Frog Gigging

[Chippin]

I love frog gigging in the summer. You honestly wouldn't expect to see or catch so many frogs - when I first started, I could barely even notice them in the water. Now I can spear at least half a bucket to bring home for frying.

Any other frog giggers out there? Are there other ways to cook some tasty frog?

 

[dinosaur]

I love to gig frogs. But, a couple years ago I designed an arrow to take them. I and a buddy of mine are avid bowfishermen and I figured; why not frogs? I took one at twenty yards once. You just shoot and reel them in. It's not as easy as it sounds but it sure is a kick in the butt. I even designed and built special bows for this sport.

The best part is dinner. We clean the legs and put them on the barbeque grill painted with BBQ sauce. Good stuff.

 

[Chippin]

Wow, from twenty yards? That's pretty impressive. They seem too small to kill with an arrow without tearing them up. How big is this arrow? It does sound fun but I've never killed frogs or any fish with a bow before. With gigging at least the frogs are within a close range. Anything more than a yard and I have trouble spearing them.

And I never tried with BBQ sauce before though maybe I'll try this summer. How long do you cook them on the grill for? I'd figure they'd be quick to burn if you leave them for too long.

 

[dinosaur]

The arrow is a full size aluminum hunting arrow with a 90 or 100 grain bullet head that has been drilled at the base for the introduction of a wire barb that is soldered into place. The hole it makes is quite small and the barbs grab the frog and haul him in nicely.

We cook the frog legs on a smoker grill so the fire is about two feet below the cooking surface. You can use a Weber or similar grill. Just build a small fire so it doesn't get too hot. Cover the grilling grate with heavy duty tin foil and poke a bunch of holes into the foil. Put the frog legs on, add the BBQ sauce, and cover them. It takes about fifteen to twenty minutes on the cooker, sometimes less. But, if your having a big problem with them sticking to the foil, your fire is too hot. Make sure you have a lot of frog legs because they are so good you're going to want more.

 

[Frederico]

Never heard of this before. Are frogs really edible? I thought that edible frogs were a certain type which were bred purely for their legs? Are some frogs poisonous to eat ?

 

[dinosaur]

African frogs are poisonous but only if you attempt toeat the skin. Frog legs are awesome, easy to harvest and easy to cook..

 

[Chippin]

Thanks for the grilling suggestion Dinosaur! I'll definitely have to try some of that. I love frog legs so much that on the very day we catch them we start up the fryers. They taste better than fried chicken, and even though they are smaller, the meat slips right off the bone.

 

[dinosaur]

Go for it! And let me know!

 

[topwaterking]

what state u guys frog giggin in?? dont see much big ones around us and are frog legs really that good????

 

[dinosaur]

Well, I don't know where Chippin is from but you can see I'm from Indiana. The taste is kind of like you crossed a chicken breast with a shrimp. The meat is firm but more tender than chicken. You can batter them and deep fry them, pan fry them in butter and garlic and do them the way I previously suggested. Of course, the French have come up with some more exotic ways to prepare them. That's why Americans call the French "Frogs". I'm not that enamoured of the French even though I am 1/4 French Canadian. However, if you want some really good recipes for froglegs, get a good French cookbook. There's also a recipe for froglegs "Scampi" that is excellent.