Frogs, etc: What do you use?

[Jigman13]

I know it likely doesn't matter to the fish, but what frog brands do you guys prefer? Mice qualify here, too! Thanks!

[Worksforjerks]

ZOOM HORNY TOADS OR BUST! Used with the zoom shakey head horny toad hook is killer. I've used a lot of other brand hollow body frogs and mice but I've noticed I land way more fish with the horny toads the hollow bodies. Just my .02

[Rickhem]

I've used Koppers, Spro, and Matzuo (sp?) frogs, and have a snag-proof moss mouse too.
The Spro and the Kopper frogs are very similar, and work well. The Matzuo is smaller and I use that with lighter line in smaller ponds, but you can tell it isn't as well made. The Snag-Proof I bought because i wanted a mouse, and it has a weird look on its face. LOL
I also have a solid plastic frog that I use with Gami EWG hooks. It floats and has a cupped face like a popper. Down to my last one now and it catches just as well as the others. Bought it from the mark-down box at the store where I work and have not seen anything like it. Fish grab it and really hang on.

[mtman]

i have better luck with big tube baits used as frogs --they float pretty good and the hookup with the hollow body is way better than any frog i tried--they come in lots of colors had good luck with bubblegum even and easy to see--also when i am thru the heavy stuff i can let it sink next to the cover for any followers--good luck

[bassnbucks]

Spro and Koppers are both really good.As far as buzz frogs go Gambler cane toads are excellent.Most important thing is to pause before setting the hook.

[MaCe1]

I use Strike King rage tail toads, I like the action of the big floppy legs. I've also been using Havoc pit bosses and craw fattys- like mtman with the tubes, I find the hookup is better with the softer bodied plastic.

[dboyd101]

texas rigged senkos weightless. 5" will cast a mile and you can pull it over any muck/pads/etc.

[kcritch]

Originally Posted by dboyd101

texas rigged senkos weightless. 5" will cast a mile and you can pull it over any muck/pads/etc.

I do that too...I use 6" Bass Pro Shops Stikos which are a little tougher and much bigger than the 5"...and I even have some 7" that are really huge that work well for that.

As far as a frog I use a BPS hollow body in black and yellow (Steelers colors baby!) and it works really nicely. Not sure of the name anymore as I've had it for a few years now....fish it on braid so I don't lose it!

[Rickhem]

Since we're talking about other top-water options too, I'll give you something that has been working very well for me.
The company Z-Man makes their plastics out of a compound they call "Elaz-Tech". It stretches like crazy, and is a little tougher to get a hook through, but the big deal with elaz-tech is that it floats. In fact, it's very buoyant.
I take their Streakz (which are fluke-style baits) or their Swimmerz (which are minnow stye swim-baits) and fish them as top-water baits.
Yeah, everything has a "Z" in it from them.
So basically, you put a 3/0 or a 4/0 EWG hook in one of the Streakz, or a 4/0 to 5/0, or even one of the weighted EWG hooks in one of the Swimmerz, and that thing stays perfectly oriented in a horizontal position, lays right at the surface of the water, but stays just under the film that makes the surface tension on the water. A weighted hook makes the larger Swimmerz hang face down, with the paddle tail at the surface. When I fish these using mono they stay on top, but when using braid and a flouro leader, the flouro sinks and as you twitch it, the bait will make shallow dives to the sides, much like a spook, before floating back up to the surface, exactly like a dying minnow does. These things are remarkably weedless due to the EWG hook and will slide right over anything, plus you can just leave it in a clear spot between pads, or a hole in the weeds, and twitch it in place.
We thought this up one night and experimented with different hook sizes to get it to float upright using the hook as a keel, and it works quite well. The elaz-tech is very tough and unlike a senko, you can use the same one for multiple fish.
They work well with a Carolina rig too, since they stay up off the bottom, and look like something investigating the disturbance that the sinker creates.

The down side is that whatever else they have in that plastic, or whatever they use as a mold release, is not compatible with other plastics. It's like the old days when soft plastics would melt your tackle box. These have to be kept away from other plastics or they'll melt into each other. I just leave them in the package anyway, and once rigged, just leave it with the hook in it when I put one away. They cast well, and are available in lots of colors. And who doesn't like working outside the box and catching fish on things in ways that the manufacturer never intended???