Frog gigging

[clayton86]

Anyone frog gig/hunt? Fiancé and daughter saw a huge bull frog on way home this evening and grabbed it from the road. It’s pretty big takes up 3/4 of a 5 gal bucket bottom.

 

Step son wanted to keep it and try to make frog legs. She told him no need more than just the one so he asked me to go get more. Had to tell him it’s a no go season for them isn’t till June 15th. Fiancé asked how you get them when hunt them because this one was extremely easy to catch just got out of the car and grabbed it. 
 

I told her shoot them with a .22 or spear them. She was confused since this big one was easy to catch. I told her while normally they are in a swamp not the road. Could see the lightbulb in her head light up and she said “well yeah that makes sense it was right after a bridge” 

 

So now I’m thinking I need to get into it. I’ve had frog legs before and they were good. 

[Jrob78]

I've done it both ways. We have some land with a small pond and we would shoot them with a .22 when they would come up on the bank. I've also done it from a boat with a gig. We would ride around at night with a spot light and look for eyes. You can sneak up on them and gig them. We would use pretty long poles, like 8' or so. My dad had a couple of spring loaded gigs with jaws that would slam shut but I've used the trident type also. I don't think you can still get the spring loaded gigs but I'm not sure, haven't done it in a long time. Unless you have a small body of water and can shoot on it, a boat and spot light is the way to go.

[Bird]

Frog gigging was a big event growing up as was catfishing.

My fondest memories were gigging during the bluegill spawn.

We'd be up in the shallows over their beds and when the spotlight came on it sent them into a frenzy.

They would crash into the bottom of the boat and several would land inside the boat.

I haven't been in 40 years.

[TnRiver46]

Frog gigging is my second favorite sport to fishing! Love the food and the fun. If you need a whole bunch to feed a group, I have much better success just grabbing them with my hands. The gig is a lot more fun even with lots more misses 

[TOXIC]

When I lived in small town Iowa all the neighbors would get together for a festival on my farm where we would have a wild game feed and all of the wives would can fruits and veggies all day. I had an orchard on my property that had asparagus as a ground cover and I had about an acre garden.  Everybody would bring everything they wanted “put up” and we would smoke and grill and fry all day.  About 2 days ahead of time we would gather as a group at night and go out to all of the ponds on everybody’s properties and gig frogs for the feed.  Waders and frog gigs and head lamps were all we needed.  There’s a whole new definition to being scared when you’re wading and you spook up a duck from the water or have a snake shoot between your legs.  The best year we had 200 saddles of frog legs.  Great food.  Great memories.  

[gim]

I had some at a seafood buffet in Turtle Lake, WI about 10 years ago.  I saw them on the buffet and wondered what the heck they were, so I asked a server and he said frog legs.  I gave them a try.  Not bad.  I would try them again.

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I had some at a seafood buffet in Turtle Lake, WI about 10 years ago.  I saw them on the buffet and wondered what the heck they were, so I asked a server and he said frog legs.  I gave them a try.  Not bad.  I would try them again.

There use to be a place in Anoka just off 10 that served frog legs. College buddy and I were driving a moving van from Chicago to Bemidji - moving the new pastor of the parent's church - and stopped in. Not too bad - something for a change of pace, but not something I'd order regularly...this was back in 1979 so doubt the place is still there.

[GRiver]

My Dad and my Uncle told me this story about frogging probably a million times…I’ll keep it short.

They were frog gigging one night, when a snake got in the boat( don’t know how they said it just appeared) anyway my Uncle hates snakes, started trying to kill the snake with the gig. He was stabbing and poking at it, my Dad was yelling for him to stop. They sank the boat shortly after that. 
They were in a rubber raft….. lost most of their gear, had to walk back to the truck, and no frogs.