Buzzfrogs

another bait i was going to throw in the mud is the all popular "buzz frog" many makes and models of this particular bait. i personally like the zoom horny toad and trixie shark by reaction innovations. when i first got into this trend i  started with a yum buzzfrog. big waste, knobby feet didn't kick up the water quite right and  it had to be real led at blistering speed to get a buzz out of it and keep it on the surface. the rod had to be at the  10 o clock position to get it to work. it just didn't do well at all. it really almost killed my buzzing frog drive, and for sure i won't ever get another knobby footed frog bait. luckily saw some reviews that led me to the horny toad from zoom.......... now this is an awesome bait! buzzes like a buzz bait and totally weedless. throw it into the thickest cover drag it out and hang on! first the negatives. it tends to flip over quite often with the hook facing up, have tried both the slot side down and the back side down and both side flip or equally. have recently tried a weighted swim bait hook and this has helped lessen but not gotten rid of this problem. with the hook up it buzzes the same but i have noticed it dosent hook up as well when a fish hits it. and this slot for the hook. it appears to be on the underside, i understand its to make less plastic for the bait to have to go through to get to the fishes mouth but if it were on the top you'd accomplish the same thing  and still be weedless and have NO plastic for the hook to go through to get to the fish. hence i turn my baits upside down and use it in such an manner and have been quite happy with the results. now the positives, the horny toad is awesomely weedless, throw it into the grass and drag it out no problem, into the thickest limbs no problem!  it dosent have to be burned till your arm falls off to get it to work. keep the road at a comfortable position , even to the side it dosent have to be high in the air to get the action to work. it does land upside down quite often with the belly of the hook up but it you hesitate a second or two it rights itself even with an unweighted hook, you just have to reel fast at the start to get it up on plane. zoom makes several hooks for their toad. nothing special just 5/0 hooks with a deep  throat and a twisted keeper on them. 2 per pack so if you can find a similar hook at a better price by all means!! bought some hackney double frog hooks to try but was very unimpressed with the hookup ratio and you do get stuck a bit more as the hooks are exposed along the legs of the frog.all in all a great bait and well worth having in the boat! The trixie sharp is very similar in every way to the hornytoad. same problems same action. couple of  things different though. first you get a lot more in a pack , 5 horney toads vs 8 trixie sharks. 4$ for 5 toads and 5$ for 8 sharks, better deal for the sharks. same hooks work  in either the sharks are longer and sleeker. it comes through the really thick stuff just a bit easier then  the toad. everything else is the same as far as action and  how to work it. have recently seen the strike king rage toad in action and am impressed, will get those next. the toads and sharks are kinda like a subtle buzz bait, not to over powering. however the  rage frog by strike king throws a ton of water so it may be the better bait for dirtier applications. the same rig i use to throw my hollow frogs with i use to throw these as well. a 6.3.1 left handed quantum tour edition pt reel on a  6'0" medium heavy shakespear intrepid rod. 20lb spider wire with a albright knot holding a 5ft seaguar 8lb test fluorocarbon leader. this rig is my all around buzzbait and frogging rod. hopefully the water clears enough to get some frog action before they drain the lake outa the grass these next few weeks!