David P

To be fair, I hate the Spro frogs. I fish Snag Proof Bobbys Perfect frog. I tried the swamp donkeys a few weeks ago to see how they compared. They're more snag proof then the Snag Proofs, and I catch on less tulles. I haven't noticed any down sides to them yet, but haven't fished them all too much. I've missed a few fish here and there, but that's normal with frogs period. I still like the snag proof one a bit more just because I have more confidence and more big fish on it.

If you're fishing near rocks, YES. If you're fishing clear water, it can help. But rocks, definitely.

Glenn, What part of the world do you live in? Even in MN the water temps are well into the 60's at least. Alaska obviously ;D

Sometimes, you will find a bite, where the fish will continiously short strike it. You will miss fish after fish. That's the time for a trailer hook. I'd say get some trailers hooks, and just keep'm with you.

I have 5 rods that I take with me, I have 3 or 4 others that I rarely use. I think more important then the number, is the quality. I'd rather have 5 good rods, then 20 ugly sticks ;D (Not saying your buddy has them, just making a general statement)

If I ever catch a 20lber, I'll be sure to bump this thread up and let you know. ;D

I voted " I don't know I've never caught a big fish ". Favorite part in general for any size fish is the bite, but if we're talking big fish in general. I'd agree with Robert. Seeing the first glimpse of her and saying, GET THE NET ITS A BIG ONE.

I leave roughly 1 1/2 inches on the legs. I also cut about 4-5 strands off each leg.

Or when the fish explodes about 7 or 8 inches off the frog for no reason... That too. I had one miss by 2-3 feet last week. Musta been a 1 eyed fish.

Definitely fish it on 50lb braid, or 65lb braid. 20lb mono still stretches. Sense switching to a 7ft 6in rod, switching to braid, and switching to a high speed reel. My hook ups went from about 10% to 99% WHEN the fish actually grabs the bait. There are times when fish just hit the frog, and you can see it still floating there.

Definitely the STX.

Dang, that's like what, 20 DDs that you've missed out on!?!

Dobyns 765. Balances PERFECTLY with a Revo. Lot of other flipping sticks are tip heavy, these are PERFECT.

I use a Daiwa Luna 300. Two other very popular Swimbait reels are the Shimano Calcutta 400B or TEs, and the Shimano Cardiff if money is tight. I use a Dobyns 806H Swimbait rod, and it's been awesome. But there's tons of options out there. Maybe telling everyone how much you're looking to spend all together might help get more specific answers.

It's the high price of swimbaiting. But didn't saturday make it worth the money you paid for it?

If you want something weedless, it's probably better to just t-rig it. Still has a pretty similar fall, and is much more weedless. Those weedless hooks, the weed guard has come off many times for me, also mutilates my senko more after only 1 fish, and to me doesn't do enough to justify using them anymore.

They make a step up edition of that exact pontoon, that has a wheel that comes standard on it. The wheel is located under neath the seat, and works great to wheel it around. I think you'd have a much easier time installing the wheel under the seat. And you can just take it off once you get the toon in the water.

Replicas stay looking great years down the road, mounts generally do not. Regardless of looks, killing a big fish to put on your wall, defeats the purpose of fishing for big fish. I regret not getting the measurements to my 12lber, nor did I get good pictures, otherwise I'd have a replica now. :-/

Enjoy! What are your first impressions on the guides? Sounds like they're the only negative point I've heard.

First two were on hollow body frogs, and the other two were on swimbaits.

Few fish from the end of May. 7lb14oz: 7lb12oz : 7lb1oz: 6lb6oz Saved an ugly tournament:

Welcome bud. Robert has sent me pictures of some of your awesome work. Check out the tackle making section, there's some other guys who make some pretty nice baits as well.

So I guess you throw your 5oz swimbaits on a 6'6 Ugly Stick? ;D For the guy fishing open water frogs, you don't need as much beef, but a longer rod is still nice and gives you an advantage. Longer casts, and better hooksets on long casts with the longer rod. I only asked the question because I didn't really know the difference of why somone would buy seperate rods. I mainly bank fish so lugging a 7'6" pole is annoying. But I think I will up it to a 7' MH pole on 30 lb braid. Use it for froggin', buzzbaits, swimbaits, and everything else that needs that leverage. I'm a bigger guy at 6'5" 300 so the leverage I already have with a 6'6' is good. Thanks for everyone's response. I'm assuming you're talking small swimbaits? Swimbaits too are nicer with longer rods. Gets back to making long casts. I walk the bank with a 8fter, 2 7'6s, and a 7'3. ;D But seriously, it's not just leverage. If you're making LONG casts with a frog or any bait, the longer the rod, the more line is moved on the hookset. I have lost countless frog fish on a 7ft rod and a Regular speed reel. Once I moved up to a 7'6 / revo STX high speed, it's been a COMPLETE night and day difference. ( I'm just letting you in on my experiences and what I have learned, this could be different then other peoples preferences )

So I guess you throw your 5oz swimbaits on a 6'6 Ugly Stick? ;D For the guy fishing open water frogs, you don't need as much beef, but a longer rod is still nice and gives you an advantage. Longer casts, and better hooksets on long casts with the longer rod.

I take 2-3 rods with me every trip I fish, but for the past month and half, the only bait I've thrown has been a hollow body frog. There's a wide variety of ways to fish it. But what the stronger longer rod really helps you with is pulling fish out of cover. Lilly pads, slop, trees under water, etc.. It also helps with hook setting power, and setting the hook from far away. The jerking the frog back and fourth, I'm assuming you're talking about walking the frog. That's how I fish it most of the time, with pauses in certain situations. use braid