A rubber-legged, hollow-bodied topwater frog is best suited for a specific niche within the world of bass as it’s quite difficult to get a hold of a type of lure that can work through even the thickest of vegetation, and splash into the smallest holes that are in between lily pads. But, that’s exactly what the best topwater frog lures claim to fame. Most frog lures have soft collapsible bodies which quickly expose hooks when attacked.
This gives anglers the best chance possible for hook-ups, most especially in conditions that often cause other types of lures to foul. Take note: they aren’t only for bass. They also work well with invasive snakeheads.
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Best Frog Lures for Bass
As there are different kinds and brands of frog lures, it’s very likely that you’re currently undecisive or even anxious about making a choice.
The best frog lures for bass fishing, specifically, vary depending on the body of water, environmental conditions, and of course, your experience as an angler. Knowing this, we’ve created a comprehensive guide on the best topwater frog lures available.
Take a peek as we’re sure it can help you spend more time ripping lips rather than with your tackle box.
1. Croch Hollow Body Frog Lure
If you plan on being a bass angler, it’s important you learn the appropriate way in “walking the dog.” This seductive or annoying (to some) topwater action has already been proven and tested in catching bass time and again.
Since its creation, which was by the masterful and reputed Croch, its design is copied by the dozens. Despite the undeniable presence of the hoard of pretenders, the Croch Hollow Body Frog Lure is still king.
Simply fish the bait in and around potential bass hideouts and make sure you vary your retrieve. There are days when the bass will prefer faster-walking motions, while other times it’s going to take a much slower action for you to trigger strikes.
The kit comes with 18 pcs of bright-colored frog lures. Each frog has a silicone collar for a pulsing action, dual barbed hooks made of quality carbon steel, and a weedless design to eliminate the worry of the lure getting stuck by a weed bed or lily pad.
2. Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog Fishing Lure
The original Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog is another incarnation, which has inspired countless copycats.
As a matter of fact, it’s widely known to be a tournament winner. Its silicone skirt creates a realistic visual effect. Unlike other top waters, it’s capable of leaving a long and distinct whitewater trail that bass can follow.
The upward-facing 4/0 wide gap hook makes the frog fairly weedless and able to be worked tighter into weeds, lily pads, and wood.
It’s a very realistic bait, which means it can fool even fish that’s as clever as bass. Although it doesn’t look the best, the swimming leg action replicates the natural movements of frogs.
3. Livetarget Hollow Body Frog
The Livetarget Hollow Body Frog was created to catch a large fish, even the largest in the pond. It’s capable of luring bass that’s large enough to target small mammals.
Although quite an expensive option, it’s gained instant fame with its catching prowess.
Fish the bait either day or night in high-percentage, big-fish areas. Feel free as well to toy with the durable hook and material construction for different walking motions.
4. Lunkerhunt Prop Frog
Another product from Lunkerhunt, this ½ oz Freshwater Frog Fishing Lure is top-rated among anglers.
It’s also one that’s known to make great catches. It’s built to withstand a fair amount of abuse and has corrosion-free components.
You’re able to work a walk the dog action consistently with the prop frog lure, earning it the right to land a spot on our list of the best topwater frog lures available today.
5. Strike King KVD Sexy Frog Bait
The closed-nose design of the Strike King is particularly helpful as it eliminates the tendency of most lures to fill with salt or freshwater.
Being in the industry for more than fifty years, its maker, Strike King, has an incredible reputation for producing high-quality lures.
As for the frog itself, it comes in three different colors so you can choose which is best, depending on the weather and water conditions. It’s a soft hollow-bodied frog which makes it very easy for fish to latch onto.
6. BOOYAH Pad Crasher Frog Lure
Also a good contender for the best topwater frog lures, the BOOYAH Crasher Frog Lure was built with durability and stability in mind.
Its balance in the water is lifelike and it has leg movement that’s close to the real deal. It’s effective enough in drawing the attention of bass as it also makes tons of noise.
Really new anglers, however, may find it difficult to fish with this frog lure properly as it requires a specific presentation that has a learning curve.
7. Zoom Bait Horny Toad Bait
If you’re on the lookout for something that’s quite different, then check this one out.
