What is the best walking frog on the market? Also any tips to help getting them to walk a little better?

I use Spro 65 and 90 size and Gambler frogs.

I like darker colors. I use a Heavy Falcon Cara rod with a soft tip, Zillion HD 8 speed, 65 lb braid, no leader.

Walking it is a combination of arm, wrist, and tip of rod. It's all about practice, maybe watch some you tube vids.

Also, I bend the hooks out, just a touch for better hook ups. Can throw them to tops of mats, grass, or into lily pads.  Nothing quite like the blow ups on a frog!!

 

Spro 65 walks good. So does the Scum Frog Dog Walker. I couldn’t walk a frog until I became a frog. Now I just do ribbit and hope for ribbit all ribbit ribbit there RIBBIT

Spro is the easiest I’ve used. 

I fish the booyah pad crusher in both sizes.  the little one is tougher, but still walks.  the bigger one is just fine.  if you don’t know how to walk any baits, get a Zara spook and learn there first.  Frogs are tougher and require you to throw more slack back into the twitch faster than a hard walking bait.  I wouldn’t want to learn on a frog.  

34 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I fish the booyah pad crusher in both sizes.  the little one is tougher, but still walks.  the bigger one is just fine.  if you don’t know how to walk any baits, get a Zara spook and learn there first.  Frogs are tougher and require you to throw more slack back into the twitch faster than a hard walking bait.  I wouldn’t want to learn on a frog.  

I walk spook very well, like well above average I would say. I’ve always struggled to walk frog though. It seems to almost just hop in a straight line like it’s just cheat bumping across the water. I think what you said about slack is a big part of my issue 

1 minute ago, Anfrobodine said:

I walk spook very well, like well above average I would say. I’ve always struggled to walk frog though. It seems to almost just hop in a straight line like it’s just cheat bumping across the water. I think what you said about slack is a big part of my issue 

Throwing slack back into it and a very short stroke is the key.  Hard baits glide each way and that gives you back some slack so that you’re not pulling in too much line at a time.  A frog doesn’t glide so you’re really only pulling it an inch at most.  Start with some slack in the line and when you make the twitch and feel the line come taut, stop and throw slack back into it.  

I don't know about the best but I find the live target frog much easier to walk than the spros.

45 minutes ago, Anfrobodine said:

I walk spook very well, like well above average I would say. I’ve always struggled to walk frog though. It seems to almost just hop in a straight line like it’s just cheat bumping across the water. I think what you said about slack is a big part of my issue 

I’d say there’s a 99% chance you’re hitting it too hard. Much soft than a spook work best for me. 

8 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said:

I’d say there’s a 99% chance you’re hitting it too hard. Much soft than a spook work best for me. 

I’ll try that and see how that works out. Thanks!

54 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

Throwing slack back into it and a very short stroke is the key.  Hard baits glide each way and that gives you back some slack so that you’re not pulling in too much line at a time.  A frog doesn’t glide so you’re really only pulling it an inch at most.  Start with some slack in the line and when you make the twitch and feel the line come taut, stop and throw slack back into it.  

Thank you for the info. I’ll try that out this weekend and see what happens 

Like others have said, the slightest of rod twitches get the frog walking. Having a rod that has a little tip too it also helps. 

While I do get some satisfaction while walking a frog perfectly back and forth, I don't think the bass care if you walk a frog perfectly or not.  They will bite the frog just as well while you are learning to walk it as they do once you get good at it.  They don't look up and say, I'm not going to hit that frog.  He didn't throw enough slack in the line, and it went straight ahead.  Find the speed of retrieve the bass want that day and they will bite it.  After awhile you will get the hang of making it walk like a spook, but don't get discouraged.  You will catch plenty of bass while you learn. 

Swamp Lord or Scum Frog Launch Series for me.

Walking may be important in open water but if you are looking for bass in matted vegetation or duckweed just a medium steady slide will allow you to cover more water.  If there are bass under those weeds they will show themselves and then you can slow down and walk it or pause it or twitch it, whatever works!

