flaswimbaiter Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Description: The product under review is the 3:16 No Bullfrog, which is a soft plastic, topwater frog bait. The product comes four to a package and includes an 8/0 Gamakatsu G-Mag hook. The bait is designed with a slot for the hook and an air pocket in the center portion of the bait to keep it afloat. Rigged with a hook Close up Top and bottom The size of the bait depends on the position of the legs, relaxed the bait is 6.5â€, when fully extended it reached 7.5â€. Size comparison to a Wake Jr. First Impressions: Living in Florida, utilizing frogs is a necessity when fishing these weedy lakes and I have had great success in using different types. I was on the fence about using such a large bait considering I have never seen any frogs that big in my area, however, after speaking with Mickey I decided to give them a try. When I first took the bait out of the package I was amazed on how realistic of a silhouette it had, because ultimately the fish is going to be looking upwards toward the bait. The baits realism speaks for itself, as you can see from the photo below compared to an actual frog (thanks shinner) and compared to other baits on the market…..well, there really isn’t much of a comparison in reference to size or realism. Rigging: For step by step instructions, refer to the 3:16 website. http://316lurecompany.com/baits/frog.html Or the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzwM7rpQrr4 Rigging the bait is no different than rigging any soft plastic such as a Mission Fish. As you can tell from the following photo, the gap allows more than enough room to assist in hooking a fish. The baits come with small depressions on the nose and just underneath between the eyes to use as a guideline when rigging. Simply run the hook through the nose, then through the bottom just under the eyes and though the body slot. When skin hooking the bait, make sure not to go too deeply or you could damage the air pocket which could cause the bait to sink on the retrieve. I prefer the hook that comes with the bait because if you get caught on weeds or wood the bait will just slide down the hook with not damage, it would just need to be readjusted. I would recommend not using a bait keeper type hook; this would rip holes in the nose that might be difficult to repair. I also recommend gluing the small hole that leads to the air pocket, just to guarantee not water can get inside. Color selection: I started with black because I fish mainly during low light conditions or at night. My second choice was green to “match the hatch†when fishing during lighter condition. In speaking with another member, he preferred white because to him almost all frogs have a white belly, which is also a valid point is selecting that color. Ultimately it depends on water clarity, weather conditions, and the user’s personal preference. 3:16 offers a nice variety from black, green, brown, and white, although I would like to see the pink used in the demonstration to become available. Hint Hint Performance: The only thing more impressive than the lures realism is its versatility. Normally you would need different types of frog baits to fit a particular situation, such as a buzzing bait, popper, walking, etc., but with this bait you can achieve it all. The lure if very effective in walking and gurgling through the pads or over mats and due to its size and weight it sits much lower, which could increase your hook up ratio. It can be buzzed across the surface spitting water and can be popped or chugged then deadsticked, which is my favorite technique. When you are walking the bait with short twitches, the legs kick back and forth like a real frog, to demonstrate, the following videos are of a real frog moving across the surface and the No Bullfrog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUA3qBRrZQc Because of such realistic kicking action, the bait could also be weighted and worked subsurface. Unfortunately being winter and my pool temperature being in the low 60s, I could not shoot any underwater footage. Here are some videos of the bait in action. Walking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw5jN9u4bIk Popping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-fANgxdL6Q Buzzing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esR82jkZb2w Castability was a doubt in my mind when I first saw the bait, I could just imagine those long appendages just flapping in the wind, but I was surprised how well it casted. The legs fold up which prevents it from flopping or spinning. You have to remember also that is a large, somewhat heavy bait, that floats due to the air pocket, not because of the material it is made of like some other lures. I have no problem casting this bait with my swimbait set up, which is an 8†MH XF action swimbait rod and an Abu Revo reel. However, I found that I can get a little more distance with my 7’ 11†Cumara MH XF combined with my Curado 200E. I did discover recently that attempting to toss this bait with a fast action or medium rod will greatly reduce your distance, whatever you use it needs to be stiff. One negative I found would be the placement of the air pocket. Although I doubt any reasonable changes could be made to the bait, I believe it would an improvement to move pocket out of the way of the hook. The top portion of the bait if very thick which prevents the pocket from being penetrated, but there is always the possibility. Another issue, which is easily remedied, is on long cast water can be pushed into the air pocket preventing it from floating. There are to solutions to this problem, the first is to glue the small hole at the end of the pocket inside of the hook slot, the other would be to thumb your spool and slow the bait considerably so it plops down gently, therefore preventing water from being pushed up into the cavity. I have found that sometime when it does sink I give it a hard jerk and it begins to float again. I can only assume it pulls the water out of the lure. Durability: There have been some doubts raised about the lures durability, but I have to say that I have not seen this at all. Of course the baits get damaged, but all soft plastics do. I found that the bait normally pulls down on the hook when caught on something, which prevents damage and it also glues back together very well. I was also impressed by the legs, they have small joints and I thought for sure after a few fish they would get ripped to right out, but that wasn’t the case. I actually still have my first four baits; I just keep gluing them and reusing them. I also found that the plastic does not have much of a memory. Due to fishing from shore I have to travel light and cram my frogs into a small tackle box and every time I pull them out they are not disfigured and work just as they are supposed to. Effectiveness: In the short time I have been using this lure I have had good success catching fish up to 7 pounds. Mostly this bait does keep the smaller fish at bay; most of my bites have been gar or larger fish. I started using the baits during the fall when the frog bite normally slows down, but it has still produced. I anticipate a very productive spring and summer this year when the frogs come out in force. Conclusion: If you use frogs and are looking for a very weedless, realistic, versatile, larger bait, the 3:16 No Bullfrog would be exactly what you are looking for. I don’t believe there is another frog bait on the market that can compare, there are some negatives of course, but he positives far outweigh them. Dave (flaswimbaiter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer 4 Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Wow!!! Great write up..I've been on the fence about getting some of these, not no more..Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcanaday495 Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 nice review I am going to have to pick a few up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinner Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Great review and break down Dave... well put together.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flaswimbaiter Posted January 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thanks again for the pic, it really says a lot about the bait. And if any of you guys don't agree with me or have something to add, please speak up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubberdaddy Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Thorough and detailed, nice job man. Definitely gonna give these a go this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDBEAD Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Very nice Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicknick222 Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Great Review and fish! Makes me wish i had more weed cover to throw around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spotfisher Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Great review Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echoedd Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Love the detail and def the videos. Lookin good!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TacklemanTybs Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 thats what the review section is all about. great read now i gotta get my frog rod in to try them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Baiter Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 WOW!!! Great Review, Dave!! Gotta get me some soon... I heard that the 6/0 Owner BEAST is a good hook for those, and i plan to pick some more of those up, already use them for the Mighty Minnows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWIMBO Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 nice review brutha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke V. Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 I need to pick up a variety pack for summer, they will wreck fish here. Thanks for the VERY detailed review it was very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBbassin Posted January 30, 2012 Report Share Posted January 30, 2012 Great review! Ive been wanting to pick up some of these for a while now. Great pics and video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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