In 1957, Mr. Bill Plummer took his daughter to a dental appointment. He had promised his daughter a toy, if she didn't cry at the dentist office. He bought his daughter a plastic frog toy, with a small bulb that you pressed to make it hop. He saw an idea for a bass lure, and borrowed the toy from his daughter, inserting a hook which he had wisely already patented. The frog lure caught fish, and Bill Plummers Superfrog was born. He contacted the toy maker in Japan, and ordered hundreds of these frog toys, and by 1968 they were a popular hot seller to bass fisherman, eventually being made by the Harrison Hodge company. Bill Plummer himself caught hundreds of 5lb+ bass on the frogs, and scores of documented 7 and 8lb bass from smaller lakes all around New England. He shunned tournament fishing, and fished from a 12ft car topper boat with a 3hp engine. He also never had a trolling motor, preferring to shut off the engine and slowly row into casting position, never relying on any electronics. He became wealthy with his invention, and fished five or six days a week most of his life. Personally, I always thought fisherman like Bill Plummer were unique. He never followed the latest trends in bass fishing, he invented his own baits, and fished with his own unique style, not caring about the latest hot thing on the market. And, he caught scores of big bass along the way. We all probably owe him a debt for the popularity of frog fishing these days. Bill Plummer, The original Frog Man.
