Last year after years of good luck with 3 dollar frogs the new Spro frogs looked like something I had to have.Any one else have hook-up problems with these?Seem the rubber is too hard to allow it to collapse enough to expose the hooks on a bite.Any tricks to improve hook-up.Tried bending hooks a little but does not seem to be the answer 
Spro Frog’s bad stay away 
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Any one else have hook-up problems with these?Seem the rubber is too hard to allow it to collapse enough to expose the hooks on a bite.
Are you sure you have Spro Frogs and not an off brand?
The Spro is spendy but my favorite frog by far.
Yes,they are a couple years old but they were that way since new.Hooks seem good quality and are sharp.Just seems as tight as frog is to hook,and hard as the frog is the window to set the hook would be narrow.Have they maybe softened the frogs up on newer ones?I have pretty good sucsess with softer frogs.I like the way they look in the water.Good luck getting bit just low hook up ratio.
I have used the Spro in red and it sure does the job. If you bend the hooks in any direction I would assume they will start catching weeds in heavy slop.
I have had the same problems with the Spros. Deffinately makes you mad when an 8 dollar piece of plastic has poor hook ups no matter how cool it looks. LOL. I agree, it seems like the plastic is a little hard to compress. The cheap scum frogs don’t hold together as well, but compress easy and have way better hook ups IMO. The only down fall is the weighting. I have seen a tip to cut up a plastic worm and stick that inside the scum frog for added weight. This year I am trying the Cabela’s name brand frogs 6 for $20. They are bigger and heavier than the Scums’s, but seem more flexible than the Spro’s, with comparable color patters. We will see how they do this year.
LOVE the SPRO product! Not trying to be a smart 
, but could it be the direction of your hook set? Just a thought.
FDR
Using mono, floro, or braid? Just a thought. I see a lot of guys using to light of action rods or mono and miss a lot. I love’m and don’t miss that many legal fish that take them.
Spro frogs are one of my favorite frogs 
Don’t have any problems with hook-up when they get bit.
Ron
I make note to check every Spro frog out carefully – even taking it out of the package to examine. Some frogs are molded softer than others, and if you happen to get one a bit tougher, usually it just takes a few hookups before it loosens up.
You may want to check out another frog which is made up of a different composite rubber – River2Sea…it’s a more sponge type rubber but yet very durable.
I throw both – always on braid. Rods can vary – but something heavy..like a Dobyns 765 or 805 frog/flip/pitch rod. Don’t hesitate to bring her home on the hookset…especially in the heavy stuff
I am trying the Tru Tungsten frogs and have been impressed.
Nice chamber, strong hook and good pastic / colors.
Dog
I’ve tried some cheaper frogs but have always gone back to the SPRO frogs. I use 65lb braid and a 7’1″ heavy action Kistler rod. Good luck on finding something that works for ya.. 
If you can find them you might check out the Bass Pro Shops new Kermy Frogs. They look identical to a Spro or Tru Tungsten frog. The main differnce is the $3.94 sale price tag. They have been a sale item during the Spring Classic and have been hard to keep on the shelves. I think regular price is $4.99.
being that I am the “OLD RAT” because of the Old Lloyd Tallent rat that was before he sold to Mann’s.. I can tell you that the Spro frog is very similar to the original rat in density.. almost the same feel..
the key is two things..ultra sharp hooks..
and then.. waiting to see if the rat is GONE before you set the hook.. I have balls of steel when it comes to waiting..
I can wait until the rings die if I have to.. I just don’t premature hook set.. and this is where you lose fish..
9 times out of 10 the fish doesn’t have the rat.. you see the big splash and all .. but it just doesn’t have it.. period..
I use 17lb MONO that’s seasoned.. meaning that its not new and springy.. its old and FLAT.. all the stretch is pulled out of it.. I have used up to 25 lb line.. but its not needed.. and I don’t use a colored line.. I did.. I used Solar when it first came out.. and it looked like I could drag any two trucks in the parking lot with it.. and it cost me fish ..so just a clear low stretch line..
and I use an old 7 foot Skyline rod that has more graphite then all your rods in you rod box combined.. and it weighs about a 100 lbs.. with a METAL reel lock.. its a beast..
the big key..is does the fish have it.. if it actually is in the fishes mouth.. and you wait.., they ain’t gonna spit it out.. You will hook them..
over 20 plus years of rat fishing proves me correct.. and I have some that are 22 to 25 years old.. and I use them..
I have not had any problems with the spro frogs but I like the Sumo frog made by Boze better.
I don’t have an answer yet, but I don’t like what I see from most of the frogs on the market. 
Take a look yourself, but when I pinch down the back (tail) of most frogs, it seems there is too much material in the way to expose the hooks. Between the legs and the rear weight button, it’s hard to get a ½” of clearance. The one that seems to clear easiest is the Bobby’s Perfect frog. I did pickup a BPS Kermmy and it looks good but has the same hook space issue. If anyone has the answer, I’d like to hear it!
