I’m literally all but shaking with excitement right now. Oh how I love a good hollow body frog review. This is probably my favorite tackle category to review, as a frog is definitely my favorite bait to throw.
A hollow body frog is the epitome of a power fishing bait, while it also has a nice air of finesse to it. You can use a frog to lure lunkers up through the thickest mats and you can subtly twitch one in open water to softly talk a finicky bass into biting too. You can catch a tournament kicker on a frog and you can also fill a limit with one.
A frog is the bait in my opinion for anyone looking to have fun while fishing. I think the new Swamp Lord from Berkley is a pretty legit one.
SOFT AND STRONG
The first thing I noticed with the Swamp Lord is that it’s made of a super soft material. The company apparently identified this as something that sets their bait apart from other frogs, going as far as incorporating a hole in the top of their packaging so you can stroke the little fella on his back. Nice touch, literally.
Thus, I got a feel of the bait before I ever even tied it on. Since having done so though, I’ve found that the material is as strong as it is soft. I’ve been fishing with the Swamp Lord for about a month now and I’ve definitely caught a few fish on it. More importantly, I’ve thrown it into some nasty stuff.
It’s traversed a half mile of laydowns and trash mats, been snatched out of many an overhanging bush and beaten, banged and bounced off docks, seawalls and… the occasional pontoon. Sorry Karen, truly. All this to say. The little guy is quite durable.
A STRONG HOOK
The most important thing with any hollow body frog is the hook. Without a quality hook, the best frog on the planet is worthless. I like the Fusion 19 frog hook that Berkley went with for the Swamp Lord. It’s sized well, sharp and strong. It’s also poised for action right out of the box, unlike the hook on some other frogs.
Most frog fanatics will bend the hooks up a bit on their frogs. This is because most frogs come with their hook points running parallel to the backs of their frogs, some even turned down. Opening the hooks up a bit to bend the hook points upward increases your hookup ratio greatly with most frogs. However, there is the danger of opening the hook up too much, making it weak or taking away it’s weedlessness.
The Berkley Fusion 19 frog hook comes already set at a good angle straight from the factory. I chose to leave this hook stock during the testing of the frog and, other than a few short striking fish that simply rolled on the bait, I hooked the fish that bit and got them to the boat.
AN AGE OLD BATTLE
Every lure company has to confront the same old question when it comes to designing a frog: how do we keep the water out? Some companies like Scum Frog leave big holes in the backs of their frogs where the hooks exit, so the water can flow in and out freely. Others have little holes in the rear of the bait that water can be quickly squeezed out of. Not many have taken the approach of the Swamp Lord.
Berkley launched an all out assault on intrusive water by adding a rubber collar around the hook shaft, one that in effect plugs the hole in the frog where the hook exits. This works pretty well at keeping water out, but when a little water does get in the bait, it’s hard to squeeze it out because of the same collar.
Water getting in a frog has never really bothered me personally, as long as it doesn’t cause the frog to sink. A quick squeeze or two every now and then will expel any water that gets in most frogs. I appreciate the effort by Berkley with their solution to the problem. It works as well as any I’ve seen. I think the guy that really hates water getting into his frog will really like it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I like the Swamp Lord. I think it’s a well thought out frog that skips and walks easily. It’s built using strong and durable components. The hook angle and efforts to keep water out take a lot of the guesswork out of frog fishing for the newcomer. This frog is a little bigger than some of the other walking frogs I regularly throw at 2.6-inches, but it’s not too big to catch a small limit-filler on.
Available in 12 really good looking colors, each at a price point of $9.99, the Berkley Swamp Lord is a pretty sweet frog. It’s durable, it gets bit and it puts fish in the boat. Pretty easy bait to recommend if you’re in the market for a new frog.
