New Harrison Hoge Superior Frog... for superior top water action!
 

Total Score: 8.53

Introduction: Weedless frogs are a blast to fish with when the top-water bite is hot.  It's just a thrill to see a bass engulf the frog in an explosive charge!  Harrison Hoge Industries has been selling frog lures for bass fishing for over 40 years.  They have re-designed and improved upon what has been catching fish in the previous years and introduces a brand new "Superior Frog."  The Harrison Hoge Superior Frog comes from the same people who bring you Panther Martin lures.
 

Impressions: Many frogs use a double hook design that faces upward to make themselves weedless.  The Harrison Hoge Superior Frog is different.  This frog is an improvement on the legendary Bill Plummer's Super Frog.  There's a single sharp 5/0 Mustad hook on the belly of the Superior Frog and a double wire weed guard to prevent it from snags when fished in heavy vegetation.  The legs are designed to dangle in the water like the real thing.  Another thing to note is the body, its solid and made from soft-durable rubber that is not too hard nor too soft.  When squeezing the Superior Frog with your fingers, you will notice how elastic the rubber is; this gives it a more realistic feel to the fish.

After speaking to Mr. Hoge he explained how having the hook on the bottom would increase your chances in hooking the fish with this design.  Like many top-water lures for the open water the hooks are not placed on top, they are usually hanging on the bottom for a good reason.  The fish strikes the bait from the bottom-up, not the other way around.

Tests: First things first.  Since the Harrison Hoge Superior Frog is a top water lure I first dropped it into the lake and analyzed how the frog floated.  The Superior Frog had a little more than half of its body in the water with the rear end being slightly heavier.  Thus creating a posture of how a real frog would be sitting afloat in the water.
 

Taking a closer look I noticed the eyes are always at the waterline.  If you have ever watched a live frog sitting in the water not moving, the eyes are always right at the waterline or millimeters right above that level to watch for predators.  Harrison Hoge designed the Superior Frog as close to a living frog as possible.

Casting: Both the 3/8 and 5/8oz. Superior Frogs cast far and accurate.  I was able to easily cast the frogs about 90 feet from Zander's Nitro with a sideways cast.  You might expect the legs to get in the way or create a great deal of air resistance, but surprisingly it did not.  One very important thing with all frogs, it must ALWAYS land on its belly... the Superior Frog does exactly that.  I was casting the frog in all possible ways I know and I even tossed it hard towards a rock wall at the lake.  Each time the frog landed on its belly, just like a cat always landing on all four legs.

Retrieving: When the Superior Frog is retrieved you will notice something that's pretty exciting. The legs that used to be bent are now stretched out like the frog is actually kicking.  You can retrieve the Superior Frog slow, fast, or which ever style you like to fish top water frogs.  

Okay, during the winter it's pretty tough to find weeds or lily pads in the local lakes to test the weedless Superior Frog.  I found a "bush" sticking out of the water so I proceeded to toss the frog there and see if I can get it snagged, but I couldn't get the frog to catch anything.  Maybe the small amount of weeds were not enough to catch the hook on.  Later on I kept on casting the Superior Frog on a thick lawn.  After each cast I would take a close look at the hook to see if there were any grass on it.  Again I was not able to snag anything.  This frog is weedless. (I will conduct additional tests when there are more weeds in the water and will update my findings if there are any changes.  Some might want to know if the frog landed on its belly on the lawn? Yes it did!)

Winter-time frog fish?:  I was out testing the frog this weekend.  I did not expect to catch anything since it's winter time.  The weather was cold in the morning, but it quickly warmed up to the low 70s.  The water temperature at the North part of the lake was reaching around 65F while other parts were still 50s.

I kept on casting the weedless Superior Frog in the shallows near sub-merged trees and other nearby structure when all of the sudden a largemouth bass darted towards the frog and took it.  I waited until there was slight resistance before I set the hook.  BAM! Fish on!

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Conclusion: The Superior Frogs are one of Harrison Hoge's latest lures introduced this year.  After a re-design this frog leaped forward with improvements and performance over the Bill Plummer's Super Frog that sold very well for many years.  We at TackleTour definitely expected the Superior Frog to perform better than the Super Frog, and we were not disappointed. This frog can really move in the water, and key to its appeal is its remarkably lifelike looks and action.

Have fun and keep on fishin!