Also, there are days when there are bass under duckweed and they won't come up for a frog, you can catch them with a swimjig or a squarebill.  Throw it right into the duckweed and these baits will swim in the open space under the duckweed.  It doesn't work in areas where the wind has piled up the duckweed in thick layers that the baits won't go through on the cast.  Are they covered in weeds after going through the duckweed layer?  IDK and IDC, all I know is this is a way to catch them when the frog bite ain't working!

Boring answer but it's the truth.  Spro Pop 60 without any hesitation.

 

The pointy nose frogs take a little more refined rod twitching.

 

The popping frogs want to walk side to side.

I bought a Spro bronze eye shad to try and use one day. The package said “it glides”. The “legs” are on the top/bottom of the bait vs the left/right sides. Worst $10 I spent that day. I hate it. I can’t impart any action into it other than a straight retrieve. If I had a local sportsman’s warehouse, I would’ve returned it. But, I bought it out while traveling, so. Im sure it’s me and it’s a great frog. But, I went back to my regular Spro’s. I also find the 6th sense Vega fairly easy to walk. Haven’t tried the hush series yet, so I can’t speak to them. 

On 5/17/2025 at 9:39 AM, king fisher said:

While I do get some satisfaction while walking a frog perfectly back and forth, I don't think the bass care if you walk a frog perfectly or not.  They will bite the frog just as well while you are learning to walk it as they do once you get good at it.  They don't look up and say, I'm not going to hit that frog.  He didn't throw enough slack in the line, and it went straight ahead.  Find the speed of retrieve the bass want that day and they will bite it.  After awhile you will get the hang of making it walk like a spook, but don't get discouraged.  You will catch plenty of bass while you learn. 

Man I’ve said very similar things about other baits. Like there’s no way they are setting down there saying “this jig doesn’t have enough blue in it so I’m not gonna bite it” or “man that really looks like a shad, but I wish it had a bit more green on the back. I’ll pass on that”

On 5/18/2025 at 8:29 AM, Pat Brown said:

Boring answer but it's the truth.  Spro Pop 60 without any hesitation.

 

The pointy nose frogs take a little more refined rod twitching.

 

The popping frogs want to walk side to side.

So you think the popping style frogs walk better than the walking style frogs? I’ll have to try those. I’ve always gravitated towards a hard popper style bait when I wanted a popping bait and never really paid the popping frogs much attention  

Yeah the popping style spro walks easier than the pointed nose frog.

 

But both do things the other won't and I use the 65 the most.

 

It skips like a dream.

 

Comes over wood and through vegetation a lot better.

 

Bigger hooks mean you land bigger fish more of the time.

 

It also walks super easy for me but I think the pop 60 walks a lot easier for a beginner.

 

My 12 year old son would agree with me!  He struggles to walk the 65 sometimes and the pop 60 walks itself (his words!)!!!

The Toad Thumper Swamper Walking Frog walks really easy for me.

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Toad_Thumper_Swamper_Walkin_Frog/descpage-TDTW.html

Easiest one to walk I've ever fished was the 6th Sense ones.  Problem is the hookup ration on them was abysmal compared to just about everything else I've ever thrown.  I primarily throw Jackal Kiera's and they walk ok, but I'm mostly throwing in trash anyways, so not really an issue.

The Spro will always be my go to but that Toad Thumper is awfully good too.

The livetarget frog is my confidence frog by a long shot. I have the spro frogs and booyah pad crashers and they're great but the plastic on the livetargets are softer and I just have an easier time walking them. Most of the time though if I'm fishing a big mat or thick pads I just hop it along, which the livetarget does fantastic too. Like the other comments said I find it more effective to barely twitch the frog in order to get it to walk. This means I'm going way slower but any time I'm walking it's for a small area I'm targeting. If I want to cover water fast I'll either tug the frog along or use a toad.

Spro, Booyah, Berkley, and FishLab all make frogs that walk really well. I trim the legs short on mine, with one being a little longer than the other. Helps with short strikes and makes them walk easier.