Frog Gigging

Man, I used to go all the time when I was younger. As soon as the weather warmed and the frogs started crooking. But what with all the pesticides and things that get dumped into the waterways there just don't seem to be the numbers anymore. I used to gig along the creek where I grew up. Got a great five tined scar on my thigh where a friend carrying his frog gig stopped on his bicycle and I rode into it. Luckily I lived around the corner from a fire station and they got it out. Nowadays everybody would be suing everyone and I'd have had to have surgery to remove it. Fun times though paddling in my old canoe gigging frogs at night in the local sloughs. We just used old four and five tine gigs until I switched to bow hunting them. Nothing is better than deep fried frog legs.
 
Did some gigging as a kid back home, but nothing very serious so I'm not much help. But, oh man the mention of that brings back some really great memories! We used to wade down creeks with bow and arrow and shoot them on the steep banks. Now THAT is fun! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
My gig is a WalMart special spear, 4 pronged. I mounted it on a section of 1/2" I.D. PVC pipe. I leave the pipe white so I can see the gig better as I bring it down on a frog. I have considered using reflective tape at the end of the gig and painting the rest of it black but never gotten around to it. Also, as you get better with the gig you can grow the length of the pipe. A 15 footer will stick some spooky frogs but it's hard to get used too! I do my best work with an 8 footer.
 
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I mounted it on a section of 1/2" I.D. PVC pipe.



There's a big difference in age here because when I was a kid we used bamboo for our gigs. Because they didn't make PVC pipe! Man I feel old suddenly.
 
I'm in the same boat as you are, ShooterJohn. Plus, the bamboo poles were free from any carpet store or carpet layer. I miss alot of things from days past.
 
Man, that brings back some great memories for me too! Every summer me and Dad would spend every weekend running around ponds, gigging frogs, and setting turtle hooks. At the end of the summer we would get everyone together and have a big cookout. It took a lot of frog legs to feed everyone but man was it worth it! We always used gigs except for the one or two times we used a .22, using a gun just wasn't as fun for me though. Thanks for bringing up the memories. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif As a matter of fact I think I'll call Dad and see if he wants to go this weekend! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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I'm in the same boat as you are, ShooterJohn. I miss alot of things from days past.



Isn't that the truth about times gone by. But at least we get to bring them out once in awhile and share with other people. I bought a house along that creek I played in when I was a kid. I always looked at the big houses on the horse properties and thought it would be great to live there, and it is. I wouldn't eat anything from the creek anymore but we have turkeys here now and we didn't when I was little. I practice my turkey calling on them all the time. Things change but they stay the same. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
BARBARIANS!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
When I was little, my buddy and I bought some blowguns. Now, that was interesting to use on bullfrogs. Would not always kill em though, but it sure was a whole lotta fun. It sure does scare me to think of my 11 or 12 year old kids running around with blowguns like we did. Does that mean I'm growing up or gettin' old?
 
In my state bullfrogs have a season a size limit (they must be 4.5" snout to vent or larger) We use a crappie pole with a treble hook with a peice of red cloth on it. We can use spot lights and goo out at night in a flat bottom boat with 1 guy running the spotlight 1 guy rowing and 1 guy catching (always the new guy) we spotlight the bullfrog then the catcher dangles the treble hook in front of the frog more times then not the bullfrog will bite at the cloth on the hook. If it doesn't bite you can always try and snag it. The catcher has to work fast as the frog will get off the hook if he bites or is snagged if it can get its front leg on anything that will give it any leverage. As we put the new guy catching a lot of frogs are missed but the fun we have watching him try to catch the frogs more than makes up for it. The hardest part of the frog hunt is trying to convince the new guy that you are actually going after frogs with a fishing pole and you ar not taking him on a snipe hunt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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ever gig a cotton mouth?



We don't have cotton mouths where I live but we did gig a big muskrat once! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Man he wasn't happy when we got him in the canoe. If I remember correctly we weren't in the canoe very long after he got there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I gigged a couple copperheads off an old farm pond once. They were very small and we definatly weren't expecting poinsonous snakes! They made a nice headband once put together and stretched.

Speaking of exciting moments in a gigging boat, anybody ever have fish jump into the boat? On a couple of ponds we gig the bluegill will jump out of the water towards the light and some of them end up in the bottom of the boat.
 
Talk about memories!
I remember my dad talking about catching frogs. Yea, catching frogs. They would get in a john boat, one guy in back paddling, one in the middle with the burlap bag, and the guy in front would lay down with just his arms extending out the front.

They would cruise old gravel pits and as the light picked up the frogs they would silently drift into the bank. The guy up front, who wore a headlamp, would reach out and grab them by his hands. He would then drop them in the sack.

They caught a lot of frogs this way. Only mishap was one time the frog got turned the wrong way and pissed right in the face of the catcher. Whew, they said it stunk!
 
Yup, good memories, but I was sooooo young I don't remember much of the particulars. This last summer I found a place full of BIG bullfrogs, and far away from any pollutants. I'll like to try gigging some and eating them, but I'd really be going into it blind. So two questions:

How do you take care of them, and how do you cook them?

I'm definitely going to try it, but don't want to waste them just because I don't know what I'm doing.

Daybreak
 
Cut the back legs off, soak them in saltwater, roll them in flour and deep fry them. Dont get none on your forehead cause your tongue will beat your brains out trying to get them!! PS make sure you take the skin off before you fry them!!
 
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Dont get none on your forehead cause your tongue will beat your brains out trying to get them!!



Now that would be a sight to see! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
My grandfather always said that about anything that you were eating that was really good and I thought it was hilarious. We would wade out in the farm ponds around our community and gig frogs all night when I was a kid. That is something that my son will probably never do because like it has already been said, not very many frogs around anymore and people arent as friendly as they once were. Too many no trespassing signs around here.
 
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