New frog lure, I'm jazzed!!!

keithdog · 06-14-09, 02:00 PM

When you mention frog baits, most people think of todays soft bodied frogs such as the Yum Buzz frog, the Horny Toad, the Rage tail frogs, and the hollow bodied frogs like the Spro and the Snag Proof Frogs. But way back before those types of frog baits became popular, there was a soft bodied frog that really caught bass. It was the Bill Plummer Super Frog. A soft yet solid frog body with two flat supple legs. The lure came prerigged with a single weedless hook that was exposed under the belly of the frog instead of out the back. It was heavy enough to cast a mile, floats at rest and flat out caught bass. To this day it is one of my favorite frog baits in lilly pads. However, one problem this bait had was that the frog body would in short time become loose on the single hook that it encased. The frog body would start to slide on the hook. Another issue I had with this bait was the body design was shaped somewhat rounded like a fist. It often would get stuck on things like the small slit in a lilly pad, the bark on a log, ect. Plus the weedguard was a bit flimsy and would often become dislodged from it's resting spot on the hook causing you to snag anything it went over. For this reason I started leaning more to the soft bodied frogs most of us use now. However, there is a new frog very similar to the old Bill Plummer frogs just now hitting the market, and I can't wait to get my hands on some. They are made by Panther Martin. They have the soft yet solid body of the old Super frogs, yet it is more streamlined like todays modern frogs. The head also has very large enticing eyes. From what I have seen in photos, it should work through cover more easily than the old Super Frog. Also, while it has the same weedless single belly hook like the Super Frog, it has a better weedguard design than the Super Frog, and looks like it will stay in place better. The new frogs from Panther Martin have the skirted legs like you see on the hollow bodied frogs of today like the Spro brand instead of the older soft plastic legs like on the Super Frog. These new frogs from Panther Martin are called Holographic Pro Frogs due to there color finishes which are just beautiful. The belly hook helps insure the bait rides right side up allways. And I have always had a better hookup ratio with the belly hook design frogs, than I have with the T rigged out the back style of rigging. It comes in two size, 3/8oz and 5/8oz. Plenty heavy enough to make long pitches with. I can't wait to get my hands on a few.

CMorg · 06-14-09, 02:03 PM

Just bought 2 of em at BPS...they sit with the eyes above water.

bassFishingWNY · 06-14-09, 02:32 PM

I have a old Heddon crazy-crawler. I won't use it, I heard it's worth money?
It's hard body, with moving metal wings on the side. Big eyes, and like frog on top, with yellow belly. Two treble hooks, one in back, and one underneath, not weedless. It looks like it would float, wood? And the wings to stew up the water on retrieve.
Looks like it would get the big hog? Bought it a a yard sale.

Bassboss · 06-14-09, 06:39 PM

Great! They sound really cool! Wanna post a link, can't find one...

keithdog · 06-14-09, 09:36 PM

I don't have one. I read about these new lures in BASS magazine.You can go to panthermartin.com and see them. Another thought I just had is I bet they could easily be skipped under docks, overhangs, and so on. What a benefit that could be.

BigBassin144 · 06-14-09, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassFishingWNY

I have a old Heddon crazy-crawler. I won't use it, I heard it's worth money?
It's hard body, with moving metal wings on the side. Big eyes, and like frog on top, with yellow belly. Two treble hooks, one in back, and one underneath, not weedless. It looks like it would float, wood? And the wings to stew up the water on retrieve.
Looks like it would get the big hog? Bought it a a yard sale.

If it's not wood, then don't be afraid to use it. Only the wood ones are worth anything and not still not too much unless you get a rare color. Find out if it's wood or plastic. If it's plastic, then you're fine to fish with it. If not, you can still buy them in stores.

BB

Bassboss · 06-15-09, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithdog

I don't have one. I read about these new lures in BASS magazine.You can go to panthermartin.com and see them. Another thought I just had is I bet they could easily be skipped under docks, overhangs, and so on. What a benefit that could be.

Oh those! I saw some at dicks yesterday! They looked sweet, but didn't get them!

MrPhotographer06 · 06-15-09, 11:07 AM

http://www.tacklecollecting.com/crazycolors.htm

crazy crawler looks pretty cool.

Rebbasser · 06-15-09, 10:05 PM

Keith, I remember those-great fish catcher. Saw the ones you are referring to in Bassmaster. Let us know how they work.

keithdog · 06-15-09, 10:19 PM

Well do Reb. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

bassFishingWNY · 06-16-09, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrPhotographer06

http://www.tacklecollecting.com/crazycolors.htm

crazy crawler looks pretty cool.

Thanks for the link.
Pined mine down I think?
BF Bullfrog- 1939-56.
Two Piece "Flar Rig" (Screws to hold treble hooks on) 1939-46.

So last ones made 1946.

By the way, it's in real good shape.

dredding · 06-16-09, 06:41 AM

I'm very wary of new baits that overpromise, especially $10 lures. But when a local tournament angler recommended the spro frog I piciked it up for a try. I must say after the first heart stopping blow up I was hooked. I was fishing a two day club tournament on the chicahominy lake and river in virginia. We had struggled in pre-fishing and the first morning on establishing a pattern. My partner pulled into a local marina for a nature call and I decided to kill time fishing some duckweed aound the marina dock. I picked up the frog and within a few casts a nice fish exploded on the bait deep within the duckweed so fast that the fished cartwheeled in the air. 2 cast later another heart-stopping strike. It was On!! I fished the Spro frog the rest of the day whenever I could. Not only did it produce in the duckweed, over top arrow-headed pads, but I also was calling some hogs off the deep end of piers. The thing I like about the bait is that you can cast it far, extremely weedless and sturdy. I was casting the frog deep within the pad fields and skittering and bouncing across the tops of the pads. the bait rarely hung, but if it did a twitch of the rod would free it or if not simply pointing the rod at the bait and pulling on the braided line would cause the Gama hooks to pull free. I can't wait to try the bait on the potomac.

