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Dean designed a frog 20+ years ago (took him and SPRO 15 months to get it right) that's still winning tour-level events. That's pretty amazing. I mean, think about how many new and different frogs have come out since.
Anyhow, since the SPRO Bronzeye 65 played a part in the last 2 tour-level wins of the '25 season, and since both Jacob Wheeler and Pat Schlapper dropped some hints about certain Bronzeyes being better than others, I thought – let's ask Dean about it. Here goes.
1. Have you noticed that certain colors of Bronzeyes are softer than others?
> "Yes and there's a lot of different variations. It's not that the bait is different. A lot of times the layers of paint that they apply on the bait itself – matte colors, gloss colors – each one of those is a layer of paint. At times they can seem a little harder than others, but once you start catching fish on 'em they get softer and better.
> "It's almost like they're getting broke in, like a baseball mitt. Once they get broke in, that's when they're at their best. And when you get the right action, the right hookups, you don't lose them. That's what makes [Bronzeyes] so good."
Is there any way to quantify how long it takes for a [harder] frog to get softer?
> "Not really. It's just a matter of the areas you're fishing – if you're skipping it, fishing it over a mat, target-fishing over vegetation. If you're skipping it and hitting things – whether it be a seawall, a rock bank...every time it skips on the water, it softens and gets better and better.
> "We've been doing this for almost 25 years now...we've got a handle on it now where we're really consistent on the softness of the bait. They just get better with age. ...when you see the pictures of their frogs and there's paint coming off them, that's when they're at their best and they excel."
[He mentioned that the SPRO frog is intentionally built to get better as you fish it. So maybe judging a particular frog right outta the box isn't the best idea, and just leaving it in the sun or boiling it isn't enough – because it's not the same as fishing it.]
2. Why is frog softness so important in terms of hooking fish?
> "The softness of the frog is important to a certain degree, but there's other things that affect that. You could have a soft frog with the hooks bent into the bait – you're never gonna hook the fish.
> "...sometimes it can get too soft, and when it hits the water...it collapses, and when it fills back in it sucks in water. That's what causes them to start sinking...they're too soft at that point.
> "When I designed the bait, I designed it around the hook – for the best possible hookup ratio. That 4/0 Gamakatsu Superline Hook is the deal. It doesn't stretch. It'll bend a little bit so you can modify it...but that hook doesn't break and you can catch 50-60 fish on it and not even have to worry about sharpening it. It's amazing.
> "Keep in mind that we're dealing with soft plastic that at times is not molded completely perfect. It's not like a hard mold.... [So] there are various things you can do with the frog to increase your hookup ratio.
> "Obviously opening up the hook points. A lot of that is dictated by the cover you're fishing. If you're fishing over spotty grass, holes in the grass – you really want your hooks pointed straight up.
> "...take your finger and run it over the back of the frog. You should feel the hit of both points without even compressing the frog. If you don't feel the point, take pair of pliers and open it up to where you get poked.
> "The more you open it up, the better the hookup ratio but you will grab more grass...give and take...."
3. Why does the Bronzeye lie right side up more often than not?
> "Because it was designed to do that. It's a heavy hook for one, and 2 it's the weight position on the bait as well. It doesn't matter if you're skipping a cast up underneath a bunch of trees, even if it lands on its side, it will roll right back where it needs to.
> "...it's designed to roll and sit perfectly when it enters the water. A lot of people have tried to copy it and they can't get it. The way I designed it, it's tough to copy and get it right.
> "[His peers on tour] say, 'Dang Dean your frog just catches them. When I really need one, I use it.' They're being honest...makes me feel good...."
4. What's 1 key to frogging guys need to know?
> "I always tell them don't be afraid to get it hung up. Because it's weedless – it's not gonna get hung up. So don't be afraid. You can throw it in the middle of a tree and you're gonna get it out of there. So don't be afraid.
> "You'd be amazed at how shallow bass get. They'll be in 6 inches of water and you wouldn't think there's a bass there. Throw it where you don't think one would ever be and you'll see what happens."
5. What are your favorite colors and why?
[He said he could rattle off 15 but I limited him to 5 lol.]
> 'Midnight walker' – "Our jet black with red eyes. Anytime, anywhere, it works."
> 'Killer gill' – "For a shad-pattern frog it's top notch."
> 'Diamond back' – "It mimics a lot of different creatures that crawl under the water."
> 'Outback' – "A natural-tone frog."
> 'Natural red' – "Our brown one. That and 'diamond back' are top sellers. Brown is steady and it's a great color. ['Natural red'] is part of the original 7 colors we started with [along with] 'midnight walker'...."
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