Thoughts on Ish's Phat Frog

[Fishin' Fool]

Been eyeballing some frogs this guy gets solid reviews. Thoughts on this frog? And what's the difference between this and the Poppin' Phat Frog? Anybody like this one better?

[wiel0059]

I used this frog (non-Poppin') religiously last season because I got a ton of bites, including big bites. BUT, it has a flaw IMO that is a major pain.

The frog is extremely easy to walk, and for whatever reason vs. other frogs I've thrown in the past it got more bites and bigger bites. I struggled mightily with hook-up ratio though (to the point that'd when I found fish with this frog, I'd follow with a Boohya or Spro to catch them) and after tons of testing it I found out its the rattle inside - I think. I'm hoping someone else may have found a fix for this? Basically, the rattle should stay in the head or top half, but after a few casts it falls into the 'butt' of the frog and then the bait can't collapse when bit. When you move the rattle back up to the head the bait is super soft, it collapses very easily, and you catch fish on almost every bite.

Its beyond annoying to be doing this after every few casts though. I like the rattle inside, I just don't know how to keep it pinned to the head. They should mold it into the front half of the frog and it would fix the issue and the frog would be literally perfect. Just my two cents.

[iabass8]

It's an awesome frog. Never used the poppin version but I will when my sprosbite the dust.

[gulfcaptain]

Fish this frog, the popping version as well as a couple other Snagproof frogs.  Haven't had a hookup issue.  I did find out the hard way that the only way the air gets out of these frogs is from the skirt holes in the back so if you want it softer you can remove a few strands and give the air an easier way to escape.  I repaced a skirt and put a drop of superglue to hold them in place and there was no way for the air to really escape so made my frog hard to collapse.  Never had an issue with the rattle though.  They are great frogs though and have a whole box full.  Besides there aren't any other companies out there that make clear frogs or just clear silver flaked frogs and they are an easy frog to walk without having to do any modifying of the bait.  

[wiel0059]

37 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

It's an awesome frog. Never used the poppin version but I will when my sprosbite the dust.

Have you had any problems with the frog not collapsing because of the rattle? Its an issue on all 4 that I have (all 4 get bit, a ton) which hurts hook-ups. I ordered them all at once, did I get lemons maybe?

Just now, gulfcaptain said:

Fish this frog, the popping version as well as a couple other Snagproof frogs.  Haven't had a hookup issue.  I did find out the hard way that the only way the air gets out of these frogs is from the skirt holes in the back so if you want it softer you can remove a few strands and give the air an easier way to escape.  I repaced a skirt and put a drop of superglue to hold them in place and there was no way for the air to really escape so made my frog hard to collapse.  Never had an issue with the rattle though.  They are great frogs though and have a whole box full.  Besides there aren't any other companies out there that make clear frogs or just clear silver flaked frogs and they are an easy frog to walk without having to do any modifying of the bait.  

I'm starting to think mine are lemons then... Does the rattle in yours move around? I can push it around with my fingers - when its in the head hook-up is nearly 100%. If I get lazy and it floats down toward the butt the hook-up is closer to 25%. But again, comparing how the frog collapses when the rattle is in those positions its no surprise. Its day & night how soft it feels.

[Fishin' Fool]

6 minutes ago, wiel0059 said:

Have you had any problems with the frog not collapsing because of the rattle? Its an issue on all 4 that I have (all 4 get bit, a ton) which hurts hook-ups. I ordered them all at once, did I get lemons maybe?

I'm starting to think mine are lemons then... Does the rattle in yours move around? I can push it around with my fingers - when its in the head hook-up is nearly 100%. If I get lazy and it floats down toward the butt the hook-up is closer to 25%. But again, comparing how the frog collapses when the rattle is in those positions its no surprise. Its day & night how soft it feels.

Maybe contact the manufacturer, explain your issue and maybe they will send you out some new Kermits.

[gulfcaptain]

7 minutes ago, wiel0059 said:

Have you had any problems with the frog not collapsing because of the rattle? Its an issue on all 4 that I have (all 4 get bit, a ton) which hurts hook-ups. I ordered them all at once, did I get lemons maybe?

I'm starting to think mine are lemons then... Does the rattle in yours move around? I can push it around with my fingers - when its in the head hook-up is nearly 100%. If I get lazy and it floats down toward the butt the hook-up is closer to 25%. But again, comparing how the frog collapses when the rattle is in those positions its no surprise. Its day & night how soft it feels.

The rattle may fall back and then block one of the skirt holes which would hamper the air flow trying to leave the frog on the hook sets.  The frog in that pic is the one I had to replace the legs on.  Prior to the skirt it was soft and easy to fish,   After I replaced the skirt and superglued in place it was A LOT harder to collapse until I removed the superglue and had to redue the skirt.  If the frog seems hard try removing a few strands on each side and it should give the air more area to escape a well as when the rattle gets pushed back there.  Just a suggestion but may help.

[wiel0059]

2 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

The rattle may fall back and then block one of the skirt holes which would hamper the air flow trying to leave the frog on the hook sets.  The frog in that pic is the one I had to replace the legs on.  Prior to the skirt it was soft and easy to fish,   After I replaced the skirt and superglued in place it was A LOT harder to collapse until I removed the superglue and had to redue the skirt.  If the frog seems hard try removing a few strands on each side and it should give the air more area to escape a well as when the rattle gets pushed back there.  Just a suggestion but may help.

That would make sense.. Thanks for the tip I'm most definitely going to try that!

[iabass8]

20 minutes ago, wiel0059 said:

Have you had any problems with the frog not collapsing because of the rattle? 

Nope

[Fishin' Fool]

I just ordered 2. Gonna give them a shot.

[BassThumb]

Best frog on the market IMO. I love the amount of ruckus it makes. It gets the most and biggest bites, and I never had any issues with hook-up ratios. 

I once went an entire season with a black Phat Frog on my setup, as sort of an experiment to see if color even matter with frogs. I don't think it does. I nailed them all year if all conditions.