One of the latest inventions from one of the original names in the game, the Scum Frog Launch Frog is quite the character. With a few unique features, the Launch Frog somehow defies the laws of physics. It’s easy to cast, floats well, takes on and dispenses water without human aide, uses two weights instead of one and boasts a fantastic hook-up ratio straight out of the pack. That’s a whole lot out of one bait build, let’s take a look at how they did it.
AGAINST THE GRAIN
The most perplexing of the bait’s features has to be the large opening at the rear of the body of the bait. This abnormally large opening allows water to enter and exit the bait freely. Where most frog designers make every effort to prevent water from entering the hollow body of a frog, Scum Frog went another direction entirely. And, it works.
Somehow, when this bait hits the water, it sinks for a split second like all frogs, and then it pops up and the water that has entered the bait upon landing, runs right back out of it. This totally eliminates one of the main nuisances of frog fishing, having to squeeze a bait every 10 or 12 casts to evacuate any water that has entered it. This isn’t necessary with the Launch Frog, since it literally cannot hold water.
RAISED HOOKS
Scum Frog also did something that should be mandated with every hollow body bait; they incorporated a hook with upturned hook points right out of the pack. Most frog hooks come with the points running parallel to the back of the bait, making the lure almost weedless. However, this admirable effort simultaneously creates issues with the hookup ratio. So, it’s basically a given with almost every other hollow body frog on the market, that you’ll have to open up the hooks a bit to increase your hookup ratio.
Needing to bend the hooks up comes as a given to most anglers, and a tip that’s included in every how-to-frog piece ever written. But Scum Frog decided what other’s saw as inevitable, wasn’t acceptable. The 5/0 Owner Double Frog Hook they used comes with the perfect pitch to its points. This is a big deal too, since eliminating the guessing game of how much is too much when bending the hooks up prevents doing too little or too much. Too little, and the hook won’t penetrate the fish. Too much, and you may weaken the hook, which creates an opportunity for a big fish to open it up even more on the fight and free itself.
Kudos to Scum Frog for eliminating this task and all the guesswork that comes with it.
WEIGHTS
Scum Frog built two separate weights into the Launch Frog. A small brass weight can be found in the tail of the bait, as is the case with most hollow body frogs. But the real secret to the design of the launch frog can only be found by looking inside the bait.
Their proprietary “parasite” tungsten weight comes molded onto the shaft of the hook of the Launch Frog. This ensures the bait is perfectly weighted to maximize casting distance, walk easily and sit perfectly in the water each and every time. With the weight positioned well up onto the shaft, it in no way inhibits the body of the frog from collapsing on the bite, ensuring the added weight does nothing but help the lure overall.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON LAUNCH FROG
With a price point of $9.99, the Scum Frog Launch Frog offers increased casting distance and perfectly positioned hook points straight out of the pack, which sets this bait apart from several of the industry leaders in the frog category. Available in 8 printed color schemes, there’s a black, white, brown or green variation for almost any situation you’d want to throw a frog.
Using their proprietary parasite weight system, and somehow debunking the theory that keeping water out of a frog is the best way to make it float, Scum Frog did a good job reinventing the wheel with their Launch Frog, creating a reasonably priced powerhouse of a bait that can be pulled from the pack and fished effectively by an angler of any skill level, no modification needed. This makes the Launch Frog a solid bait if you’re feeling kind of froggy.
Find the Scum Frog Launch Frog at these online retailers:
