Ive been thinking again (sorry, I can't help it)

Alot of folks use "toad" and "frog" interchangeably.  

They also refer to the toads as "topwaters"

I think toads and frogs are distinctly different lures

a hollow body frog like a bronzeye or scum frog are topwaters,

but toads are not.

IMO toads are soft plastic lures that are often fished on top.  This does not make them a "topwater" lure.

Let me expand further.

A spinnerbait can be buzzed along the surface but it is essentially NOT a topwater.

Many people, myself included use horney toads in a variety on non topwater methods.  for example put a 1/16th oz. weight on it's nose.  Cast to a target and watch it spiral slowly down.  It's a killer technique.

Yet hollow body frogs.  Are topwaters.  I don't know anyone who fishes them anywhere but on the surface.

Notice I am not using the sinking or floating qualities as a deciding factor.

Buzzbaits sink, but they are absolutely topwater lures.

Crankbaits float but they are not topwater lures.

Your thoughts please    

i agree although i am guilty of calling my toads topwater because thats the only way i fish em, however today i might try that technique you said about adding a weight.

BTW.my bro showed me (by accident) that buzzbaits can at times not be topwater because he wasnt sure how to fish it lol, he fished it like a spinnerbait and that also works

 

 

I too am at fault of calling soft plastic toads topwaters, for the same reason as above, in that "I" only use them as topwaters.  That is definitely not the case. I will be trying some more techniques with them.

Jason

While there is no actual standard for the toad / frog labels, most refer to the solid body types as swimming toads or frogs and the hollow body types as floating frogs or toads. However, these are 2 distinct and different lures and a lot of fishermen new to these lures get their purposes mixed up.

Again, there are no standards of operation, so to speak, but the floating frogs are mostly used for fishing on slop or on top of weed beds, etc, while the swimming frogs are usually fished in water that is pretty much void of vegetation that would upset the action as the hook acts as a keel and slop or vegetation would turn the lure over. That said, I have fished both in all types of water. I get a lot of opportunities to fish frogs in south Louisiana and I have 2 frog rods set up, one for each of the above mentioned lures. These are my favorite topwater lures. I have fished Big Sam with just one rod on deck, a frog rod (swimming frog), while hanging out all day in the hydrilla beds.

I think toads and frogs are distinctly different lures

a hollow body frog like a bronzeye or scum frog are topwaters,

but toads are not.

Certainly different lures, but what's the difference what they're called? I consider the toads to be topwaters because I believe their intent was to be fished on top as weedless buzzbaits and I believe (without having an actual way of knowing) that is the way they're used the majority of the time.

The Sizmic Toad is a "true" topwater lure, it not only supports its own weight, but floats with a Gamakatsu 4/0 hook.

A larger toad, the Sizmic Popping Toad will float a small gaff without sinking.

On the flipside of the frog/toad equation is the Boze ZZ walker, which is a hollow frog.

The ZZ Walker will float for a few casts, then take on water and soon becomes a subsurface lure.

I'd say that the only honorable distinction between toads and frogs is that Frogs are "Hollow", whereas Toads are "solid".

Oh yeah, there is one other distinction. The bass in a pond I once owned would eat any frog that I tossed into the pond.

Oddly, whenever I tossed a toad into the pond, they'd inhale the toad, then spit it out about 15 seconds later,

they did the same thing with snakes :-/

Roger

Horney Toad type bauts can be used in many different ways(as I'm sure you all know).I use them mainly as a buzzbait but will dead stik it when I come to an open pocket in the grass.I also use then as c-baits,and plastic j-baits.I pitch 'em,flip 'em,and use on c-rigs.They're very versitile.

I see where Avid is going. I usually picture toads as full bodied soft plastics and frogs as hollowbodied topwaters