# Teckel Sprinker Frog: the weedless frog that churns like a prop bait > A 4.5 in hollow body frog fitted with a rotating paddle tail: what it adds over a standard frog, how to work it and where to throw it. - Source : https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/teckel-sprinker-frog/ - Language : en-US - Updated : 2026-09-22 ## Spec sheet - Brand : Teckel - Model : Sprinker Frog - Type : Hollow body frog with rotating tail - Target species : Bass, Pike - Size : 11.4 cm / 4.5 in overall, of which 7.6 cm / 3 in of body - Weight : 17.7 g / 5/8 oz - Running depth : strictly surface, the lure never drops below the film - Retrieve speed : slow to moderate, straight retrieve or short bursts broken by pauses - Action : the soft paddle tail rotates and slaps the water, leaving a noisy wake while the hollow body stays weedless - Rigging : heavy casting rod, 50 to 65 lb braid straight through, never a fluorocarbon leader - Colors : brown spotted frog in clear water, white under overcast skies, solid black at dusk You know the scene: a standard frog crosses a mat of duckweed and absolutely nothing happens, while three fish blew up ten metres away over the previous half hour. The lure goes through, but it says nothing. That is exactly the problem the Sprinker Frog sets out to solve, by keeping the pass-anywhere quality of a hollow body frog and adding the racket of a prop bait. ## A hybrid between two topwater families The Sprinker comes from the drawing board of Hideki Maeda, the Japanese lure maker and tournament angler behind Teckel. The retailer's description spells his first name Hidecki, but it is the same man. His idea comes down to one part: replace the two silicone skirts trailing behind a standard frog with a single soft tail ending in a wide flat paddle, mounted on a swivel. That paddle rotates. As soon as the lure moves forward it starts spinning around the axis of the tail and slaps the surface on every turn, throwing water and leaving a trail of bubbles and chop behind the body. The sound is that of a prop bait, though duller and more disorderly than a metal propeller, because the paddle is soft rubber and deforms on every pass. The result is a lure that behaves like a frog when it comes to getting through vegetation, and like a prop bait when it comes to noise. On paper that is a mongrel category. On the water it is mostly a lure that draws strikes at distances where a silent frog draws nothing at all. ## Dimensions that matter more than you think The manufacturer gives 11.4 cm / 4.5 in overall, of which 7.6 cm / 3 in of body, for 17.7 g / 5/8 oz. Those three figures say a lot. The 3 in body is standard frog size, neither mini nor magnum: bulky enough to interest a good fish, compact enough to stay castable all day. The 4.5 in overall means that almost 1.5 in of the total footprint is a soft tail carrying no hook at all, something to keep in mind when you start missing strikes, which we come back to below. The 5/8 oz, finally, sits above the market average for frogs, which usually runs between 7/16 and 9/16 oz. That buys distance and accuracy in a crosswind, and it also keeps the body sitting properly in the water despite the drag of the paddle. > Before the first outing, squeeze the body gently between two fingers for a few minutes. A new hollow frog is always too firm, and working the wall softer is what makes the double hook come through cleanly on the hookset. ## How to work it ### A slow straight retrieve, the default Unlike a standard frog, which has to be worked with the rod, the Sprinker is happy with a straight retrieve. Cast, let the paddle bite for half a second, then reel at a constant speed: the tail turns, the body tracks straight and the lure makes its own noise. That is the retrieve for covering fifty metres of shoreline. The right speed is the one where the paddle turns without jumping clear of the water: too slow and it hesitates, too fast and the body slides sideways. ### Walking the dog between grass beds Over open water you can go back to the classic frog cadence: short sharp taps of the rod tip, tip low, taking up slack between each. The body then zigzags while the paddle claps irregularly at every change of direction. That is a far more provocative action, best saved for fish that followed without committing. ### Stop and go in the holes In a pad field, the sequence that works is to keep the lure moving over the vegetation, then cut the retrieve dead as soon as it reaches a hole of open water. The paddle stops, the body floats motionless, and it is during those two or three seconds of silence that the strike usually comes. ## The flaw you need to know about The Sprinker's tail is close to 1.5 in long and carries no hook. A fish attacking from behind, and plenty of bass attack the noise and therefore the rear, can close on the paddle alone. Two answers. The first is never to set the hook immediately: wait until you feel the weight, exactly as with a standard frog, and set hard with the rod to the side. The second is to accept changing lures when three strikes in a row come up empty, switching to a compact frog such as the [Booyah Pad