I had been curious about the River2Sea Spittin’ Wa for quite a while. Being a big fan of frog fishing, this was one of the only hollow-bellied frogs on the market that I hadn’t ever used; until several weeks ago. I finally got my hands on a few and I’ve twitched and popped this sucker until my forearm looked like Popeye’s. I’ve learned a lot about it throughout my testing and wanted to share my experiences with my fellow froggers.
Unique cupped mouth
If there’s a similar-looking frog out there, I sure haven’t seen it. The River2Sea Spittin’ Wa features a prominently cupped mouth that’s much more rigid than similar popping-style frogs. That’s not to say that it’s inflexible, however, as you can see in the photos. The deep cup surrounding the line tie catches a bunch of water as your pop (or walk) this frog on the surface, which makes it an excellent option for breezy days or in off-colored water.
When popped aggressively with your rod tip, you’ll hear a distinct “bloop” sound, much like you would on an old-school popper. With lighter twitches of your rod tip, it has more of a splashing sound to it, which has proven to be an effective presentation on glass-calm mornings and evenings.
Also worth noting is how incredibly easy this frog is to walk; it’s one of the easiest-to-walk frogs I’ve ever tested, which actually surprised me given its unique shape. With very little effort on your part, the Spittin’ Wa will dart side to side, regardless of your preferred retrieve speed.
Small mouth openings create a bubble trail
This is a really neat feature that, to be honest, I totally missed when I first took the Spittin’ Wa out of its package. There are two small openings on either side of the cupped mouth that create an intriguing bubble trail as you retrieve it. The bubbles are larger and a bit more noticeable when you’re fishing it slower, but you’ll still achieve a big bubble trail when you’re walking it quickly across the surface. I can’t say for sure that my bites have been a direct result of these bubbles, but I do know one thing: I haven’t seen another hollow-bellied frog make this type of commotion in the water.
I was initially worried that these small holes might make the mouth-section more prone to tearing after several fish catches, but fortunately that hasn’t been the case. The construction has proven to be rock-solid and there are no signs of ripping or tearing.
Outstanding collapsibility
This is perhaps my favorite characteristic of the River2Sea Spittin’ Wa. The body of the frog is made from very soft plastic which allows for a very high hookup ratio when a bass bites. The hook points are angled towards the spine of the bait, but I haven’t really had to bend them like I do with many other hollow-bellied frogs. I think this small angle adjustment is important for such a soft frog. If the hook points ran more parallel to the body, I think you’d get snagged a lot more on grass and limbs when fishing heavy cover. This angle protects the hook points from that happening.
The Spittin’ Wa is built around a 2/0 Black Nickel Double Frog Hook that’s super sharp and resists bending and warping, even with aggressive hooksets on 65-pound braided line and a heavy-action rod.
Low-profile stance
I’ve noticed that this frog sits much lower in the water than many others and the keel-shaped body helps the frog cut through the water easily and efficiently. As I mentioned before, I have enjoyed a great hookup ratio with this frog and this low-profile stance may play a small role in that. There’s certainly more “meat” in the water for the bass to grab ahold of. Many of my bites have been smaller “slurps” and not those giant blowups you might be accustomed to.
The Spittin’ Wa doesn’t leak much water, either. I’ve never tested a frog that doesn’t get at least a little bit of water inside after a few dozen casts, but this particular model only requires squeezing every 10 minutes or so. I’ve used several different colors of these frogs and have yet to have one sink on me.
One of the many bass who fell for the Spittin’ Wa
I would have left the frog in her mouth for the photo, but there was a problem: She almost ate it too well. A lot of these bass are really choking this frog lately and this one was no different. She just came up to the surface and barely slurped it, but she almost swallowed the entire tail-end of the frog. Instead of keeping it lodged into her throat for a photo, I decided to remove it so I wouldn’t risk harming her.
Available at Tackle Warehouse
If you’re looking for a topwater frog that’ll show the bass something a little different, I’d certainly recommend trying a River2Sea Spittin’ Wa. It’s versatile, it’s durable and the hookup ratio will definitely leave you impressed.
The River2Sea Spittin’ Wa Frog is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
