27 replies to this topic

[ShooterJohn]

I was wondering if anyone here uses or has ever used a headlamp like a coon hunting light while frog gigging. You need a pretty bright light to get the big croakers to hold while you draw a bead on them. I can remember the old days using a plain old two celled flashlight as a kid and doing well but it seems frogs nowadays require more light. I went out the other night by myself and working a hand held light while paddling and gigging all at the same time was a major pain. To say the least it wasn't a very productive adventure. Just holding the canoe paddle and attempting to scan the edge of the cattails and grass can be a tricky proposition. I had gone out over the weekend and from shore the hand light isn't as much trouble but from shore the frogs are mostly to far out or under the bank where you can't see or get to them. I got a dozen and I worked very hard for those. Like the wife said, "take someone and have them hold the light." The trouble is I'm usually the one holding the light when I do take someone and they aren't as experienced with the gig or net. It takes a little practice to get frogs from a canoe. Even in a bigger boat you have to be quiet and slip up on them. Rocking around unnecessarily makes waves and the light bounce around. I like to do the gigging or netting myself because it's more productive (and fun). Breaking in NEW froggers can be challenging, especially in a canoe. I don't care for late night dips in a slough because the NEW guy isn't canoe rated. But I love frog legs and if I split them with a non productive partner I'm back to square one and holding the light myself. I think I need that NEW Mud Boat so I can have a HUGE spotlight!

[Jeff]

Your wife is right, you need a new partner, John. Hint, hint. :smiley-innocent-halo-yellow:You watched the most recent Swamp People, didn't you? They were out netting big bullfrogs.

[Mr Del]

Yes, I have used the head lamp and mostly a hand held very bright light used by the person in the back so the person with the gig could use both hands on a 12 foot gig. After a frog was gigged you swung the gig to the back and he took it off the gig and put it in the burlap bag with draw strings.. There were ALWAYS two of us in a 12 or 14 foot boat with a powerful electric motor on the back with the 15 horse gas motor.... the 15 HP would be used only till we seen the first frog. We did it this way. The guy in the front gigged until he missed.... then you changed place and then he gigged until he missed. We always got our limit of 48 frogs. That is some kind of good eating. Yummmmm!!A Small river pasted by N.A.S. Lemoore. Only 1/4 mile out side the gate to the base....nice and close. Frogging at night and Great bass fishing during the day.

[Switch]

John, let me introduce you to Robo-gig. I built this last year and it is by far the best frog gig I have ever used. I have been hunting frogs since I was little and messed around with many designs. This one is a killer. It uses a Mobley gig, which is top of the line. If just one of these barbs gets in a frog, he's not coming off. I use an extending painters pole to mount it on. I also velcro a small waterproof LED flashlight towards the end to hold the attention of the frog as you position the gig. I use a strong flashlight attached to a length of chord that hangs around my neck to locate the eyes. Once I see a frog, I click the smaller light on, extend the pole and move in for the gig. Robo-gigA single evenings haul (depredation of a State pond) for three froggers.

[Braz]

That is just one heck of a good looking outfit you have there. Looks like it should really fill the sack fast!

[ShooterJohn]

I like your light idea on the pole Tim, good tip. I use the Mobley type gig too because I've had people damage a tine on the rocks or wood. Those tines are easily switched out with a screwdriver. My dad owned a paint store for 40 years and I've been using extending paint poles since they came out and they are great. Nice to see another person using a similar setup. I have been looking at the LED lights in fact the one that has my attention is the Predator Light. It is extremely lightweight at only six ounces but outshines almost all higher voltage lights with belt pack batteries. It was designed as a predator hunting light so it has a greater use and is only 3.6 volts I believe so good for everything in California.

[Braz]

Is this the one you're talking about?http://www.hoohoohol...atorLights.html

[ShooterJohn]

Yep, that's the one. They don't show it on a hat but it is very light.http://www.kcshounds...ator_lights.phpHere is a writeup on it with pictures comparing it to another popular light. It's impressive for such a small light.http://www.kcshounds...php?f=66&t=3947

[Bennie]

No John we use a spot light and laid the gig down a long time ago. This is how we do it. This is a video of three good friends of mine. I did not make this trip but have had several good nights of frogging with these guys. You can not do it your self this way but it is very productive if the frogs are out and you get the hang of it. Our frogs have pretty much disappeared. Our frogging grounds have been destroyed by a rice chemical called Warrior! That stuff kills every thing. I think they should outlaw it.Frogging with Raith Heryford

[Braz]

The other night I went to one of the local Chinese buffet restaurants for dinner and found they had frog legs as one of the items. Great eating. Lightly breaded and fried, they were great.

[mtn dog]

Guess what... chicken tastes just like frog legs! It's been ages since I caught and ate a mess of bullfrogs. We just looked for them in broad daylight and dangled a treble hook a foot or so off the end of a fishing rod. Tied a shaggy bit of red yarn around the shank of the hook and bounced it in front of them until they zapped it. It grossed out the wives when we showed them how to skin them. Shallow cut through the skin around the 'belt line', then pulled their little pants off. We caught plenty for those who wanted to eat them. I wonder how we would have done if we actually knew what we were doing. That was good fun.