The Zoom Bait has the appearance and shape of a plastic craw. But, in terms of its movement, it’s supposed to mimic that of a frog.
What’s great with this product is it doesn’t have any issues being stuck in the weeds. This means it can work nicely in dense cover.
8. Spotlip Double Propellers Frog Lure
This is the frog lure kit which offers a good balance between looking realistic and being functional on water.
The kit contains five frog lures with each featuring double propellers for making a massive disturbance and soft plastic material construction. Its weedless design has proven to be functional, plus it works every single time.
The color and pattern variation among the lures that come with the kit offers flexibility for bass fishing regardless of the conditions.
How to Get the Best Topwater Frog Lures
You now know the top frog lures money can buy, but which is the best for you?
These are the important considerations for making an informed buying decision:
Action
As you may have already guessed, the first important consideration is a topwater frog lure’s action.
What you want is to select the kind of frog that suits the conditions you’ll be finishing in best. For instance, if you’ll fish in an area that’s wide open, you’re best off with a walking frog.
On the other hand, if you’ll be fishing in shallow waters in such a case, you require more surface disturbance, the better choice would be a popping frog.
Target Size
The next factor you need to consider is the frog’s size. Ideally, you would want the size of your topwater frog lure to match the average size of the fish that you are targeting.
If you fish for a smallmouth which is approximately 8 to 10 inches in size, a smaller topwater frog lure is best.
But, if you target a largemouth bass that’s at least twelve inches, you would be needing a much larger frog.
Target Depth
Remember that your goal is to ensure the frog stays at or near the water surface. This is why frog lures work great close to and around cover.
While lily pads and weeds are the number one enemy of other kinds of lures, the best topwater frog lures work well in these environments. They let you make use of the natural cover of bass against them.
Weight
The next important factor you should take into account is the frog lure’s weight.
Frogs are supposed to be light as you want them to stay on the water surface but still maintain some weight for them to be cast easily.
It’s not advised to get any frog lure that’s designed to sink, especially if you expect to be fishing topwater with it.
Line Weight
You’ll also have to consider the line that you are using. You’ll be fishing the frog in/around natural cover, you’ll want the line to be strong and durable.
As much as possible, avoid monofilament and opt for a braided line that has a test of 50 pounds or tie your braided line to your monofilament line.
It’s going to provide the much-needed strength in navigating the weeds, as well as preventing a massive bass from breaking the line.
The other major benefit of braid is it doesn’t stretch like the mono. This means when the bass will strike at the frog, you will be able to hook it immediately.
Rod and Reel
You would want to have a good combo of rod and reel to fish with any of the best frogs for bass. The rod is best to be made specifically for frog fishing. This will typically be a graphite rod with medium-heavy or heavy power, 6’10” to 7’4″, and fast action.
When it comes to the reel, high-speed baitcasters will work best. But, you can still use cheap spinning reels if you’re more comfortable with them. In such a case, you’ll need to decrease the test weight for the braid fishing line.
Just remember that while the frog is on the water, you’ll be working the lure with the rod. As soon as the bass has been set successfully on the hook, you’d want to reel in quickly to prevent the fish from using foliage in getting away.
A baitcaster is going to work best in pulling bass from the roots, but a spinning reel can still work if done right.
Color
This is one of the most important considerations when choosing between the best frog lures.
The color of the frog lure matters, but remember that there isn’t a hard and fast rule. What we suggest is you try out different colors or patterns so you know which ones work best.
However, these three-color options offer a good baseline:
- Black – Black frogs are great as they have low visibility. They’re the perfect choice if you’ll be fishing on a sunny day close to weeds, as well as in thick flats. When they’re floating on water, black frog lures stand out with a silhouette shadow. This catches the eye of fish lurking below.
- White – White frogs also work in various conditions. However, it’s best when you’re trying to imitate baitfish or shad. When you’re fishing with a white frog lure, it will appear as baitfish. It’s particularly great in murky waters, and when you’re fishing when there’s cloud cover or rain. One of the most effective ways in using a white frog lure is fishing it directly above thick beds of bushes or in rip-rap areas. They have tons of natural bass cover, as well as an increased likelihood of schools of baitfish lingering on the surfacing. They’re some of the best spots to fish with a white frog lure.
