FISHING BAIT Product Review
Review: Zoom Horny Toad

Horny Toad get the nod
Zoom Bait Co. has always had a spot in my box but now I guess I have to add more with another new, innovative product that flat catch’s bass. Zoom's latest innovation, the Horny Toad, is another example of how soft plastic manufactures continues to get creative.

The colors are fantastic too (18 colors to date), and the product design is flawless. Two of our favorite colors are green pumpkin/pearl and watermelon/red pearl. Whether you flip, cast, pitch or buzz, Zoom has led the way in so many areas and the Horny Toad is no exception.
The new Horny Toad can be utilized at all depths, and it can be flipped and pitched. But ultimately, it's at its best in the warm months, fished weightless and buzzed or hopped near the surface. Pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn bass love them and because it's rigged weedless, it can be fished around all sorts of cover elements.

Erratic retrieves work best and the Toad can be skipped and pitched under docks and low-hanging tree limbs. This 4 1/4-inch bait is available in five-packs. It has a belly slot for a 3/0 or 4/0 hook, and has the patented, tapered Ultra-Vibe split-tail legs that produce a vibrating ripple effect. The bait's perfectly balanced and it's too much for an aggressive bass to resist.

The Toad's frog-like appearance – with dual backbones and froggy bumps – makes it a standout in clear-water environs. But because of the vibration, it can be fished in dingy and muddy water equally well. The V-shaped belly of the bait serves as a keel for near-surface cranking, and because of the body design and frontloaded weight, long casts are not a problem – even in windy conditions.
It draws tremendous blowups when fished over and around vegetation, and because of its buoyancy, it can be "dead-sticked" on weedlines, on and around tree limbs and near shallow structure. Back it up with a Fluke and the Fluke, the Horny Toad adds another solid performer to my arsenal. A must buy!