Frogging We Will Go

Frogging is a blast. One of the big regrets of my outdoor career is how long it took me to take up gigging.

The problem was, I had never tasted frog’s legs, and had no idea how good they really are. One thing I really hate is killing something that I won’t eat. By the same token, I was reluctant to order them in a restaurant, in case I didn’t like them. So, despite ample opportunity, frogging was something that lay fallow.

Everything changed when Friend Wife and I stumbled on a seafood buffet at a restaurant in Harper’s Ferry. Along with the shrimp, and crab cakes, and oysters, and finned fishes of all sorts they put out frog’s legs. Here was my big chance. If I tried a couple of them, and didn’t like them, no big loss.

Turns out, we both fell in love that night, and really pigged out on the fried legs.

Frogging is one of those offbeat outdoor pursuits you don’t hear much about. Like collecting pocket knives, frog gigging is something everybody does. But you wouldn’t know it by reading the outdoor magazines. For some inexplicable reason, frogging is ignored by the outdoor press---one of the many ways, I’ve long felt, that the editors of outdoor magazines are out of touch with their readers.

Frog gigging, as it turns out, is the most fun you can have at night with your clothes on. I mean, what could be more fun than stumbling around a creek or pond with a couple of buddies, trying to sneak up on a critter that feels you coming long before you know it’s there.

And the end result, in addition to having a good time, is a great meal or three as well.

What’s more, it doesn’t take a lot of money to get started. Outfitting for frogging is probably less expensive than any other outdoor sport. The gig, itself, a three- or four-tined spear, costs about three bucks. There are special telescoping poles you can buy, for a double sawbuck or so. But the fact is, an old broomstick works almost as well. And, while a fancy headlamp such as coon hunters use lets you work hands free, there’s nothing wrong with a two dollar flashlight either.

If you’re new to frogging there’s one lesson to learn. Do not gig the frog. If you do you’re almost guaranteed to lose it. Instead, with the light shining it the frog’s eyes, position the gig for the strike. Then, with a sudden, hard thrust, spear the frog with a movement that, in effect, let’s you gig the bottom under it.

It’s like scoring a TKO. You don’t hit the other boxer with your fist. You drive your fist through him. Same with the gig.

You’ll need to carry something to hold your catch. Frogs are rarely killed outright when you gig them, and remain hoppy until you administer the coup de grace. So use something soft, like a tow sack, with a drawstring closure that makes it easy to drop new frogs in while the others can’t escape.

At the end of the night you’ll come home tired, muddy, and mosquito bit. But you’ll have a grand memory, and anticipation of the feast to come.