Thursday, April 26, 2012

Mann's Super Frog Review


       

  Mann's Super Frog:   Colors: 7     Weight: 3/8oz    Pack Count: 1


Intro:

Super frog huh? There are a few companies now making large claims when naming their frogs.. We looked at the Venom Bully Frog last week (I only wish the Bullies I knew growing up were that soft), and this week it is time to look at Mann's Super Frog.. let me tell ya, although it is a quality product Im having a hard time finding it's super powers.


Overall Rating: 6.6/10
Each frog is rated on the following criteria: Quality, Castability, Presentation, Hook-up Ratio Available Options, Product Availability & Price


Quality: 3.5/5

Anyone familiar with the Manns lineup of baits, knows that they make a great product. The Hardnose frog is one of my favorite soft plastic frogs and the -1 series of cranks has been in my arsenal for years. The Super Frog is no different and is extremely well made, with a dense durably body and premium hooks this frog will hold up well.


Castability: 3.5/5

The Super frog feels heavier on your rod then it's 3/8oz weight would lead you to believe. It casts well for distance, and the wider flat belly also helps if you like to skip frogs up under cover.


Presentation: 3.5/5

With a wide body and short legs, the Super frog has a decent profile when in the water. It moves well across the pads and other structure. I personally dont find the body conducive for easy walking, but it can be walked.

I like to use this frog with short twitches rather then the standard walking motion. I will slowly drag the frog across the pads keeping my rod tip moving with short twitches. I use the frogs weight and size to it's advantage. It sits well on the pads, and I use my rod to continuously bump (or tap) the pads almost like knocking on the the fishes front door. You will get less casts using this method, but you will give the fish a more aggravating look at the frog

If fishing an area with sparser cover, I would move to a better walking frog

Hook-Up Ratio: 2.5/5

This is the area the super frog really looses it's super powers. Looking at the design of the frog it has a couple strikes against it right off the bat. The wider body and even wider leg span are not conducive for ensuring that fish gets as much of the frog in it's mouth as possible.

The hooks are low set, and somewhat blocked by the way the frog body is moulded. This does help your retrieve (less snaggs) but it also means there is more plastic to get out of the way when the fish hits. Lastly, the body is firm, and even when firmly pinched the hooks do not stick out as much as I would like (see image below)


Availability: 3.0/5

Manns Bait Company is fairly well know in both Canada and the US. Their product line is widely available by all the big guns, and many of the smaller ones. Not all have full selection, and at times this frog is not available when other products like the hardnose  and -1 series baits are. I dont know why, as this frog has a good price point


Options & Price: 4/5


If we are talking super powers, price is definitely one for sure, priced on average at $5.49 this frog can be easily found under the $5 mark.. thats about half of what many major brands are currently selling their hollow belly's for.

You have 7 color options available for the Super frog, like always I look for a High vis option as well as a natural colour. In this case Manns has you covered in both of these areas.





Where to Find:
In case you are having a hard time finding these locally, here are some reliable options for you.



Gander Mountain ($4.99)

Bass Pro Shop ($5.49)

Mann's products are pretty widely available, you should have little problem finding this frog during your travels, but you man only see limited color options



Equipment:

As with most hollow body frogs you are going to want some power. I like to use a Dobyns 736c, it has the right amout of tip and backbone to cast frogs a mile, and pull fish out of the thickest meanest cover.. actually I would call it a super rod.. so I guess it is the perfect match


For line selection I will be using 50lb Sunline FX2, this line was designed for frog fishing by Dean Rojas, and who am I to argue



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