Ring King Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 Picked up a new Savage Gear Hollow Frog from The Outdoor Pro Shop in Cotati California. It's the storefront shop for Monster Tackle online. The version I grabbed has the action legs. I chose this particular model because of my love for fishing soft plastic toads with the ultra vibe style of legs. I figured this would give me the best of both worlds with the action similar to a Horney Toad but the ability to stop it mid retrieve and let it "soak" over open holes in the matted vegetation. I had a little time this evening so I tied it on and walked down to my pond to see how it would work. I fished it on my Kistler 7' Heavy action frog rod with 65lb Power Pro and a Shimano Curado 200DHSV. My pond has some pretty good matted vegetation around the edges with some mixed leafy surface grasses mixed in the the occasional bunch of tules. The fish have been holding relatively close to the bank and with all the grass growth a weedless frog is the best option. I started out by casting parallel to the bank and fining the frog back with a slow steady retrieve. The action of the legs was phenomenal with just enough water movement to draw attention but not too noisy like a buzz bait would be. My first fish came from a sparse section of grass and inhaled the frog while it was on the move. The single hook penetrated in the very top of the mouth and was solid! Probably a 3 pounder but a good start to the evening. I then worked around to a nice stand of tules with some matted vegetation growing in it. I threw the frog right into the edge of the tules and let it soak. The water exploded on the first twitch. Another solid 3.5lb bass was stuck dead center of the top of the mouth. These frogs were definitely getting some attention! I had several fish strike and miss the frog in some of the heavier grass. This is expected in this type of fishing and usually just means you need to slow the presentation down. My last fish of the evening started as one of those missed fish. Three different casts over a thick mat brought explosions through the slop. On the last cast she came up twice before connecting solidly with the frog. This fish was right at 4lbs and was hooked in the corner of the mouth but the hook still had great penetration. Needless to say I definitely approve of Savage Gears new 3D Hollow Frog! The realism is fantastic, It shows no signs of wear after three good fish being horsed from heavy cover, and the action of the legs definitely draws fish! I will be adding a few more to my collection! 3 Quote
flipin4bass Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 Great review, think I'll pull the trigger on this one. Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted June 1, 2014 Super User Posted June 1, 2014 Hello and Welcome to BR ~ Â Nice Review. Â A-Jay Quote
Crankinstein Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 Awesome frog and great review. I just picked up the same one a couple weeks ago, can't wait to throw it in some slop and catch a hawg. 1 Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted June 1, 2014 Super User Posted June 1, 2014 Yea... Nicely done! I was looking for it at BPS in Clarksville & no joy... I believe I will order a couple.. I love a frog.. With proper legs, of course Quote
gripnrip Posted June 1, 2014 Posted June 1, 2014 Time will tell on the hollow standing up to the vicious strikes. Â The problem for me is after a few good fish my frogs take on water. Â I interested to find out how this frog holds up to that test. Â Let us know please. Â Great review and welcome to the forum! Quote
Ring King Posted June 3, 2014 Author Posted June 3, 2014 I've thrown this frog all weekend and I'm sitting at abour 13 fish on my first Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frog with Action Legs. My biggest fish so far was a little over 6lbs and none have been under 3lbs. It draws some crazy violent strikes! So far I'm not having an issue with it taking on massive amounts of water. Sure, a little bit accumulates in there over time but that's just part of fishing hollow frogs It just takes a quick squeeze and you're back in action. The legs, body, and paint have held up well. I'm ordering a couple more from *** tonight!   These new Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frogs with Action Legs may well solve my Horney Toad issues. I go through the Zoom Horney toads at an insane rate and sometimes burn through 5-10 bags in a trip. I love their action but the body just doesn't last through multiple fish. These Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frogs with Action Legs have the same kicking action but are proving to be more than durable enough to stand up to the abuse of catching fish after fish!!  I managed four more tonight with all of them being about this size. You can see a little bit of battle scarring on the frog but it's still going strong!   Quote
Ring King Posted June 5, 2014 Author Posted June 5, 2014 Still hammering the fish on the same Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frog with Action Legs. So far the frog is holding up great. It's not taking on water from repeated fish. The legs show very little wear, and the paint on the body only shows minimal signs of damage from the approximately 20 fish I've caught on this particular frog. The only thing that I've noticed is that the legs were a very dark brown when I bought it and now after a little bit of fishing they take on a milky look to them. It's just from the water though as when it dries out they go back to being dark brown.   I went ahead and picked up two more today. I got another Dark Leopard, like the one I've been throwing, and also picked up a Green Leopard Glossy just to have something different. I'm sticking to the 2.75" model, which is the bigger of the two options. I see no reason to down size to the 2.25" so far. I'm catching plenty of fish from 16" up to 20" on the large model and can't wait to get this thing out on the California Delta this weekend!!  Most of my fish have hit on a slow steady retrieve over the top of matted vegetation. I've only had a couple fish strike on the pause when twitching the bait. I did have one fish tonight that took the frog moments after it hit the water on the cast. I usually let the ripples settle out after a cast before I begin my retrieve. The fish in the above pic took the frog from underneath by just sucking it down. There was no splash or exlosion when he ate it. Quote
