The ZOOM Uni Toad is one of those baits, that when you see it, you instantly ask yourself why it took this long for it to get created. It’s one of those baits from one of those companies that you never knew you needed, until it smacked you and a 5-pounder right in the face. The perfect addition and compliment to toad and buzzbait fishermen across the country.
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Playing off the huge success of the ZOOM Horny Toad, which has inspired an entire subset of baits in the toad genre, the Uni Toad carries with it some of the same characteristics of its froggy predecessor.
Made from the same materials in 6 of the classic ZOOM colors, the top/front half of the Uni Toad has a fairly similar look to the Horny Toad. But the two baits designs depart from one another when it comes to the tail end and the belly.
One paddle tail takes the place of the two V-cut legs in the Horny Toad. The belly of the Uni Toad has a similar slit to that of the Horny Toad, though it splits towards the tail.
This slit in the body creates a cavity for the hook to tuck up into and make the bait more weedless, while also removing some of the thickness of the bait to make for better hook penetration. And the dual slits at the start of the tail section allow the bait to kick a little harder.
I don’t want to focus too much on the Horny Toad, since this is a review of the Uni-Toad. But … another distinguishing characteristic between the two is the sound that they create. Though you could likely rig this bait to fish subsurface, the Uni Toad is really designed to be fished as a topwater, or at most to be waked just below the surface.
The Horny Toad is also designed to be fish across the surface, with a crisp, sharp, fast sound generated by its feet, where the Uni Toad has a slower, chugging sound. This is a much better action earlier in the spring, where the Horny Toad really shines towards the tail end of the spawn and beyond.
In the past, anglers had to opt for other toads, like the Stanley Ribbit for instance, when looking for a bait to generate this subtler sound. Now, ZOOM has their own offering for the early spring topwater bite, and a bait in the Uni Toad that will certainly get bit in warmer water as well.
The Uni Toad has a wide body, which helps the bait stay up on top. This is a critical design element, since the bait is a little chunky and would be more prone to dip beneath the surface if it were narrower. Going with a wider body to help the bait stay on top, ZOOM was able to create a bait that is fairly heavy and can be launched a long ways.
Being able to make long casts is imperative when fishing this style of bait, especially on shallow flats and other areas covered with vegetation. The wider body also helps this bait skip well, making it a great bait for sliding under cover, whether rigged alone or on the back of your favorite buzzbait.
The Uni Toad is also fairly durable, with its main advisories being those short-striking toothy critters that live in many of the shallow areas where bass also hunt. A chain pickerel, gar or bowfin stands a good chance to take your tail. But this bait will hold up through several bass.
This 4- inch swimbait comes in a five pack for $6.99, and it is one of those baits that is very easy to recommend. ZOOM has created whole genres of soft plastic lures over the years, and jumped to the forefront of others when they entered into them.
They have done the latter yet again with the introduction of their new Uni Toad. This bait is durable, available in 6 proven colors and has an action that entices big bites. Not much more you can ask for.
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