Frog gigging is a fun and enjoyable outdoors activity for kids.
Photo courtesy of USFWS
Frog legs are one of nature’s delicacies. Contrary to some reports, they don’t taste like chicken. They taste like frogs. The white meat is sweet and succulent. They’re especially good when dipped in drawn butter. I suppose they’re not for everyone, but I look forward to a mess of fresh, well-cooked frogs as much as any steak you could put in front of me. Now is the time of year to collect a mess of frogs on lakes and ponds throughout the Midwest.
There are different rules in different states, but for the most part, you can take frogs a few different ways. A gig or spear that has a head not more than three inches in width and a single row of tines, a bow and arrow, club, your bare hands, a fishing pole or a hand line. If you want to use a firearm to shoot frogs, you can shoot them with air rifles or a .22-caliber loaded with bird shot. Usually, to shoot them, you must have a hunting license.
On a frog gigging adventure with my cousin Derek we made the rounds along the shoreline of a small, moss-covered pond. About 50 yards from where we expected the bullfrogs to be, I fired up the 5-million candlepower spotlight. A couple of quick back-and-forth scans across a small stretch of cattails revealed two glowing eyes. They look like white marbles sticking out just above the water. Derek killed the power down on the trolling motor, and we ever so slowly approached the frog.
With the spotlight in my left hand and a gig in my right, I steadied my feet for the jab. Shinning the bright light in the frog’s eyes keeps him statue still. I thrust the gig on a 12-foot handle at the target and find my mark. I set down the light and pulled the big frog off the prongs and tossed him in a basket. We switched spots and repeated the process over and over. When we pulled out of the water at 2 a.m., we had 17 jumbo bullfrogs. It was a good haul for the night. We used a small jon boat, gig and spotlight.
When we got back to my place, it took 20 minutes to clean the frogs. We washed and rinsed the 17 sets of legs, then placed them in a bowl of salt water to brine overnight. The next afternoon, I pulled the legs out and patted them dry. Then dipped them in beaten eggs and tossed them in seasoning. They hut the peanut oil in a cast iron frying pan at 350 degrees. They sizzled for 10 minutes and turned out perfect.
See you down the trail…
Brandon Butler writes an outdoors column for The Republic. Send comments to [email protected]. For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
