I love frog fishing, and this time of year when it’s hot, the fake-amphibian bite can really heat up. So when I received these new products from Z-Man, it was time to go to the lake.
I prefer to fish any frog on a heavy setup that includes at least 30-pound braided line, a stout baitcasting reel and a 7-foot medium-heavy rod.
Z-Man has several different frog offerings, including the Hard Leg FrogZ and the Pop FrogZ. The company's plastics are made from ElaZtech, which is soft, pliable and up to 10 times tougher than ordinary plastic used in lure-making. It’s naturally buoyant, so these FrogZ pop right to the surface and can float a large, heavy-wire hook.
ElaZtech can be difficult at first to put a hook in if you’re not used to it. The material is dense, but pliable, so I recommend using Z-Man's specially designed hook (called the TriggerHook), which really keeps any soft-plastic bait from slipping downward. I also used wide-gap hooks from Owner, Gamakatsu and VMC during the test and they all preformed well.
Both FrogZ were fished through heavy vegetation that included duckweed and slop. Open-water fishing was also possible and in all cases, the FrogZ duo preformed admirably.
The Hard Leg FrogZ has incredible kicking action and looks realistic when paused. The Pop FrogZ has a great “pop” and really moves water. The legs are highly erratic and caused some explosive strikes.
The two FrogZ combined for 31 bass up to 5 pounds in 4 1/2 hours fishing heavy grass, matted weeds over sticks, logs and rocks. Both my buddy and myself still had the original FrogZ we started with and both of us could have used them another day.
They held up extremely well and retained their shape, action and effectiveness. Mine had a hole through it by day's end, so I turned it over, re-hooked it, and it worked as well as when it was new. They're most durable frogs I've fished to date.
The action on both FrogZ is excellent due to the well-designed shape and the pliability of the ElaZtech. Overall, these Z-Man Frogz will keep you fishing longer and can handle the toughest cover any bass can hide in.
The Hard Leg FrogZ and the Pop FrogZ retail for $4.89 per pack and come in several colors. They're priced right, they catch fish and they hold up to the punishment of heavy rods, lines, hooks and big fish.
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