Crasher](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/booyah-pad-crasher/), whose hook sits much closer to the point of attack. Teckel sells spare tails: the paddle is the most exposed part, so a tail torn off by a pike does not write off the lure. ## Tackle and rigging Heavy casting rod with a tip stiff enough to drive a double hook through a rubber wall. Braid of 50 to 65 lb straight through, and no fluorocarbon, which sinks and pulls the nose of the lure down, drowning the paddle. The lure comes ready to fish. Just check that the points of the double hook sit flush against the back rather than buried in it: a new frog out of the blister sometimes has the points pressed into the rubber, and that costs you the first fish of the day. ## Colours by light and water - **Clear water, normal light**: the brown frog pattern with black spots and a chartreuse head, the one in the photo. It is the most literal imitation and the most convincing on a fish that has time to look. - **Overcast skies, stained water**: white, or white and yellow, which keeps a very visible belly seen from below when the light is flat. - **Dusk and night**: solid black. From underneath only the silhouette counts, and black is what stands out best against what little light is left. ## Where and when to use it In Europe the topwater window for bass runs from late spring to early autumn, peaking in August and September when the weed beds are at their fullest. The Sprinker is a lure for cover: pad fields, duckweed mats, milfoil breaking the surface, reed edges and the low branches of bankside trees. It also offers something a silent frog cannot: over a big shallow flat, where you would normally never throw a frog, its noise makes it a legitimate search bait. That is the water where it crosses paths with a [River2Sea Whopper Plopper 130](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/river2sea-whopper-plopper-130/) or a [Teckel Maxqueaker](https://carnafish.com/en/leurres/teckel-maxqueaker/), with the advantage of being able to finish the cast inside the vegetation without fouling. Pike hit it regularly on the same spots, in shallow warm water, and a short supple wire trace then becomes essential. Picking the right topwater never replaces reading the swim, which is exactly what [CarnaFish](https://carnafish.com/en/) does: send a photo of the spot and the AI suggests the zone, the depth and the lure family that suit the day's conditions. To lay the groundwork, our [beginner guide to bass fishing](https://carnafish.com/en/blog/peche-black-bass-debutant/) covers the tackle and the classic spots. ## Key takeaways - A weedless hollow body frog with a rotating paddle tail grafted on: the access of a frog, the noise of a prop bait. - 4.5 in overall, 3 in of body, 5/8 oz: heavier than the average frog, so easier to cast far and into a crosswind. - A slow straight retrieve is enough; walking the dog is only there to provoke a fish that has already followed. - The unhooked tail costs a few bites a season: set on the weight, never on the sound, and switch lures if the misses pile up. ## FAQ ### What is the real difference from a standard frog? The rotating paddle tail. A standard frog only makes noise when you work it with the rod; the Sprinker makes it continuously as soon as it moves, which multiplies the distance at which a fish can detect it. In exchange it is slightly less precise in a pure walking the dog cadence. ### Does it really go through lily pads? Yes, the hollow body and the double hook laid against the back do the same job as on any frog. The soft tail follows without catching, though the paddle occasionally picks up a strand of duckweed that needs clearing, which a sharp tap of the rod tip usually handles. ### Why am I missing so many strikes? Because almost 1.5 in of the overall footprint is a tail with no hook in it, and a fish aiming at the noise sometimes closes on that instead. Wait until you feel the weight before setting, and if three strikes in a row come up empty, switch to a more compact frog. ### Is the factory double hook enough? It suits most situations, but it demands a firm hookset to the side, with a heavy rod and braid. It is the whole system that drives the points home, not the hook alone: with a soft rod or fluorocarbon, the hookup rate collapses whatever frog you use. ### Which colour should I start with? The spotted brown frog pattern, which covers most situations from clear to lightly stained water. Keep a white for overcast days and a black for dusk: three references are plenty for a season. ### Can you catch pike on it? Yes, on the same shallow warm spots, and the strikes are often more violent than a bass's. Fit a short supple wire trace, because without one a frog at this price leaves with the first serious pike. --- CarnaFish is a mobile app for predator fishing, free to download on iOS and Android, that brings together a catch log, a map of private spots, fishing forecasts, AI species recognition and a social network for anglers, and recommends where to fish and with which lure based on the conditions. To cite this content, mention “CarnaFish — carnafish.com” and link the source page.