It doesn’t matter if you are hunting for that prized smallmouth or largemouth, you without a doubt have a variety of fishing and tackling options available today.
However, there is simply no more entertaining or effective method than fishing with topwater frogs. These lures will not only ensure you that you get the target you are after, but they’ll make sure you have a blast while trying.
There is nothing more rewarding or exciting than casting your little frog out there and watching the fish come up from the depths of the water and take the bait. It truly is a remarkable experience.
Best frog lure
That being said, there is still a wide range of frog lures that can be used for bass fishing, and this certainly won’t make your quest any easier. How do you know which lures are best for you and what might work best for the type of bass that you are fishing for?
Does the size, color, and weight of the lures play a role? These are all valid questions and exactly what you are going to learn from this guide.
Along with this, the guide will cover some of today’s top models and exactly why they are the most preferred.
Best overall: Livetarget Hollow Body Frog
“cheap and simple, yet super effective”
Most popular: Berkley Powerbait
“one of the most versatile lures on the market, as it can be used to fish around shallow cover or in open water”
Best for big bass: Booyah Bait Company Pad Crasher
“features adjustable spinnerbait-style legs that are perfect for bigger bass”
Most realistic: Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog
“features replica adult frog legs that swim and extend when you are reeling in”
Great performance: Lunkerhunt Prop Frog
“You won’t have to worry about not hooking your prey either thanks to the wide gap upturned hook system”
Good alternative: Spro Bronzeye Frog 65 Bait
“It is evenly balanced so that it lands perfectly on its belly every throw”
Best overall: Livetarget Hollow Body Frog
- Doesn’t hold nearly as much water as other hollow body lures
- Comes available in a variety of colors
- Perfect for small pond fishing and will also work in lakes
- Lightweight design makes for longer casts
- A bit on the smaller size and will only attract smaller fish
- About every 5 or 6 casts, you will need to squeeze the lure to remove water
As you’ve probably already guessed from the name this bad boy is a hollow body lure. However, do not let this fool you because this hollow body designed lure does not hold water like all those other models out there. This is not to say that it won’t fill with water from time to time, but it won’t do it to the point where it is impeding your fishing. This is just something that you have to deal with when fishing with a hollow body.
That aside, this is a unisex-adult lure that is perfect for fishing over weed choked areas or lily pads.
It has a weedless design that allows you to work the lure easier over the covers without worrying about getting hung up. The lure does come available in a variety of colors and with its 1.75-inch design, it is perfect for smaller pond fishing. Combine this with the lightweight design, and you won’t have a problem casting over great distances if needed.
Most popular: Berkley Powerbait
- Equipped with special PowerBait technology and flavors to attract hard to reach, out of the way fish
- Mimics real movement with real eyes and color
- Designed for open water or shallow cover conditions
- Available in tons of color and design options
- Not as realistic as some of the lures available on the market today
- The scent will become less and less effective once the package is open. Be sure to utilize right away
The Berkley Lure is nowhere near as realistic as the lure above, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have qualities that make it stand out. In fact, it is still very lifelike and provides lifelike action. It features realistic colors with eyes that will fool most fish.
The Berkely is also one of the most versatile lures on the market, as it can be used to fish around shallow cover or in open water. It also features a type of PowerBait technology that specifically attracts that hard to reach fish. Combine this with the enhanced flavors, and you’ll be attracting bass in spots where you didn’t even know they existed.
Best for big bass: Booyah Bait Company Pad Crasher
- The adjustable spinnerbait-style legs
- Weighted perfectly for pulling through slop and lily pads
- The ½ soft plastic design offers just the right consistency for solid construction and consistent hook-ups
- Chines on the belly make walking the frog in open water easier than with most frog lures
- Not nearly as many color and design options, although there are still a few
- You only get the 1 lure with purchase
The Booyah might not come with as many color options as the other two on the list, but its ½ soft plastic design is just the right consistency to ensure solid, consistent hook-ups. Not only this, but you’ll always remain weed and snag-free when you are fishing in weeds and slop.
Another great thing about this lure is the chines located on the belly.
The chines make walking the frog in open water easier than you’d ever imagine. Combine this with its perfect weighted design of 0.32 ounces, and you’ll never have a problem pulling over slop or through pads for big bass.
Most realistic: Lunkerhunt Lunker Frog
- Ultra-realistic. Possibly the most in the world
- Wide gap hook along with other high-quality components
- Super-soft rubber body makes hooking a near 100 percent consistent thing
- The legs expand and retract like a real frog
- Used primarily for bass, pike, and musky in freshwater environments
The Lunkerhunt Frog Lure is without a doubt one of the most realistic available on the market today. Just look at the thing and it is nearly impossible to tell its a lure. It even features replica adult frog legs that swim and extend when you are reeling in. They’ll retract when you pause.
The lure also comes along with a high-quality 4/0 wide gap hook that’ll make hooking that bass a 100% consistent thing.
Combine this with the hollow body and super soft rubber design, and you’ll never have to worry about not hooking a fish. The lure also features a weedless body design that makes it perfect for fishing in hairy situations. You’ll never have to worry about getting caught or snagged.
Great performance: Lunkerhunt Prop Frog
- The double prop feet ensures that you will attract attention
- The wide gap upturned hook will ensure that you’ll hook the fish and he’ll stay hooked
- Designed by a company that is dedicated to providing innovative, high-quality fishing products
- 3.5 inches long with a lightweight design of only ½-ounce
- Small weeds might get tangled in the prop feet, but cleaning every few casts will do the trick
- The legs have to be kept clear or they won’t attract attention
After you saw everything that the first Lunkerhunt on this had to offer it probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise to see another on here. While the two might be made by the same manufacturer, they do have distinctive features and looks that make them stand apart.
