Here comes the boom

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There is nothing like the weather warming up and the frog bite going bananas. Very rarely will you find a fisherman that doesn’t enjoy throwing a frog. Pitching it into a shade pocket and watching it disappear as you set the hook to the sound of your braid squealing through the guides. You won’t find much better than that.  

Frogs come in countless brands, colors, styles, and sizes. One brand that always seemed ahead of everybody else was Snag Proof. They had more colors than you could count and some of the best frog fishermen ever helping design them. When you think of frog fishing, a few names immediately jump off the page. Those guys are Bobby Barrack, Fred Roumbanis, and Ish Monroe. I was fortunate enough to catch my first frog with Barrack during a Snag Proof Event. I remember it like it was yesterday. Bobby pulled me to the side and asked me why I wasn’t fishing the event and I told him because my dad was already fishing it with his tournament partner. I had only heard about how fun it was but never experienced it for myself. We hopped in his boat and pulled up to a random patch of grass in the middle of Big Break. A few casts in, I caught my first frog fish. It was a four and half pounder on the Snag Proof Bobby’s Perfect in Wild Bullfrog. I was hooked. The vicious blow up had my heart pounding through my chest and I wanted more. I only used Snag Proof from there on out and didn’t see the need to try any other brand. Fast forward to 2016, the company had switched owners and factories which led to quality control problems. It got to the point where I had to buy multiple frogs just to find one that worked properly. Frogs aren’t cheap and they typically cost around ten dollars each. After that, I stopped using their products. I felt let down and didn’t want to waste my money hoping that I would buy one that worked anymore. After that, I started to experiment with other brands and found some that worked but nothing seemed to compare to the original Snag Proofs that I grew up throwing. Early this year, I saw that Fred Roumbanis was working with Stanford Baits on a new frog and it immediately peaked my interest. I knew that with Fred’s background as a great frog fisherman on the national stage that it would certainly be worth a shot.  

I ordered a few of them from Tackle Warehouse and was very impressed when I finally got them in my hands. I could tell these baits were built with good quality plastic that collapsed with little pressure. They are very unique with a flavor savor patch on the back that acts as Velcro to snag a fish’s teeth when they strike. After tinkering with it, the only thing I had left to do was get on the water and fish it.

That afternoon the frog bite was tough but it didn’t take long to see the Boom Boom Frog produce. It is pretty easy to like a bait when it catches fish. I was impressed with how easy it walked right out of the package. You barely have to twitch the rod tip to make it walk. I caught a few other smaller fish on it and was eager to spend more time on the water throwing it and seeing what else I could catch.  

After a few more trips, I became a believer. This frog flat out gets bit even when other frogs won’t. That was enough to show me that this bait is special. I pair it up with a Spiralite Defiant 7’6HF and P-Line 65 Lbs TCB braid. My reel choice tends to vary with a frog but lately I have been throwing it on a Shimano Curado K in the 8:5 gear ratio.

The one thing that truly stands out about the Boom Boom frog is that it is incredibly durable. That particular frog pictured above has well over fifty fish on it and it’s not showing any signs of wearing down. That’s a testament to a great quality bait. I’m use to frogs lasting me 5-10 fish max before they end up in a pile at the bottom of the boat. My final verdict is that this bait is a must have for any frog fisherman. If you don’t own any yet, do yourself a favor and add them to your arsenal.