Canada and the US.. the topic was this.. Wal-Mart a major sponsor of the FLW fishing circuit donated $36 million to an anti-fishing group!

The press release that really got things moving was from the "Recreational Fishing Alliance" and can be found here. The release claims that walmarts donation will help "fund the demise of both the recreational and commercial fishing industry" in the US. Furthermore the report is calling for support from anglers to stop purchasing tackle from Wal-mart and adding the giant to the anglers boycot list.

I personally have been a long time anti- Wal-mart consumer, and this double speak now adds fire to the flame. How can a company that sponsors one of the worlds most popular fishing tournament series, turn their backs on the everyday angler? Obviously they are protecting their interest ($) and will hide behind the enviromental impact of this issue. To me this stresses the fact the big friendly walmart cant be trusted with my tackle money

I encourage all anglers to read the release and read any other info that comes your way on this topic. I believe that this info needs to be shared.

Stay Tuned more frog reviews to come!

(photo from www.Tackelwarehouse.com)

My latest order of frogs has arrived! Yes I have an addiction, and the only way to get my fix is by ordering new frogs and of course fishing with them.

I placed an order with Tacklewarehouse last week and here are a few products that you can expect a review on over the next couple weeks...

Evolve's  Nervous Walker Frog


Strike King's Rage Toad (reader request)


Ultimate Bucketmouth's Lunker Ugly Frog (this is an odd little frog)


KVD Sexy Frog

All of these bad boys will spend some time on the line over the next few weeks and I hope to share with you some results.. big results.

Also watch for a frog hook review coming sometime in the next week.. the fishing is heating up, and so is the frog bite.

Frog Review: Koppers Live Target "Mini" Hollow Body

As with most anglers when i find a bait i love, it is hard to convince me that there is a better product available. Even harder to get me to switch from a confidence bait to something different.. but this year Live Target has done just that, they have completely restored my faith in traditional hollow bodied frogs and left me with a huge collection of Scum frogs that may never see water again!

I wont get into too much detail here because I have discussed these frogs on a previous post. But what i did want to go over is the new size that was introduced at this seasons ICAST event. the "mini" for a lack of a better name (I think it is actually called the 45T)  is the newest member of the Live Target family and believe me, if will find a place in your tackle bag.

This frog comes in at a tiny 1 3/4 inches long.. a half inch smaller the the medium sized frog (55T) and a full inch smaller the the full size model (65T). I dont know about you guys, but so far this season I have had the majority of my success on the 55T.. it seems to be the perfect fit to match frog sizes in my section of Ontario.

Pros:

as an avid frog angler I throw both hollow bodies and plastic frogs daily. This new mini I believe will help bridge the gap between the two techniques, the smaller profile allows for more erratic movement, this movement is similar to the movement provided by soft plastic frogs. The mini can be burnt across the top and open spaces with ease. It will excel in lightly padded areas where the frog will spend a good amount of time in open water between cover. It is also a fishes version of the 1 bite brownie.. this little guy can be slurped up even by fish in the 1lb and under category

This frog shares all the "pros" of it's siblings. The ultra sharp and strong hooks are second to none and the soft plastic body is easily compressed and allows for some of the best hook-up ratios I have experiences in years.

Cons:

the biggest con this bait has will be the size/weight. when working a heavily padded area this bait wont call the fish in like its bigger heavier brothers. It will also get knocked around a bit more, the Live target frogs are light as it is, so with the smaller frog you will have to be patient with your hooksets. this frog will easily be sent flying up into the air on a missed strike or a violent hookset.

It is also not the easiest to cast. I throw most hollow bodies on my Dobyns 735c rod with a shimano Curado. I really had to play with the reel to get some distance with this frog.. the windy day did not help

Tip:

to add a little weight and sound, dont be afraid to add some rattles or beads to this bait. not only will it improve the sound, but the extra weight will help it sit down better on the water/pads.


So thats all I have to say about that, and with all the hype on this frogs already out there, I will try not to bore you with much more.. I will leave you with this.. "FOR SALE: A Collection of 30 Scum Frogs (various colors and sizes available)


Weapons of Choice:

As mentioned above I like to throw hollow bodies with a Dobyns 735c. for this guy I may switch it up a bit and use something in the 8ft range with a bit more whip. Dobyns 805 or 804