Will Frog Lures Work Inshore? [Z-Man Goat ToadZ Review]
- By: Matt Lanier
- on September 20, 2023
Will Z-Man Goat ToadZ work inshore?
I don’t think anyone out there can get enough of topwater action.
Getting those fish fired up and aggressive to strike the surface is unmatched.
So can frog lures trigger the same behavior from inshore saltwater fish as hard-body topwater lures?
Let’s dive into it!
Z-Man Goat ToadZ Review [VIDEO]
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Topwater lures come in all different shapes and sizes with treble hooks or single hooks at different points on the lure.
As we exit summer and head into early fall, floating grass becomes a problem.
But, what if I told you there was a lure out there that triggered topwater strikes without catching any grass?
And on top of that, it needs no special retrieve at all…
Introducing the Z-Man Goat ToadZ Frog Lure!
A lot of people out there may not consider this as a bait for inshore saltwater fishing.
We’ve just recently added these to our online tackle store.
Perks Of Topwater Frog Lures
Topwater frog lures have the hook right on top of the lure.
So this does not collect floating grass because of that hook placement as opposed to traditional topwater lures.
Additionally, most topwater lures are walk-the-dog style or you need to impose action on the lure.
That is not the case with frog lures.
You can simply toss these lures out and reel them straight back to you.
The lure will sit right on the surface and the dangling legs behind the body of the lure displace water and create attraction.
Also, you can pause and retrieve this lure to have it sit right on the surface whenever needed.
When To Use Frog Lures
To start, first thing in the morning is always a good time for topwater bites.
However, frogs can be used at any time.
Moreover, these frogs are easily skippable beneath mangroves or docks.
Hook Choice
For these Z-Man Goat ToadZ, my go-to hook choices are Z-Man ChinlockZ SWS Weighted Hooks or Mustad Grip Pin Hooks.
Any type of hook that is exposed along the backside of the lure will match up well with these frog baits.
The reason I recommend the hooks I just mentioned is because of the lure keeper on the top of the hook shank by the nose of the lure.
That keeps the bait in place and prevents it from sliding down the hook.
3/0 or 4/0 hook sizes will work just fine.
When it comes to the weight of the hook, I recommend using a 1/16 oz. or 1/8 oz. weight.
Anything heavier than that can cause the lure to swim a bit deeper than intended.
Furthermore, the weight placement helps the bait land flat on the surface.
Z-Man Lures
Z-Man lures are extremely durable and can withstand catching a bunch of fish over a few trips.
However, because of that, they are not very dense.
They don’t cast as far as other frog lures might.
But they will last longer than other frog lures simply due to the material.
FINDING THE FISH HELP
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
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The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
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Hey thanks Matt . I would like to see a rigging video
That video is coming soon! We gotcha covered!
Love the bass/salt game combined. I would love to hear other LMB lures you have tried. I’ve tried most in my bag. Original floating Rapala, Ploppers, Senkos(wacky and texas), lipless cranks, and Geecrack(Bellows Gill). Always a blast seeing who hits what .Mangroves are just saltwater bassin IMO.Right?
They are deadly on the flats for sure! Most bass presentations will work with inshore species! Throw em all, said Peter Paul!
Thanks Matt!
Yessir! 💪
Good information! I tried a frog years ago at St. Marks but with no luck. However, that was because I didn’t know what I was doing at the time! LOL Thanks for your videos.
Hope this helps John! Go get em my friend!
That sounds exciting. Can’t wait to try it. Up here in the Crystal River we have a lot of shell bars and grass flats. This could be a real winner here.
They will love it in that area for sure! Great area to fish!
You sure can catch in Shore fish on a Topwater frog, because it happened to me! I was in a local freshwater canal that I knew held some snook, and I was casting into the grass along the shoreline, and ripping it out of the grass when a nice 26 inch snook hammered it! He struck it so violently and missed with his mouth but hooked himself right in the last bone of the tail fin. i’ve also hooked another one there in the same spot on a size 90 whopper Pllopper in the perch color.
That’s epic! Thanks for watching Daniel!
Great info. I caught one of my pb trout on a frog. Not this particular kind. I will be ordering me some of these.
That’s awesome! I already know it was a slob! These are definitely a different kind of look!
Lots of grass on mobile tensaw delta this time year. I’ll give this a try try next time out. Thanks
These work great in those areas with a lot of grass! They skim right on the top! Go get em David! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
Thanks Matt for sharing a fresh water bass trick with the salt water fans because I have been using all the salt water slam shady and jerk baits up here in Michigan for bass and have been crushing them up here. Tight lines
That’s awesome that you are crushing it up there! Love hearing those reports! We appreciate you watching!
I really enjoyed the video. Doug really knows his stuff. He’s one of my favorite keep up the good work.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a nice comment, Thomas! We appreciate the kind words!