Ok. So I had to stop at scheels. So I went to the fishing section to look around. We are in summer swing in Iowa. Sunshine and ponds are scummed up off the shore. So I stopped and looked at frogs. I’ve got a few at home. Swamp lords and berkley popping frogs. Last year I caught a couple real sloppily on accident. But I just never have luck on frogs. I was browsing and I grabbed a booyah pad crasher jr. in black. Came home bent the hooks out and chopped the legs down and casted some in the yard.

Went down to one of the local close to the house pressured ponds I fish. Overcast today and a lil wind. And I absolutely wrecked them! I can walk this frog better than any others I’ve tried. I put all the tips and tricks all of you have tried to teach me to use. I caught them walking them right along the edge of the scum or walking and pausing it in an open pocket and just barely twitching it to make the water ripple. I lost count. I let some take it so I could feel what they did with it. Missed some caught a bunch. Lost a couple. Had a great time and finally got a frog that I could put all the pieces together and have success!

Nice work Joe! Bending those hooks out and smaller frogs both are a big deal!

6 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Nice work Joe! Bending those hooks out and smaller frogs both are a big deal!

It changed the whole game lol. Obviously this pond has some big fish. But it’s mostly 1-2 pound fish. So it made a huge difference. And that twitch on still frog to make the water ripple like you told me. Man that was perfect

The pad crasher and the JR are my standard issue frogs. The way I look at it, JC is a big frog guy and catches a ton on it straight out of the box (that’s how he fishes them). That works for enough for me. I also trim the legs a little for easier walking when I want that, but I don’t boil them or bend the hooks. Just sharpen them out of the box and that’s it.

If you are finding yourself having luck with smaller frogs - some smaller profiles I’ve had really wild success with - Scum Frog Bass Rat, Spro Pop 40/50/60, Copper Red Baits Ripple (you really gotta try this one), Scum Frog Popping Trophy. All of these have really unique and easy to swallow profiles and seem to attract smart older fish as well as numbers of bites from smaller ones for me. I definitely learned the hard way that smaller frogs work much better in general for getting bites and even with bigger ones I almost always trim my legs way back not because it gives it unique action but purely for the smaller profile.

45 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

The pad crasher and the JR are my standard issue frogs. The way I look at it, JC is a big frog guy and catches a ton on it straight out of the box (that’s how he fishes them). That works for enough for me. I also trim the legs a little for easier walking when I want that, but I don’t boil them or bend the hooks. Just sharpen them out of the box and that’s it.

Yes he does I’m really happy with it. And it worked well. I should have tried it before trimming the legs. But this pond had a ton of small bass I know they would have just tail bit. Man I loved boiling it better than walking. What a cool bite.

32 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

If you are finding yourself having luck with smaller frogs - some smaller profiles I’ve had really wild success with - Scum Frog Bass Rat, Spro Pop 40/50/60, Copper Red Baits Ripple (you really gotta try this one), Scum Frog Popping Trophy. All of these have really unique and easy to swallow profiles and seem to attract smart older fish as well as numbers of bites from smaller ones for me. I definitely learned the hard way that smaller frogs work much better in general for getting bites and even with bigger ones I almost always trim my legs way back not because it gives it unique action but purely for the smaller profile.

Thanks Pat! I gotta look those up! I also am learning the hard way. I wish I hadn’t spent years throwing bigger frogs. Ughhhhh.

I like the legs a little shorter for probably the same reason as you. When I started fishing the ‘rat’ back in the 90’s we fished them across mats and other places by hopping them across the tops of the mats. The original rat was the same body as the junior with a short tail out the back. It had some lead wire wrapping the hook shank right before it hit the tail/hole in the body, but otherwise was what you’d call a small frog or finesse frog. So I learned to fish a frog by straight line motion and popping the rod tip up. Sometimes that just what they want.

13 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I like the legs a little shorter for probably the same reason as you. When I started fishing the ‘rat’ back in the 90’s we fished them across mats and other places by hopping them across the tops of the mats. The original rat was the same body as the junior with a short tail out the back. It had some lead wire wrapping the hook shank right before it hit the tail/hole in the body, but otherwise was what you’d call a small frog or finesse frog. So I learned to fish a frog by straight line motion and popping the rod tip up. Sometimes that just what they want.

Ahh ok very cool! I did get some on straight drags across the Matt or walking it right near the edge. I’m definitely gonna pick up a couple more smaller frogs. Some were hitting it so subtle I was able to line watch to tell if they still had it lol

41 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

Ahh ok very cool! I did get some on straight drags across the Matt or walking it right near the edge. I’m definitely gonna pick up a couple more smaller frogs. Some were hitting it so subtle I was able to line watch to tell if they still had it lol

You didn’t ask but I recently tried the Megabass big Gabot. I’ve thrown frogs a bunch and first time throwing this I caught my frog pb fish. It gets a lot of bites and big bites. Super easy to walk. Definitely add it to the list for something different to try to go along with your smaller frogs. And the place I caught it at is known for a lot of smaller fish. I immediately bought 2 more.

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Copper Red Baits Ripple (you really gotta try this one),

Everyone raves about Copper frogs. I've got to get one.

I forget the name, but Zman has my favorite frogs, poppers and walkers; the soft body collapses really well; I'll look into the Swamp Lord.

8 hours ago, Tackleholic said:

I forget the name, but Zman has my favorite frogs, poppers and walkers; the soft body collapses really well; I'll look into the Swamp Lord.

They are really nice. Good hooks and a soft rubber material. But they are a chunky frog. And I think they were just a tad much for this particular pond and the average size fish in it. It always got follows and swipes. But seldom a good committed hit.

I forgot to mention the frogs that kinda got me confident in a frog - I don’t throw them as much these days but they work really well and look just like a fish - Strike King Pad Perch/Popping Padperch and the Jr/Pipsqueak models also - all deadly.

I trim the tail way up to the body and bend the hooks out a bit and that sideways fish graphic on the belly definitely gets some giant bites.

2 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I forgot to mention the frogs that kinda got me confident in a frog - I don’t throw them as much these days but they work really well and look just like a fish - Strike King Pad Perch/Popping Padperch and the Jr/Pipsqueak models also - all deadly.

I trim the tail way up to the body and bend the hooks out a bit and that sideways fish graphic on the belly definitely gets some giant bites.

I forgot all about those style baits. Thanks Pat!