06-14-09, 02:00 PM	#1
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	New frog lure, I'm jazzed!!! When you mention frog baits, most people think of todays soft bodied frogs such as the Yum Buzz frog, the Horny Toad, the Rage tail frogs, and the hollow bodied frogs like the Spro and the Snag Proof Frogs. But way back before those types of frog baits became popular, there was a soft bodied frog that really caught bass. It was the Bill Plummer Super Frog. A soft yet solid frog body with two flat supple legs. The lure came prerigged with a single weedless hook that was exposed under the belly of the frog instead of out the back. It was heavy enough to cast a mile, floats at rest and flat out caught bass. To this day it is one of my favorite frog baits in lilly pads. However, one problem this bait had was that the frog body would in short time become loose on the single hook that it encased. The frog body would start to slide on the hook. Another issue I had with this bait was the body design was shaped somewhat rounded like a fist. It often would get stuck on things like the small slit in a lilly pad, the bark on a log, ect. Plus the weedguard was a bit flimsy and would often become dislodged from it's resting spot on the hook causing you to snag anything it went over. For this reason I started leaning more to the soft bodied frogs most of us use now. However, there is a new frog very similar to the old Bill Plummer frogs just now hitting the market, and I can't wait to get my hands on some. They are made by Panther Martin. They have the soft yet solid body of the old Super frogs, yet it is more streamlined like todays modern frogs. The head also has very large enticing eyes. From what I have seen in photos, it should work through cover more easily than the old Super Frog. Also, while it has the same weedless single belly hook like the Super Frog, it has a better weedguard design than the Super Frog, and looks like it will stay in place better. The new frogs from Panther Martin have the skirted legs like you see on the hollow bodied frogs of today like the Spro brand instead of the older soft plastic legs like on the Super Frog. These new frogs from Panther Martin are called Holographic Pro Frogs due to there color finishes which are just beautiful. The belly hook helps insure the bait rides right side up allways. And I have always had a better hookup ratio with the belly hook design frogs, than I have with the T rigged out the back style of rigging. It comes in two size, 3/8oz and 5/8oz. Plenty heavy enough to make long pitches with. I can't wait to get my hands on a few.

06-14-09, 06:39 PM	#4
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	Great! They sound really cool! Wanna post a link, can't find one... __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

06-14-09, 09:36 PM	#5
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	I don't have one. I read about these new lures in BASS magazine.You can go to panthermartin.com and see them. Another thought I just had is I bet they could easily be skipped under docks, overhangs, and so on. What a benefit that could be. Last edited by keithdog; 06-14-09 at 09:41 PM.

06-15-09, 11:07 AM	#8
MrPhotographer06 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Fort Bragg, NC Posts: 2,096	http://www.tacklecollecting.com/crazycolors.htm crazy crawler looks pretty cool. __________________ For Those I Love, I will Sacrifice: US Army since 2012

06-15-09, 10:05 PM	#9
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	Keith, I remember those-great fish catcher. Saw the ones you are referring to in Bassmaster. Let us know how they work. __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

06-14-09, 02:03 PM	#2
CMorg BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Southern , IN Posts: 1,832	Just bought 2 of em at BPS...they sit with the eyes above water.

06-14-09, 02:32 PM	#3
bassFishingWNY BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 124	I have a old Heddon crazy-crawler. I won't use it, I heard it's worth money? It's hard body, with moving metal wings on the side. Big eyes, and like frog on top, with yellow belly. Two treble hooks, one in back, and one underneath, not weedless. It looks like it would float, wood? And the wings to stew up the water on retrieve. Looks like it would get the big hog? Bought it a a yard sale.

06-15-09, 10:19 PM	#10
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	Well do Reb. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

06-16-09, 06:41 AM	#12
dredding BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Lorton, Va Posts: 1	Don't be afraid to try something new I'm very wary of new baits that overpromise, especially $10 lures. But when a local tournament angler recommended the spro frog I piciked it up for a try. I must say after the first heart stopping blow up I was hooked. I was fishing a two day club tournament on the chicahominy lake and river in virginia. We had struggled in pre-fishing and the first morning on establishing a pattern. My partner pulled into a local marina for a nature call and I decided to kill time fishing some duckweed aound the marina dock. I picked up the frog and within a few casts a nice fish exploded on the bait deep within the duckweed so fast that the fished cartwheeled in the air. 2 cast later another heart-stopping strike. It was On!! I fished the Spro frog the rest of the day whenever I could. Not only did it produce in the duckweed, over top arrow-headed pads, but I also was calling some hogs off the deep end of piers. The thing I like about the bait is that you can cast it far, extremely weedless and sturdy. I was casting the frog deep within the pad fields and skittering and bouncing across the tops of the pads. the bait rarely hung, but if it did a twitch of the rod would free it or if not simply pointing the rod at the bait and pulling on the braided line would cause the Gama hooks to pull free. I can't wait to try the bait on the potomac.

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