John
I’ve never had any issue with a SPRO frog i love them. I think last year the fish were hitting frogs different and werent exploding on it like normal. A lot of people ive talked to about frog fishing last year had problem hooking up with fish i think because of that reason. Maybe its just me but did you guys experience the same year last year?(fish hitting the frog differently)
Guess i never thought of it but now that it was mentioned. Last year especially I do remember having to wait what seemed like a long time in order to get good hook ups. When i would get excited and rush they wouldnt be hooked real well or i wouldnt get em at all. Just a though..
I want to add one more thing( groan).. I have no tails on my rats. zero.. and I use them for over matted cover only..
I use a scum frog for OPEN WATER.. because they walk better.. but the nose rips on them a lot..
and for pads.. I USE A METAL SPOON. why? because the rat isn’t heavy enough for the fish to feel in pads.. and the spoon I use is a backwards spoon with the wide end first.. for lift.. and it makes a big difference..
this is not gospel. it’s food for thought and one man’s opinion..
I am still using Bill Plummer Super Frogs… 
Like the ol Rat I used Skyline Rods…they are tomato stakes now…but I don’t think they were high on graphite%…I think they were heavy on the E-glass (like the old Fenwick Lunker Sticks).
We whupped a lot of bass on those though…
Some days they just don’t eat em’ that good. Particularly after they have been pressured.
Some days I can’t miss them and some days I have them blowing all over and can’t hook one. I use the Spro or Bobby’s perfect. Like them equal
The bronzeyes are a great frog! I always pre-examine them before the purchase to make sure the hooks are close to the body. And if I get them out of the package and they are “tough”, an afternoon on the dashboard will usually soften them up 
thanks for the tips Old Rat…good stuff to consider…
I went to braid a couple years back and have had my hook ups improve dramatically. I don’t wait long to set the hook…but I ‘feel’ for them before I do…if they’re not there, it does little good to HIT ’em…
I’ve also started to use a Horny Toad even over matts…finding it’s just as good at getting hits…only time I use a SPRO now is when the fish want it floating AND sitting still…
That point about rod position on the hookset? dead on…set ‘straight up’…I’m typically making as long of casts as I can with frogs (30-40 yards)…and with a 7 foot Heavy action Fast tip rod…I just flat Hook em…and I don’t give them a lot of time to ‘swallow it”’
but the key is: make sure you ‘feel them’ before swinging…I’m always amazed at just how long a bass will hold on to baits…and how often (I think) we as anglers actually snatch it away from them…
Think we watch too much TV and the ‘heavy hitters’ who’ve convinced us that we have to set NOW, NOW, NOW…
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Some days they just don’t eat em’ that good. Particularly after they have been pressured.
Some days I can’t miss them and some days I have them blowing all over and can’t hook one. I use the Spro or Bobby’s perfect. Like them equal
Ditto that!
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You may want to check out another frog which is made up of a different composite rubber – River2Sea…it’s a more sponge type rubber but yet very durable.
Love these things!
I have used several diff frogs. Time and time again I go back to the trophy scum frog. I don’t know if its a local thing or not. Now that’s all I will buy, there about 4-5$ a piece but worth every penny.
As Slop said, there seems to be quite a variation in the “hardness” of individual Spros. I also take each one out of the package in the store now before I buy.
HOWEVER, if you have some old frogs that seem a bit hard, let them sit in the sun on your dashboard for a day, then when they heat up most seem to get softer, and if you then bend them and squish them it seems to make them softer and easier to compress long term. It has worked for me for most of my harder fros, but a few are still pretty tough.
I also really like the River 2 Sea frogs.
I’m with old rat. I think frog fishing is more in the technique than in the frog itself. I have probably used just about every frog made, and as far as I am concerned, the SPRO outshines the rest. It sits in the water right, walks real good, doesn’t take on water very easily, excellent Gamakatsu hooks, and very very durable. The key is waiting before you set the hook. After you hear and see the splash, count to 2. And because you are excited and counted very fast, count to 2 again. The hammer the hookset home. I am either just lucky or good, but my hook-up ratio is much better than most report. I use nothing but 65# braid and a rod that more closely resembles a pool cue with eyelets attached. I like the Spros so much, that when they get so worn that holes begin to form, I use clear silicone RTV to seal the holes, and keep using the frog.
I have used the spros and didn’t like them, however I am now using more of the swim frogs and also a snag proof frog, last year I anly used about 6 of the snagproof frogs and about 100 swim frogs and had a blast. Also take a look the skirt out of the back of the frog, sometime the fish are grabbing them and not the body, try trimming them down shorter to see if that makes a difference on your hook up ratio. One other thing, if you leave one side longer, it helps with the walk the dog and also makes it look like a wounded frog with the slowly turning frog after popping it.
Shane
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