Living in the south, I’m able to fish a frog for the large majority of the year. As long as the water temperatures are over 55 degrees, you’ll see multiple frogs on my front deck during each trip to the lake. This familiarity with the technique has resulted in me becoming pretty darn picky whenever I test new frogs. I’ve definitely developed a mental list of things I do and do not like in a hollow body frog.
I first got the Megabass Big Gabot in the dead of winter. For months, I couldn’t wait to start catching fish on it. In terms of sheer aesthetics, it’s one of the prettiest frogs I own, so I had really high expectations for it.
Fast-forward to present time and I’ve been catching ’em on this frog for about a month. I probably have about 30 hours of fishing it so far. It’s a bigger frog than what I normally throw, but I think there may be something to the unique, large profile. I’ll quickly go through my favorite features of this high-end bass fishing frog.
Final impressions
If you like to fish frogs, this is a premium option you certainly shouldn’t sleep on. While the color patterns are remarkably lifelike, don’t mistake the Big Gabot’s beauty for fragility. It’s a true workhorse that truly excels in the nastiest, thickest cover you can possibly find. After I finish writing this piece, I think I’ll go cast it around before dark. I’m a big fan of this frog.
The Megabass Big Gabot is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
It has some size to it
The Megabass Big Gabot is a good bit larger than most frogs you’ve probably fished. With the body measuring 3 inches and weighing in at a hefty 3/4 ounce, this frog has some serious meat to it. I would certainly suggest throwing it on a heavy-action rod if you’re able to.
Because of its weight, you can skip this frog a mile underneath overhanging limbs and boat docks. It has certainly become one of my favorite frogs to skip. It doesn’t grab a bunch of water, so it’s incredibly easy to slide underneath cover. I’ve had some huge bites recently skipping the Big Gabot under wooden boat docks. I guarantee you that I’m putting this frog where bass never see ’em, which gives me a huge advantage over other anglers.
When you skip the Big Gabot, you don’t have to put your full strength into every cast. It skips very similarly to a jig or weightless worm, so even if you’re not used to skipping docks with frogs, this particular frog will help you get the hang of things within just a few casts.
Unique mouth design
The Big Gabot features a catamaran mouth design that does two very important things.
First, it allows it to spit water throughout the retrieve. It makes a different spitting sound than any other frog I’ve ever tested, which is probably another major reason I’m getting so many bites on it. My home lake gets hammered with frog fishing pressure for much of the year, but I’ve been going behind guys and catching good fish with the Big Gabot. That unfamiliar sound is a huge deal when you’re fishing pressured waters.
The catamaran-style mouth also stabilizes the body and reduces any rolling when a bass explodes on it. Generally speaking, you’ll miss a bunch of fish if you’re using a frog that rolls. When that big bass comes up on it and it rolls on its side or back, you have a very small chance of connecting with it. The Big Gabot, however, stays upright even during the most violent blowups I’ve had.
You can see the Big Gabot in action in this video we filmed with professional angler Chris Zaldain.
Incredibly easy to walk
You could give this frog to a total beginner and they’d be walking it like a pro within a few minutes. It’s almost impossible to fish it incorrectly, if I’m being honest.
I’ve also really liked how much action you can impart to the frog while it stays in place. Whenever you’re frog fishing, it’s imperative to keep your frog in the strike zone for as long as possible. The I can walk the Big Gabot about a half-dozen times and it will only come towards me about an inch, at the very most.
Sometimes you have to coax a big topwater strike and this particular frog is an expert at doing just that. Whether you’re trying to keep it next to a key grass line irregularity or in the deepest, darkest shade underneath a boat dock, its unique design keeps it in “the juice” for a long time.
Outstanding quality
Megabass has always been known for outstanding quality and high-end fishing lures. The Big Gabot will further bolster that reputation, without a doubt.
It seems like I have to throw a lot of frogs away; probably more than any other type of lures in my collection. If you don’t store them just right or leave them in the heat too long, many frogs will just start disintegrating. The legs will fall off, the bodies will become warped and the hooks will begin forming surface rust.
I have been blown away by the quality of the Big Gabot. The legs are a bit shorter than other legs, but I like that because I get fewer short strikes that way. The legs also stay attached and in mint condition, even after dozens of violent blowups and countless skip casts. The specially formulated body material holds up to abuse without any issues whatsoever. I’ve caught a bunch of nice bass on them and you can barely even see teeth marks.
Megabass also went the extra mile by including a custom-designed hook bend, hook angle and wire diameter on the Big Gabot. The hooks are incredibly strong and do not bend or warp. I’ve been fishing it on a heavy-action rod and 80-pound braided line and they’ve held up wonderfully.