[ShooterJohn]

No John we use a spot light and laid the gig down a long time ago. Frogging with Raith Heryford

Yeah Benny I've watched that video it looks like fun. In fact I sent it to a member on here just the other day. My problem is I hunt by myself mostly. I don't have the benefit of a boat driver and a guy to hold the spotlight while I grab frogs, I wish I did. I am a one-man-band because most of the areas I hunt I can't take a second person. I have some fabulous corded spotlights but they require a bigger battery than I can safely carry in my canoe. Some of the places I have access to only allow me to use something small like a canoe.Oh well, I'll keep looking. I agree about the frog population because places like where that video was shot used to be loaded with frogs. I hunted out in the bypass sloughs years ago. There are still good numbers in the delta and some of the out of the way places I go. But as a whole the frog numbers are way down from years past.

[ShooterJohn]

It grossed out the wives when we showed them how to skin them. Shallow cut through the skin around the 'belt line', then pulled their little pants off.

It seems most people do just cut off the frogs at the waist and keep the just the rear legs. We did that years ago until I had a guy tell me I was wasting half of the frog. So I had him show me how he did it and he was right we were throwing away a good piece of the frog.I found this last night to send to someone who had asked about what was the best way to clean them. I think it's the best because it uses more of the frog and after all why waste the other half.http://www.thehuntin...o-skin-cle.html

[Bennie]

I will try to skin a few that way next time and see what I think. We have always just kept the back legs. They are too good to waste.

[Yodel Dog]

The kid and I just went into the grocery store last weekend and bullfrogs were running $4.95lb live weight.I've used this light a few times in the past and it works well.NiteLite

[ShooterJohn]

Bennie you do get a bunch more out of the frogs if you skin them like I posted. They are easy to clean no worse than cleaning a trouts guts out. You won't believe the meat you've been throwing away. Many people like the backs. I find you want to cut the frogs up into three parts for cooking to do them evenly. I do front legs, backs, and legs and they come out cooked better than trying to do them all at once.Kevin, that's the type of light I had been looking at originally. I may get one and then I can always let someone use it or keep it as a backup if I find something better like the Predator Light. Thanks

[Yodel Dog]

Another company I just remembered is Bill Boatman. Check catalog pages 30-32 for lights.Catalog

[asquirrelsworstenemy]

There's some big bull frogs around my hosue and I've been really interested in trying frog gigging. Can anyone give me advice for gigging and favorite recipes for frog legs? Thanks!

[OrneryOlMofo357]

My Mom used to just roll the legs in flour, and fry em up with a lil Garlic in Butter. Yumm!!!!!!!!!As far as gigging, I never tried that way. Id walk along the levy and spot the frogs, and just used a fly rod with a large fly, dangle it in front of them and its.... Frog On ! Good luck!

[Divernhunter]

When I was a kid I had a gig on a long light wood pole. We would go along the creek bank with a flashlight and gig them at night. Then hold them by the hind legs and smack their head on a piece of concrete and cut off the legs and skin the legs. Then put them into a bowl of salt water overnite in the refrig. My mom would fry them up in the morning and they were good. It helpped that we lived on Dry Creek at the time. Made it easy to do often.

[ShooterJohn]

That's the way I did it as a kid too. All that has changed is the toys are fancier and there are fewer frogs. Just get a gig or even a trout landing net and duct tape it to a pole. Use a decent flashlight and you are ready to go. Just keep the light in their eyes and jab or net them. A net is good because they jump up into it and they keep better because they aren't injured. There are a couple of ways to do the legs I posted one way above. But just Google frog legs on youtube and you'll find lots of info. As for recipes there are many but plain old flour salt and pepper in a plastic or paper bag works. Just drop in the legs, shake and fry them up in a pan of hot oil. You can't beat the taste they are delicious.

[jeager]

Don't get caught without a fishing license,-required for the taking of amphibians!http://dfg.ca.gov/re...t4-sec5_05.html

[ShooterJohn]

Thanks, I forgot to mention the fishing license.

[asquirrelsworstenemy]

Don't get caught without a fishing license,-required for the taking of amphibians!http://dfg.ca.gov/re...t4-sec5_05.html

Awesome! Thanks for the tip.

[ZombieHunter]

I like a bit of a kick to my legs (no pun intended) so I add some chili powder to the flour mixture

[Rooster707]

When I was a kid I had a gig on a long light wood pole. We would go along the creek bank with a flashlight and gig them at night. Then hold them by the hind legs and smack their head on a piece of concrete and cut off the legs and skin the legs. Then put them into a bowl of salt water overnite in the refrig. My mom would fry them up in the morning and they were good. It helpped that we lived on Dry Creek at the time. Made it easy to do often.

Dry Creek? wheres that?

[Airpower]

As a Kid I also did a lot of frog gigging at small private reservoirs, ponds and creeks in El Dorado County. We (the neighboorhod gang) would spend long summer days and nights fishing for blue gills, catfish, crayfish and frogs. We made our own gigs for the frogs and fried them up right then and there in a cast iron frying pan with just salt and pepper. Those were the good old days

[sixgun]

I haven't frog gigged for years, but love to eat em, some nice pointers to fill the sack, and the robo-gig is a sweet set up