It’s coming up on that time of year where us angler’s are going to be using a lot of hollow body frogs as the lakes see their summer vegetation come into full bloom. An alternative that we don’t see many people using is the Paycheck Baits Transporter Frog. There are a lot of choices out there for consumers these days when it comes to frogs.
Differentiating one from another can be problematic as they all have so much in common. Well here’s one that certainly takes the basic frog and adds some well thought out wrinkles to that formula.
The Transporter Frog is a hollow body frog bait. So where or how does it lay claim to being unique? There are a few features that, when combined with the advantages of other baits in this class, set it apart.
The first and most obvious is that while most frogs on the market use rubber strands to form the just back legs, the Transporter goes one step further by adding another “pair” of legs in the front of the bait to mimic the fore legs of a frog. This creates a profile that is very different from the standard two-legged bait.
Another feature that is built into the Transporter is the cup on the front of the lure. While there are numerous frogs out there whose only action is walking the dog and some which are considered “popping” frogs, the Transporter gives the angler the ability to do both during the same retrieve. For that matter, the angler can, by altering the speed, timing or length of their rod tip pops, change their retrieve to achieve any number of fish attracting surface commotions. This also happens to be one of the easiest frog baits to walk the dog with.
The components of the Paycheck baits are high quality and have proven to be very durable. The plastic used for the body, while not the softest that we have tested, is soft enough to allow for a respectable hook-up percentage within this genre while also being more durable than most.
The way that the double hook is arranged in relation to the body may have something to do with its outstanding weedlessness as well as the better than average hook-up ratio. When the body is compressed, the angle of the hook points is several degrees higher than horizontal. You would think that this would make it more prone to picking up much when you’re fishing the slop. It doesn’t because the hooks sit about 1/4 of an inch below the top of the back of the bait.
The rear “legs” on the Transporter are positioned behind the hook shank as opposed to in front of it. How many times have you used a frog, only to retrieve it and discover that the legs are now wrapped up in the hook. In our testing of this bait that hasn’t happened even once.
This frog lands on its belly the vast majority of the time. The only time we have seen it land upside down was when skipping the bait in tight quarters. However, a quick snap of the rod tip solved the problem instantly.
The bottom line is that, in our opinion, the Paycheck Baits Transporter Frog has taken the hollow body frog to the next level. It is a solidly crafted lure that serves its intended purpose very well.
There are several color patterns available to facilitate finding one that will work in your area including ones with dark bellies if you happen to enjoy throwing ribbits after the sun goes down.
| Transporter Frog | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |   |
| Solid bait worth a look | |
See ya’ on the water …