gnuisance Posted June 5, 2014 Posted June 5, 2014 I'm planning to pick up one of these and I'm debating between the action legs or the imitation legs. From the look of it the imitation legs are geared more toward a stop and start retrieve and the action legs are for a slow steady retrieve. Do I have that right? Quote
Ring King Posted June 5, 2014 Author Posted June 5, 2014 The action legs will kick like a Zoom Horney Toad does when fished on a steady retrieve. The imitation legs lay in a more realistic fashion and don't provide any action on a steady retrieve. It's more of a twitch and pause bait. Quote
Bladesmith, Posted June 5, 2014 Posted June 5, 2014 Thanks for the review and pics. You must have a really good camera for your pics to be that sharp. This is the best looking frog I've seen since Bill Plummer quit making his. Does one of our site sponsors carry them? I would like a couple. TW has them but I'd rather get them from our sponsors if offered. Quote
Ring King Posted June 5, 2014 Author Posted June 5, 2014 The pics in the first post were shot with my Iphone. The others were with a little waterproof Fuji that I use for CPR tournaments. They can be had for pretty cheap at less than $100. Quote
Super User tcbass Posted June 6, 2014 Super User Posted June 6, 2014 I think I will get some of these.....damnit!!!! Quote
Super User tcbass Posted June 6, 2014 Super User Posted June 6, 2014 You guys are killing me! I just bought 2 of these in the 2.75 size like you. One dark belly and one white belly. FYI. They are on sale at Cabelas from $9.99 to 6.49. Quote
Ring King Posted June 7, 2014 Author Posted June 7, 2014 That's a great price through Cabelas. It looks like they only have the imitation leg model and not the action legs model like I'm using. That version is for twitching over heavy cover and mats or walking the frog in open water. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted June 7, 2014 Super User Posted June 7, 2014 That second picture is so perfect its probably photoshopped! Quote
Ring King Posted June 7, 2014 Author Posted June 7, 2014 It was taken on an IPhone 4 and then edited in the Camera+ app using the clarity feature and then I added a boarder using the same app. Here's the original pic as taken straight off the phone. Quote
Super User tcbass Posted June 7, 2014 Super User Posted June 7, 2014 That's a great price through Cabelas. It looks like they only have the imitation leg model and not the action legs model like I'm using. That version is for twitching over heavy cover and mats or walking the frog in open water. Dang! I got the wrong ones! What are the action frog legs for? Quote
Ring King Posted June 7, 2014 Author Posted June 7, 2014 The Action Legs "kick" similar to what a Zoom Horny Toad does. The Imitaion Legs are still soft and move when twitched but there is no action other than the flex you get from the water resistance pushing on them during the twitching or walking retrieve. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted June 7, 2014 Super User Posted June 7, 2014 It was taken on an IPhone 4 and then edited in the Camera+ app using the clarity feature and then I added a boarder using the same app. Here's the original pic as taken straight off the phone. I was joking about the Photoshop thing hehe great picture man! Quote
Ring King Posted July 9, 2014 Author Posted July 9, 2014 Just a quick update. I received my free lures from Savage Gear for doing this review. In the package they included the smaller version of the Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frog with Swimming Legs. I caught several fish and suddenly noticed a tear half way through one of the legs. Luckily I had a bottle of Mend-It soft bait glue in my bag but wasn't sure if it would work on the material that the legs are made of.  Fortunately for me it did work and the leg was as good as new after a few moments of letting it cure.  Just a tip to anyone that fishes these baits and is worried about damage to the body or legs due to tearing. Just pick up a bottle of Mend-It for quick on the water repairs! Quote
Basspro87 Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 Just a quick update. I received my free lures from Savage Gear for doing this review. In the package they included the smaller version of the Savage Gear 3D Hollow Frog with Swimming Legs. I caught several fish and suddenly noticed a tear half way through one of the legs. Luckily I had a bottle of Mend-It soft bait glue in my bag but wasn't sure if it would work on the material that the legs are made of.  Fortunately for me it did work and the leg was as good as new after a few moments of letting it cure.  Just a tip to anyone that fishes these baits and is worried about damage to the body or legs due to tearing. Just pick up a bottle of Mend-It for quick on the water repairs! Are the still doing the review and get two thing Quote
Ring King Posted July 10, 2014 Author Posted July 10, 2014 Yep, the offer runs through July 15th. You still have a few days left.  Here is the link to the original posting that explains what you need to do.  http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/137478-savage-gear-buy-1-review-get-2-free/?hl=%2Bsavage+%2Bgear Quote
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