Jump Frogs VS Soft Frogs

A lot of people have asked us why we don't showcase the ever popular Jump Frog. And the answer is just that...the Jump Frog is popular and needs no introduction as it is easy to use, just cast it and burn it back. And usually, if a fish strikes the lure, it will be hooked automatically. Thanks to the upturned double hooks.
The soft frog (better known as the hollow bodied frog) however needs more varying retrieves and the hookset needs to be spot on which increases the challenge and ultimately the stress of fishing.
The Jump Frog is usually carved out of wood and floats. There are double hooks extending out from behind the body of the lure and these are pointed upwards. It could be made weedless with the addition of small tubes covering the points of the hooks. And like I mentioned earlier, the lure is usually retrieved with haste.
Origin - Thailand. Where it is used to catch Tomans (Giant Snakeheads).

The Jump Frog in action.

They are used with great success in Malaysia.

For us, we are more inclined to go down the unbeaten path where soft frogs are fast becoming forgotten compared to jump frogs.

The thing about soft frogs is that you need to get the retrieve right and remember that these lures are made for Bass. Hooksets are also a skill that needs to be learned through experience as waiting a few seconds and waiting until you feel the fish's weight before setting the hook, does not guarrantee you a successful hookup.

And most of the time, the fish does get away and you seldom would get a second chance in the same area after losing that fish. And such missed hookups will haunt you in your dreams.

So, whatever your fancy. Happy fishing.

Live Target's Koppers Frog (1.75in)

We've been searching high and low for this particular frog which won "Best New Soft Bait" at ICAST 2010. Couldn't find any local tackle store that stocks them, so we went ahead with a costly online purchase straight from the US.

Once it reached our hands, we straight away put the bait through a field test - hunting for Tomans & Haruans. The latter seems to have a particular interest in this bait.

Construction is stunning as the manufacturer captured all the lifelike features of the frog in this bait. All is good and anatomically correct apart from the legs which are made from silicone or rubber skirts. As with any other hollow bodied frogs, the body is easily collapsible making hooksets easier. They even come with detailed instructions/tips on how to use the bait. These instructions come neatly folded and stashed inside the bait's box, which is cool.

Size: 1.75in
Weight: 1/4 oz
Type: Surface

We kept looking at the frog and admired how good it looks. The detailing would be useful if an angler fishes in clear or lightly stained water situations.

There are 12 colours to choose from and they all look sweet. Wish we bought this bait in all available colours (financial issues prevented this from happening).

The double hooks look durable enough to handle up to big sized fish (although this needs further testing from us). But accidentally hooking up with a monster fish would definitely wet our pants.

All in all, the flooding of hollow bodied frogs in our country from various manufacturers would easily make this lure redundant. But being the hardcore anglers that we are, we would not be dazzled by just any other hollow bodied frogs (even though they are very affordable) - we are looking for quality, value for money and detailing. Which is what brought this frog to us.

However, the body will get scratched from rubbing with the hook points after a while, and this would never hurt but it is worth noting.

Did I mention the detailing on this hollow bodied frog? Man oh man.

Lunker Frog Review

The ICAST 2013: Best Soft Lure

This looks like just another soft plastic frog lure with the exception of the legs. Instead of having silicone skirts for legs, this frog has realistic soft plastic legs. And the box claims that they will retract when paused and straighten when retrieved.

Frog in a box

The plastic of the frog feels soft and supple and like any other hollow bodied frog, will expose the hooks when the body is compressed.

LH is tattooed on the left ribcage and realism is good as this particular paint scheme (King Toad) matches the favourite frog for our local haruans and tomans.

Test Location #1

Gear Used

Rod: Abu Garcia Vendetta 5'6" Medium Heavy

Line: Berkley Fireline 40lb Braid

Reel: Abu Garcia baitcaster

We tested the Lunker Frog at a disused pond and found that the lure casts pretty well because of its weight (1/2 oz). It lands on its belly almost every time. Its does take in some water and sits bottom slightly down. The hooks are pretty sharp and the body collapses easily under pressure. But our expectations of the lure's legs to extend almost fully on the retrieve were quickly diminished as it only extends slightly.

This lure does attract fish as we got hits and misses during our 3 hours of testing. One fish (our guess is Channa Striata or Haruan) that was of significant size shook the hook as it was nearing the bank. 

We had the Dengkil anglers use the most common soft plastic frog found in most local stores against our Lunker Frog and found that size does matter. The Dengkil team had caught a sizeable Haruan (Channa Striata) on their plastic frog which is sized similar to the River2Sea's Baby Bully 45. Whilst our Lunker Frog, which is bigger, managed to get numerous hits and hookups, but failed to land a fish. (This is due to the fish being able to shake off the hooks when nearing the grassy banks)

Durability is quite impressive as the colours and plastic are intact even after numerous missed casts, hookups and casting the lure (accidentally) onto rocky banks.

The legs were still intact after the hits and misses but it would be a whole lot better to use the smaller Pocket Frog or River2sea's Baby Bully 45 for our local species.

With this lure, its all about the legs as they flail around when retrieved and are durable to stretch. BUT, the main concern is where the legs join the body. This is its weakest point and if a fish were to pull one or both of the lure's legs hard enough, they will certainly detach from the body. A way around this is to glue the joints where the legs meet the body.

There are no spares for the legs even when contacting the manufacturer, they told us that they do not sell the legs separately and given the cost to purchase one of this lure exceeds the RM40 mark, we believe that this lure is not cost effective for local anglers.

Comparing this lure to the River2Sea's Baby Bully, the build quality is better on the Lunker Frog as the outer skin did not flake off like in the case of the Baby Bully.

You can find numerous manufacturers producing the soft plastic frogs nowadays, and they range from below RM10 to RM20. From small to large frogs, you can source them from local tackle stores nationwide. This is the most economical alternative we can find to the Lunker Frog. Legs or no legs, plastic frogs are fun to fish and this is the most important point in fishing - Fun.

The Lunker Frog comes in 10 colour options to choose from and can be bought online at Tackle Warehouse (they don't ship to Malaysia) and Bass Pro Shops.

Alternative frogs that can be sourced locally includes TCE Tackle's frog, SAS, Starlit and etc.

Quality / Finishing: 8/10

Durability: 7/10 (Because of the legs detaching after a while)

Price: 3/10

We will run further field tests with this Lunker Frog but at a different location to unleash the full potential of this lure. So there is no conclusion yet in this review. Please await part 2.

NOTE: Special thanks to the Big Ted & the Dengkil team for bringing us to the test location. We conduct field tests at wild ponds, rivers, reservoirs to find out the best gears and lures for the job. Thank you for your support and hope to be fishing with you again.