Dean Rojas remembers 2000 as the year he became utterly smitten. Spoiler alert: Since Rojas has been happily married to his lovely wife Renee since 1996, we ain’t trying to stir up trouble — we’re talking about the topwater frog’s enchanting allure.
Floating frogs certainly were not a new item, of course, but this was the dawning of a new age. For Rojas, discovering the strategic complexities of a general technique existing for decades spawned an intimate relationship that would yield one of the bass industry’s most impactful lure designs.
“I kind of fell in love with it because the way I fish a frog is such a different technique,” Rojas said. “It’s not your traditional frogging where you just throw it over a mat or in and around matted vegetation; the way I do is more target-oriented. I’m skipping it and throwing it into places you’d normally never throw a bait.
“It was intriguing to have a new technique and then apply it to all the different lakes in the country. Fishing on tour, I was going all over the country and at the time, it was like an open book; I could go wherever I wanted and see if I could catch them on the frog.”
The more he threw a topwater frog, the more Rojas realized the incredibly broadened spectrum of viable frog targets. He also realized that he wanted particular details in the frog he threw.
Rojas’ frogging fascination yielded the SPRO Bronzeye 65 frog — a benchmark creation celebrating its 15th anniversary this summer. Designed with an easy walking form, a narrow profile ideal for sneaking into and out of heavy cover and a Gamakatsu 2X-strong EWG Double Frog Hook, the Bronzeye’s body material does a good job of getting out of the way.
“I designed it so the body would collapse to dispel the myth that frogging is a low percentage hook-up ratio,” Rojas said. “I wanted a bait that would look good on the shelf, but would perform at the highest level on the tour and for the most novice angler who was fishing a farm pond.”