Frustration with Frogs

[Kirtley Howe]

I love frog fishing. But I hate the fact that I have to squeeze the water out of the frog every few....and sometimes every.....cast.  Because of the way they are designed, all hollow body frogs take on water, and in some cases they take on water fast enough so you cannot let them sit for any length of time before they start sinking. Also, frogs tend to get torn up by bass, and if you happen to have a toothy critter like a pike grab it, the lure is pretty much toast right then.  I have been thinking that a different design would be helpful. What I envision is the hole where the line tie, and the holes where the hooks extend out of the body should be sealed up. Then a slit or small hole could be cut into the top of the frog, to allow the air to escape when a fish hits the frog so you could still get a good hook up, but the frog would not take on water. In my ideal design, the frog would be made out of a plastic similar to what the  Z-man baits are made from because it is more durable than most plastics, and it floats very well. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Or does someone already make a frog like this? I know there are soft foam type frogs out there, as well as solid body frogs, but I really prefer a hollow body, and don't want to use those. I am planning to do some experiments with the frogs I have...I know I can at least temporarily seal them up and put a hole or slit in the top to see if that works. I will report back after I play with them.

[RB 77]

7 hours ago, Kirtley Howe said:

I love frog fishing. But I hate the fact that I have to squeeze the water out of the frog every few....and sometimes every.....cast.  Because of the way they are designed, all hollow body frogs take on water, and in some cases they take on water fast enough so you cannot let them sit for any length of time before they start sinking. Also, frogs tend to get torn up by bass, and if you happen to have a toothy critter like a pike grab it, the lure is pretty much toast right then.  I have been thinking that a different design would be helpful. What I envision is the hole where the line tie, and the holes where the hooks extend out of the body should be sealed up. Then a slit or small hole could be cut into the top of the frog, to allow the air to escape when a fish hits the frog so you could still get a good hook up, but the frog would not take on water. In my ideal design, the frog would be made out of a plastic similar to what the  Z-man baits are made from because it is more durable than most plastics, and it floats very well. What do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Or does someone already make a frog like this? I know there are soft foam type frogs out there, as well as solid body frogs, but I really prefer a hollow body, and don't want to use those. I am planning to do some experiments with the frogs I have...I know I can at least temporarily seal them up and put a hole or slit in the top to see if that works. I will report back after I play with them.

 

Honestly, its just the nature of the beast. If you do it long enough, draining it after every cast before you make your next one becomes second nature and after a while you don't even notice it like depressing the clutch in a manual transmission vehicle. Along with the missed hook sets, frog fishing has its own uniques sets of challenges. However, when they are chewing the frog, there is almost no better bite in all of Bass fishing. 

[Kirtley Howe]

1 hour ago, RB 77 said:

 

Honestly, its just the nature of the beast. If you do it long enough, draining it after every cast before you make your next one becomes second nature and after a while you don't even notice it like depressing the clutch in a manual transmission vehicle. Along with the missed hook sets, frog fishing has its own uniques sets of challenges. However, when they are chewing the frog, there is almost no better bite in all of Bass fishing. 

Indeed it is. But my hope is to change the beast so that is no longer its' nature.

[RB 77]

19 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

Indeed it is. But my hope is to change the beast so that is no longer its' nature.

 

I like your idea with the opening on the top. Could be a game changer if designed right.