The Toad Thumper Lure Co. plastic frogs

These plastic frogs make stubborn bass sing a different tune

The boy who grew up fishing for bass and catfish with his dad, grandfather and/or great-grandfather stayed awake nights more often than not thinking of creating artificial lures.

Cody Cannon never lost his desire to design something that catches bass, even when his chosen career took him on the road as musicial front man for Whiskey Myers. When coronavirus-related restrictions shut down the popular country music band’s travels in Spring 2020, the Neches, Texas, native took advantage of the unexpected break and did something about his dreams.

Two years later, bass anglers who enjoy catching bass on quality plastic frogs rely on Cannon’s Toad Thumper Lure Co.’s Thumper, a popping frog, and Swamper, a walking frog. Both hit the market in April thanks to Cannon, his friend and business partner, Cody Tedford of Bentonville, Arkansas, and another friend, company COO Jaron Tipton of Dierks, Arkansas.

“When you make anything, a song or a fishing lure, you might like it but other people might think it stinks,” Cannon said with a chuckle.

Overwhelming

To date, Thumpers and Swampers are smelling like roses based on the response since being introduced at the 2022 Bassmaster Classic Expo at Lake Hartwell during April in South Carolina.

“It’s been overwhelming. It’s been great,” Cannon said.

And it’s been a labor of love, a love for bass fishing and froggin’, his favorite type of lure.

That Texas boy who fished so many years with his dad, Russell Cannon, his grandfather, the late Billy Cannon, and his great-grandfather, O.J. Mack, said those trips remain his most cherished memories. Today he lives near Palestine, Texas, a well-traveled musician, and he’s oh-so proud of his company’s initial success with an artificial lure he designed.

After 14 years touring with the band, 2020’s abrupt stoppage gave him a chance to clear his mind. He embraced the calm period and the natural, creative juices flowed. He started drawing pictures of artificial lures, thinking, ‘Hey, I can do better.”

His goal was to correct what he called three basic flaws in most plastic frogs: Hookup ratio, action and taking on water.

“If we had simply focused on putting a new lure on the market, we could have done it in a matter of weeks,” Tedford said. “But Cody wasn’t having it. We went through so many molds and made so many changes. He was adamant that we wouldn’t call it done until it was perfect.”

“He’s the brains behind this,” Tipton added.

Helping people catch fish

“We’re trying to help people land more fish. There’s just a lot of little things that make a difference,” Cannon, an all-around outdoorsman who hunts and fishes, said. It’s a simple goal. Catching fish.

The guitarist who has played with his band across the country, plus London and Paris, noted he and his artificial lure manufacturing buddies asked veteran as well as inexperienced anglers what they wanted in plastic frogs.

The end result is a plastic frog with both the right amount of softness, sans hard ridges, precise hook placement on top the artificial lure, and ideal location for the silicone legs. The makeup provides “superior collapsibility and hookup ratio” and a custom made leak stop design that helps keep water out of the plastic frog. All three problems he attacked? Handled.

The Swamper and Thumper are available in seven colors for each.

For more information on the Toad Thumper Lure Co. plastic frogs, go to www.Toadthumper.com or call (870) 584-6325.

The post “The Toad Thumper Lure Co. plastic frogs” first appeared on LouisianaSportsman.com.