Avalonjohn44

That 'Aquacraw' paint job is seriously cool. Will be starting with that one...

I love them both, but each has their place. For me, the Rage toad is best when the bite is aggressive, it weeds out the dinks. The Horny toad has a subtler profile and gurgle and catches em for me when the bass are more shy. The Horny toad also has a really cool glide underwater when you let it sink. I like to buzz the horny toad up to a pad and stop reeling, letting it glide under the pad, it really mimics a frog diving. The rage toad just doesn't sink the same way... That said, I prefer Stanley Ribbits over both of the other two.

I've been using (and giving free advertising for ) the Stanley Double-Take as well. Excellent hook, I prefer the unweighted version to really get it thru the crud. The Double-Take fits all the frogs I use (zoom, ribbit and rage), but does not cradle the bait like the pic shows. I wonder if the frog only being anchored at the nose will preserve the bait or if more will be lost.

I made the same thing out of some torn senkos and some Mend-it glue... I would rate it just about as effective as the helicopter lure.

You can also buy some Ribbit Double Take hooks, they help the frogs run better. The heavier hooks keep the right side down. Plus, more hookups.

For the Horny Toad I use the Stanley Ribbit Double Take hooks. A bit pricey, but I hook up so much better with them than anything else. Gamakatsu makes a double frog hook as well. I haven't tried the gammys, been so happy with the Double Takes...

Awesome, thanks bro. Checking them out now.

The Bandit Footloose is a nice cheap option, but they are smaller and catch everything. If you can find a Bagley's Bulgin' B, they are bulkier and really weed out the dinks. They can get expensive though...

I am having a heck of a time finding rose colored polarized/mirrored, and don't want to spend over $100... Anyone have any suggestions? I used to have a wonderful pair I got from BPS years ago, but lost them in the lake last year.

Hmmm, this is the second thread I've seen on this... Might have to wait before I pick some of these up.

Terminator Spinnerbait - White/Green with a white grub trailer for my last 2 PBs. Before that one, I got my pb on a Black Booyah Buzzbait.

The Stanley Ribbit is my favorite, but the Zoom Horny Toad and the Cane Toad are both top notch baits. I use the Rage Toad, but sometimes it is too aggressive a bait. If they are slamming the topwater, I will go to the Rage Toad, but will start with the Ribbit 9 times out of 10.

I have not been doing well with topwater in NoVA yet either. Catching them on Spinnerbaits and Senkos. My frogs and buzzbaits get wet, but only two or three hits on them on several outings. Frustrating, I want some topwater action!

I have fished them both ways, but prefer separating the appendages. More action.

I would like about 2 dozen some LC RC1.5s in Blue Bream. Or I wish the LC RTO 1.5s (same bait as far as I can tell, just doesn't have Clunn's name on it) would use that pattern.

Pearl/Chartreuse back, Rootbeer and Taco Salad are my three Bandit colors. As for KVD1.5s, I love the Black back Chartreuse and River Minnow (BPS exclusive) colors.

Go to Walmart, buy a couple of KVD1.5s, maybe a Bandit 100 or 200 in whatever natural color they have (if your walmart has the 'root beer' color, grab it - that's my fav bandit color). Each bait is about $5.75 and will catch you plenty of fish. For around $25 bucks you can have four excellent cranks. Since you are just starting, and you want to go cheap, forget about a specific rod/reel for right now, just go with whatever combo you already use, it will work fine. I prefer MH with a fast tip, not the typical setup for cranks, but it works for me. The hardest part about cranking is being willing to throw them where they might get hung up. Throw them where there are rocks or wood structure and deflect them off of everything you can. Practice in the shallows to get the feel of things and so you can easily retrieve snags. The KVD1.5s and Bandit 100s have square bills and will get hung up less often, but snags are always a danger when cranking.

That's how I rig my squid when I'm salt water fishing.

I am wary of eating anything in my local waters...

I'll take this as my answer too.

I haven't tried it, but I know it has to work.

Favorite Frog - Kopper's Live Target. Most realistic patterns and it bobs through the water mimicking a fleeing frog better than the Spro, IMO. Best part is that it comes in 3 sizes. I kill on the smallest size.

Incorrect. The bass can easily see the sides of the lure, and depending on the style frog and the way it sits in the water, part of the back as well. Only a bass directly underneath and looking straight up will see only the belly.

It sounds silly, but try rigging it weightless and buzz it across the surface. It makes a great topwater, and has a different sound from a frog or a buzzbait.

Berkly Frenzy, I think.