There are few things in the world of fishing that can excite a fella like fishing topwater frogs. In this post, we will focus on one soft body frog that has been a staple in my bag for years – the Booyah Pad Crasher. As one of the most popular frog baits out there, the Booyah Pad Crasher has won the hearts of many fishing enthusiasts due to its effectiveness at a reasonable price point. It flat out catches fish, and unless you are a sponsored angler, it should be in every budget angler’s arsenal during the summer. Let’s dive in and see why it is such a lethal option for fishing during the summer.
What Makes the Booyah Pad Crasher the Ideal Frog?
The Booyah Pad Crasher is not your average frog bait in it’s price range. It offers sticky sharp hooks, a soft body design, and seems to cover open water and thick vegetation with ease. Many budget friendly frogs ($4 to $8) tend to struggle in any one of these areas, and never seem as durable as the Pad Crasher.
When you hear the name ‘Pad Crasher,’ it’s no accident – it is, indeed, a pad-crashing machine. The Booyah Pad Crasher is versatile, and can be skipped in tough to reach areas like overhanging branches or under docks with ease. You can walk it extremely well in my experience, which is often what many cheaper topwater baits seem to lack. It also rarely gets hung up in extremely thick grass or “slop”, which is a huge plus.
While I won’t say the Pad Crasher is the end all be all for frog fishing, for many folks like myself who can’t stomach paying $10+ for a frog that will inevitably get beat up and eventually not fish correctly, I find this to be the best option in that price range. In fact, I like this frog so much I have dedicated a 3600 Plano box strictly to it. After a fishing trip, I always reload the box with my preferred colors that I know will get bites at the body of water I am planning on fishing next.
Booyah Pad Crasher Hook-up Ratio
For any angler, the hook-up ratio is always an issue when fishing topwater frogs. Depending on the frog, there is no amount of modifying that you can do to it to get it to fish correctly. No angler wants to experience the disappointment of losing a catch after a dramatic strike, and if you are like me, you get increasingly frustrated after missing a few fish due to a bad hookup. This is where the Booyah Pad Crasher truly excels.
The double hook design, tucked alongside the body, enables the Booyah Pad Crasher to come out cleanly even through dense vegetation without snagging. This configuration allows the hook to penetrate the bass’s mouth quickly and efficiently, which significantly increases the chances of a successful hook-set. Many frogs do not have upturned hooks and you have to spend time constantly bending them up with pliers, which both weakens the hooks overtime and wastes precious minutes on the water. The Pad Crashers come straight out of the box with angled hooks to alleviate that issue, and I can’t recall a time where I ever needed to bend the hooks on a day out on the water. While
Best Booyah Pad Crasher Rod & Reel Setup
In my opinion, frog fishing doesn’t require crazy fancy gear to have success. I like to keep it simple stupid. Get yourself a 7′-7’6″ Medium Heavy or Heavy rod, a baitcasting reel with at minimum a 7 speed gear ratio, and 20-50lb braided line. That’s it. I also don’t think these have to be expensive setups either. You simply need a rod that has enough backbone to horse a fish to the boat or bank and a reel with a solid drag system.
For as long as I remember, I have been frog fishing with a discontinued Berkley Lightning Shock 7′ Medium Heavy rod and a Lews LFS Speed reel. This combo cost me around $100 at the time, and has pulled in countless bass. Find a combo you trust and enjoy, and don’t overthink it. Granted, this is for my Midwest guys who don’t have the crazy thick slop you folks in Texas, California, or Florida do. For you fellas, I would probably lean towards a Heavy rod for that extra power for any frog related fishing.
Favorite Booyah Pad Crasher Colors
While the design and mechanics of a lure play a significant role in attracting fish, color is another critical factor that can influence your success on the water. The Booyah Pad Crasher comes in a wide range of color options, allowing anglers to choose the most enticing option depending on their fishing conditions. While all colors have their special use cases, some personal favorites include Ole Smokey, Albino Frog, and Bullfrog. You can find any of these at your big box stores, but Tackle Warehouse has the largest selection on hand that I have found. As a hot tip, these frogs often go on sale several times throughout the year. Check out this article on how to buy these frogs for over 50% off if you play your cards right.
1. Ole Smokey
This color pattern is a mix of grays, blacks, and silvers, with the belly being white. If I only had to throw one color/type of frog again, this is it. I have a hoard of Ole Smokey’s just in case Booyah discontinues this color on me. I have had luck throwing this in every weather condition possible, and will always be my first choice regardless.
2. Albino Frog
The Albino Frog color is a unique blend of white and yellow with a white belly. This color scheme is highly visible and is a great choice in stained or murky waters where visibility is low. The bright color of the Albino Frog Booyah Pad Crasher stands out, acting as an irresistible target for hungry bass.
3. Bullfrog
The Bullfrog color pattern is a classic, designed to imitate the natural colors of a typical frog. It features a blend of green, brown, and yellow with a yellow belly, making it an excellent choice for fishing in vegetation-heavy waters. The Bullfrog Booyah Pad Crasher is your go-to option when you want to stick to a natural and realistic presentation.
I will not pretend I am an expert of frog color selection, these are what I have found work best at my particular lakes. For some more in depth analysis about when and where to throw certain frogs, refer to the guys at Wired2Fish for some other ideas on what is optimal.
Final Cast
In the world of frog fishing, the Booyah Pad Crasher has made a name for itself as an effective, reliable, and versatile lure. Its design offers a superior hook-up ratio, and its diverse range of color options ensure that you can adapt to any fishing condition on a budget. So, whether you’re planning to fish in a serene, clear-water lake or a vegetation-crammed marsh, you can rely on the Booyah Pad Crasher. Get out and crush em.
Tight lines,
Dawson