- Colorful – Natural colors of frogs vary from muted to bright ones. While green is most commonly used for some of the best topwater frog lures, other colors also work well. But, this will still depend on the environment and conditions that you’re fishing in. Bright-colored frog lures often work very well when you’re fishing on a cloudy day as they won’t spook the bass. For green lures, in particular, they’re great where the water is clear. Rip-rap areas have clear water. Muted colors, on the other hand, work best when fish are most active during the daytime, as well as at certain times per year. We suggest you use the natural colors of frogs when there is less vegetation as frog lures are going to look more natural.
Expert Tips on Topwater Bass Fishing
Anglers with decades of experience swear by these tips and essential information, which is important for you to know when mastering topwater angling:
Tie the Correct Knot
We can’t possibly stress this enough. There are many anglers that overlook this as they really think it’s all that important. But, as a result, they pay for it. What many bass anglers don’t know is that presentation has tons to do with knot-typing skills.
For instance, popping frogs have more relaxed movements, which means a loop knot should be used. It is necessary to understand exactly how to tie a knot, and what line should be used with different kinds of knots.
While you are fishing any kind of frog lure, you always need to take a good look around you and make use of your senses to help determine the kind of frog lure that’s best to use.
Whenever it is cold and dreary, the bass slows down. This also means their metabolism will slow down. This is the time when they won’t bite something that moves really fast or a lure that’s brightly colored.
What you want is to slow the presentation, with the lure sized down, and also don’t forget to use the lure that’s more discreet. When it is dark or overcast, you’d want the frog lure that’s not as flashy and bright as you would sometimes prefer using.
When the sun’s bright and shining onto the water surface which is usually when it is mid-summer, use your neon-colored frog lures. We guarantee that you’ll get a bite as soon as they hit the water. This is because this is when bass are feeding actively, and you have created just enough attention for an instant bite.
When and Not How
Let’s not forget the fact that it’s crucial for any angler to understand the best time to use certain types of lures. Conditions and weather matter, but the time of year will also prove to be as critical.
Basically, bass are leaving where they are hiding to come to the water surface and expose themselves just to bite the lure. But, they only typically do so when insects are landing on the water.
So, keep this in mind every single time you come out to fish. The best time to fish topwaters would be mid-summer wherein mornings to evenings are hotter.
If it’s really windy out, it’s not the best time to fish with topwater baits as there’s lots of disturbance and movement on the surface. Bugs aren’t there as well as the wind blows them away.
Also, here’s a secret among seasoned anglers: the best topwater frog lures for bass are more effective in the night versus during the daytime. Bugs aren’t as prevalent on the water at dawn to early in the morning as they are usually at dusk.
Master the Misses
Premature hooksets often kill topwater opportunities. Always remember that the first thing you’ll see is fish pushing through a hard wall of water towards your bait.
It’s, therefore, essential that you stay absolutely calm. Let the fish swim towards your lure before you react.
Whenever the fish misses, just freeze the bait. Then, let rings settle. Slowly twitch it in mimicking the movement of a wounded baitfish. Try swapping out the baits if it’s a no-go.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, when you’re searching for some of the bestfrog lures for bass fishing, you would want to keep certain things in mind.
First, have the right thing to draw the attention of the bass. There are lures that use noise while some require a specific presentation. You also need an effective way to prevent weeds from getting caught up on your lure. Fortunately, frogs have weedless hooks.
Lastly, you need to have a more deliberate presentation. Whether you walk the dog, keeping it steady, or popping it, have something planned, depending on the water you plan on fishing.
We’ve found Croch Hollow Body Frog Lure to be the best one out of all eight products. This is because it has every feature that makes for a good, reliable, and flexible topwater lure – not to mention its ability to offer the best value for your money.
Still, it’s best to remember that you can get the best frog lure available today, but if you haven’t understood how to properly fish it, it won’t get you the results you want.
So, keep these tricks, tips, and recommendations in mind before you get out on your next fishing excursion!
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