How to fish the zoom horny toad? Is it suppose to be floating like top water? Or does it sink? I bought a pack of horny toad in junebug char not sure how to use em.

I like to work them two ways.  I like to fish them like a buzz bait over weeds that are just under the surface.  Bring them in fast so that the legs kick up some water.  The second way I like to fish them is on the bottom like a plastic worm. 

 

 

I like to work them two ways.  I like to fish them like a buzz bait over weeds that are just under the surface.  Bring them in fast so that the legs kick up some water.  The second way I like to fish them is on the bottom like a plastic worm. 

X2

X3, a thrid way is to use them as a jig trailer and to swim it. Bankbeater pretty much hit it on the head tho !!

I also fish them like a swimbait with good results. I like to add a worm rattle to them and rig them on single hooks.

I like to work them two ways.  I like to fish them like a buzz bait over weeds that are just under the surface.  Bring them in fast so that the legs kick up some water.  The second way I like to fish them is on the bottom like a plastic worm. 

x4 - Those are the only 2 ways I fish them.

THey are in the buzz frog category like has been mentioned.  I like them when i want a more subtle leg kick then say a stanley ribbit or looking for a less bulky presentation.  There are times that the zoom is the only thing that i can get a bite on even after trying multiple different styles.

 

I have also heard that they are pretty good on a short leader carolina rig but i personally haven't tried them in that capacity.

t-rigged on the bottom worked slowly does very good too if topwater bite isn't on.  I've found bass hold on to these for a long time.

The horny toad was the lure I used A LOT when I first started fishing for bass.  I became pretty profficient with it during tha time and used it mainly three different ways.

 

1.  Reeled steady across the top like a buzzbait.

2.  Tug Tug then Pause in the openings(Repeat).  The lure would sink on the pause and glide to the bottom (5'-6') in a very smooth manner.  Had to watch the line carefully for twitches when fishing it this way.  If no hit, I would reel up the slack then tug it a few times until it got back to the top, then kill it again at the next opening and let it glide down slowly

3.  Buzzing from lilly pad to lilly pad.  Once on a lilly pad, I would then let it sit on the pad for a bit with very light but constant movement.  I would basically twitch it in place on the lilly pad to mimic a frog moving around.  This worked extremely well when there were bluebird skies and high temps, I am assuming because the lure cast a shadow through the pad where the bass were seeking comfort from the sun.

 

The bass do tend to hold onto these lures for a while, maybe because of the thickness of the lure which is substantial compared to others.  I am not sure, but I do know that the bass in our local waters seem to like them pretty good and hit them on a regular basis. 

 

As far as sinking vs floating, some of the colors consistently sink while others consistently float, a simple matter of density differences between materials used (glitter, no glitter, salt, etc).

 

My all time favorite color was Bull Frog.  I have caught more bass with the ZOOM Horny Toad in that color scheme than I could possibly remember.  Best of luck to you.

What hook are you guys using? I like the lure, but have trouble keeping it from sliding down.

What hook are you guys using? I like the lure, but have trouble keeping it from sliding down.

I used zoom horny toad hook got a couple for only $1 at my local sporting store.

Something I like about the Horny Toad vs other frogs is the motion you get when you let it sink.  I like to buzz it up to a lily pad and let it sink, it slides/glides through the water and looks much like a real frog. I get a lot of hits letting it glide to the bottom.  Other frogs that I have tried do not have this action built in like the Zoom Toad does.  Great Bait.

I prefer screw locks by gammy or trokar for all my frogs usually in a 4/0 or 5/0

I use the Zoom Horny Toad hooks

put it on a bladed swim jig...you'll be amazed.