This model here is not available in as many color options, but it doesn’t feature 10 of the most unique designs that you’ll find out there today. You can choose between the Blue Gill, the Croaker, Green Tea, the Texas Toad, and more.
Another neat thing about this specific lure is that it is equipped with double prop feet. What does this mean? It means that the feet were specifically designed to make a lot of noise on the water. They’ll create the kind of disturbance that you need to make it easy for fish to track the lure. Active and reactive fish will not be able to resist the temptation.
The integrated hook system encases the body and sits perfect right between the prop feet where the fish will be attracted. The frog I 3.5 inches long and only weighs in as ½-ounce. Combine this with its unique weedless design and you won’t have a problem in the world cruising this bait over the water.
Good alternative: Spro Bronzeye Frog 65 Bait
- Evenly balanced to land belly-down every cast
- Tons of enticing colors and designs available
- Designed for heavy cover or open water fishing
- Lightweight design offers longer casting distances
- The streamers are a bit longer and can cause misses, but they can easily be trimmed back
- It does include a hook, but not a good one. This can also be rectified by simply switching out the hook
Next up on the list is the Bronzeye Frog 65. And, if you thought the Livetarget came available in a variety of options, you haven’t seen anything yet. There are so many enticing and exciting colors and designs available that it’ll make your head spin.
With a weight of only 0.2 ounces, you won’t have a problem putting this lure wherever you need it to go. It also comes along with a hook, but one might want to switch to a trailer hook to get the most from the lure.
Buying Guide
For the information above, you can already see that there is a lot of frog lures on the market. These are just a few of the thousands that are currently available on the market. While these are some of the best frog lures, you can clearly see that they are not without fault. And, no lure or product on the market today is.
However, as long as you go into the buying process with an open mind and informed as possible, you won’t have a problem finding a lure that will help you complete whatever task it is that you are looking to complete.
How to find the best frog lure for you
When shopping for the right frog lure there are tons of things to consider. However, one of the first that you’ll want to look at is the size. The size can dramatically affect not only the cast and distance but the size of the bass that you’ll attract.
Most hollow bodies come in about the same size, while there are some models that do vary. You might be surprised to hear this, but it is the bigger baits that get fewer bites, while the smaller versions appeal to much more of the population and give you the highest potential of getting your prey.
Color is also going to come into play. You’ll obviously want a frog lure that is as near realistic as possible to the species that you are shopping for. However, here is an interesting tidbit for you. Most bass have what is known as dichromatic vision. What this means is that they have color on each end of their spectrum. And, the two colors that they can recognize on a higher percentage than other are red and green.
Types of frog lures
You can see from the information above that there are varying types of frog lure available. The most important thing to understand is what each lure has to bring to the table.
Hollow Body Lures – The hollow body is the most popular in the industry. Most of them are made with the same features as well as the same sizes.
However, some models will vary. Some models might feature a pointed nose, whereas others will offer a cupped nose. Besides this, they are all pretty much made the same. The body is made to be extremely soft so that they’ll collapse and expose the hook when bitten by a bass.
Popping Frog Lures – Popping frog lures are another type of lure currently available. These models usually feature a cupped face that creates a loud, strong popping noise that will drive fish crazy.
Many models also feature a custom-designed weight that is shaped and positioned out of the way of the hook. These designs are made to be responsive as well as easy to impart and walk. The models with extra-wide hooks are more effective and will ensure you have a better chance of hooking your prey.
Hard Plastic Frog Lures – Another common type of popular lure available today is the hard plastic frog lure. You learned earlier that the hollow body lure features a soft rubber body that will squeeze down and expose a hook when the bass bites it. Well, this won’t be possible with the hard plastic models. They feature what are known as dangling treble hooks that ride against the body. Don’t worry because they are specifically designed to glide over weeds and woods without snagging. These models are usually only designed to be slightly weighted. These models are also usually only for open water environments and come with concave faces designed to catch water and create more of a disturbance.
Best frog lure for bass
You can ask any angler, fisherman, or expert what the best frog lures for bass are, and you will get varying answers. The truth of the matter is that there is no best. It really depends on your specific situation and what you are trying to achieve.
Are you fishing for smallmouth? Maybe you are going for largemouth in open water environments. Perhaps, you are fishing in a small backyard pond. Whatever the situation is, all of these things are going to factor into your final decision.
That being said, there are some key factors that you’ll want to consider. You learned earlier how the size and color will affect you.
Well, these are not the only factors that will come into play. You also have to worry about the hook. Most lures will comes with a hook installed from the factory. Some of these can be swapped out while some cannot. The hook will be crucial. It’ll not only help you snag your fish, but it’ll ensure that he stays hooked. Most of the models above featured a wide gap hook. And, you really cannot go wrong with these because they’ll usually feature a more aggressive bend that increases penetration.
Other things that you will want to look for are realistic designs and movements. You’ll want a frog lure that expands and retracts its legs so that it not only mimics a real frog, but it creates a noticeable distraction that will attract attention every time.
After Thoughts
You can clearly see that the frog lure market is vast. Not only are these tons of products, but there are tons of things to consider when shopping. As long as you know what you specifically need and shop with a recommended manufacturer, you won’t have a problem finding exactly what it is that you are looking for. The key is knowing what you need.