I am putting together a list of items I need for the upcoming season and I wanted to add some soft plastic frogs for my smallmouth fishing. I have a bunch of the hollow belly pad crasher jr's and spro jr's, which worked great for me last summer, but I am wanting to add either some Stanley Ribbit's, Zoom Horny Toad's or something similar but I am questioning the size.

 

I am thinking a smaller size like the Baby Ribbit but I am unsure so I am asking what you guys prefer for size in this style of bait for smallmouth?

Probably the smaller size for smallies is best. Pumpkin has been my fav

I don't use frog style baits for Smallies -

 

Doesn't mean they don't catch, it's just that very few if any of my smallie top water action  happens  right in cover where I'd need a weedless bait. 

 

Popper, spooks, chuggers & wake baits all with trebles do all the surface damage for me.

 

So, no frog recommendations, sorry.

 

A-Jay

A- Jay is right you might be better off to target smallies with a different top water bait than a frog.

Thanks guys. My topwater mainly consists of spooks, poppers and prop baits but I just wanted to try something a bit different.

Try a floating jerkbait.

Try a floating jerkbait.

This is a good option. I like to cast it out, let the rings settle, then give it a good hard jerk pulling it underwater. A lot of times they'll bite it right when you jerk it or when it floats back up. I usually just repeat this process with not so hard of jerks all the way back to the boat.

Try a floating jerkbait.

 

Have quite a few and they work great as you know. Just looking for something new.

I don't typically fish for Smallies with frogs, but last season while I was trying to entice a Tiger trapped in a pool on a local creek, I had a nice 4 lb'er whack a the Case Plastics 4" buzzin frog I was using. Surprised me too.

I don't typically fish for Smallies with frogs, but last season while I was trying to entice a Tiger trapped in a pool on a local creek, I had a nice 4 lb'er whack a the Case Plastics 4" buzzin frog I was using. Surprised me too.

My pb smallie was just over 4 lbs on a hanging scale and was caught on a black spro bronzeye frog. I was skipping it under an overhanging branch in a shaded area with a bunch of wood cover underneath it. That four pounder came up and went, gulp! Didn't even make a splash. However I wouldn't go around trying to pattern smallies in heavy cover, but I'm not complaining.

I wouldn't use frogs for smallies but if you really want to you should go with the smallest size possible