With spring well on its way in the majority of the country, our thoughts — and I’m sure we’re not alone — are again turning toward fishing with a frog.
Yes, there are any number of frogs available to the angler these days but very few of them combine as much versatility as one that we obtained last season that has become a first stringer for us.
The Jackall Gavacho’s body is 2.75 inches long with the longest tail, in the center, adding another almost 3 inches. It weighs about 5/8. The body is streamlined in the front around the cupped mouth while getting wider in the rear to accommodate and very effectively hide the double hook. The material used is soft and easily collapses when a fish bites.
There are three tails on this frog with the center tail having about double the length of the other two which protrude out of the back close to the center. The material used for these legs is more sparse than on many of the frogs out there which gives it a subtle, natural look in the water as well as making the legs flare more easily.
The weight is round centered above the double hook on the underside of the bait. The double hook itself comes stock with the hook points upturned to increase the hook-up ratio. There is a small hole just in front of the tail to provide drainage.
A Sparse but Excellent Color Palette
The Gavacho comes in 6 colors, all fairly natural on the underside to mimic not only whatever amphibians you have in your local waters but also forage fish. While this may not sound like a lot of variety, we have and still do maintain, that you really don’t need a lot of colors on topwater baits. It is the silhouette and action that ultimately determines whether or not you will get a strike.
When we took this frog out of the package we really looked at it in terms of whether or not there was anything to modify prior to tying it on and throwing it out there. We decided not to change anything — no leg trimming, no fiddling with the angle of the hooks — nothing. Leave it bone stock, start casting and let the chips fall where they may.
The Jackall Gavacho Frog was introduced as a popping frog but is so much more than that. It successfully marries a popper that can produce everything from subtle sprays and bloops to explosive bursts that get the attention of fish from distance.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it is to walk the dog. In this regard, it really behaves much like a small popper. Every little twitch of the rod tip sends it swimming one direction or the other with some degree of commotion caused by the cupped mouth.
At Home in Every Type of Water
We have found that the Gavacho is equally adept at drawing strikes in dead calm situations as it is in breezy conditions due to the fact that changing how you retrieve the bait alters how much of a disturbance you create.
While Jackall designed the Iobee to be fished in sparse cover, the Gavacho was designed to be thrown in the nastiest slop on the water. It accomplishes this superbly. The hook points are extremely well hidden and rarely pick up anything.
In spite of the hidden hook points, we have found that our hook-up ratio with this frog has been almost unequaled. There are very few other hollow bodied baits that have resulted in as many fish landed after the strike than the Gavacho.
Typically we’re throwing this on a medium heavy/heavy action rod. We’ve been using #40 braid primarily with some outings requiring #65. In either case, the Gavacho casts well, doesn’t spin in the air and consistently lands in the right position.
We really can’t say that any one retrieve has resulted in more fish than another. You’ve heard the old adage, “Let the fish tell you how they want it.”. Jackall nailed it with this frog because you can vary your retrieve in so many ways that it’s difficult to run out of potential alterations.
The Gavacho Holds up to Punishment
The baits that we have been fishing are very consistent in every way including the fact that they almost never fill with water while fishing them. We know several other frogs that simply cannot make that claim it’s frustrating to constantly have to squeeze out your frog between casts. Thankfully, the Gavacho doesn’t have this negative characteristic.
We’ve been using the same several baits for almost an entire season and have yet to have one fail despite catching a bunch of fish on every color. We really don’t have a number in mind as to what is acceptable in terms of fish caught per bait but these frogs have certainly taken more punishment than others that we have tested.
You can find this frog in most retailer/e-tailers for about $10. For what you get in this lure it’s a bargain. There are a lot of choices out there in this genre but we can’t think of any that provide this combination of quality with versatility for this price.
In the final analysis, the Gavacho has proven itself to be a cut above the vast majority of its competition in the key areas that matter. This is one bait that, if you haven’t tried one yet, you should.
| The Jackall Gavacho Frog | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |   |
| A go anywhere, do anything frog | |
See ya’ on the water …
