# Bullfrog Fishing



## JCarp (Feb 1, 2005)

I don't know if using a fishing rod is a common way to catch frogs but in case some are not familiar with it, I thought I would share. I think there are some advantages to it over gigging. Hop down to the 2 paragraphs with asterisks if you have interest but don't like long winded old boomer stories.

Before my time but grandpa would use a small piece of red cloth or red yarn on a hook (FYI, I believe frogs are colorblind). This would have been during the 1940's? My father (1950's/1960's) favored using a small bluegill size fly with a piece of worm on a fly rod rigged with 8lb mono. The fly rod gives you length/reach and allows you to adjust the line length. (Std rods were shorter in those days.) Dad would put the frogs in an empty shaded rabbit cage when he got home and clean them the next day after work.

I started out trying Dad's gigs (which I never saw him use) in my teens but quickly settled on the fly rod, bluegill fly. Went through a phase when I was about 15 yo where I would wade and catch them by hand in the local gravel pit which is a blast and challenging but not efficient. As I got older, I just used a #26 wire Mustad (with a piece of worm) on a 6.5 ft spinning rod or a fly rod because that is what I used for about everything.

**The technique is to dangle the hook right in front of the frog and even touch the front of its mouth. This is easier after dark with a bright flashlight focused on the frogs' head/eyes. Sometimes the frog misses and sometimes the frog misses several times. One night when I was in my 30's I became frustrated with them missing and just slid the hook under the frogs jaw and kept lifting up gently until the hook spun into the correct position and then did a light hookset. It worked well and my fishing partner and I harvested a bunch of frogs that night. 

**I never got around to frogging again for around 25 years until about a week ago. I took a gig (didn't use) and an old 7.5 ft flipping stick rigged with a zebco 33, mono, and a #2 treble (that just happened to be red). I started out snagging them under the jaw. Just lift up and do a light flick of the wrist hook set. Treble hook worked great. Just guessing but probably keep rod tip maybe 3-4 ft above frog but it's very situational. I accidently discovered they would try to eat the bare treble and I alternated between methods.

I had 3 drop off on the pond bank before I grabbed them. I successfully grabbed the 1st one but used the rod and treble for the other two. They both tried to eat the treble hook after being hooked and dropping a foot or so onto the bank. Keep the light on them! I was using an older headlamp that uses 3 AAA's but has a non-led lamp that is brighter than my led headlamps. It was not really adequate. A 2 D battery mag light was better but still not optimal though I'll continue to use that combo. Brighter is better. When I was young, we used both std 2 D battery flashlights with tight beams and 6 volt headlamps with a rectangle lantern battery you wore on your waist. I might try a longer dipsy rod but longer may not be better in some situations. Use whatever you have...same with hooks and reels.

Cleaning - Club frog in head with std slip joint pliers, cut skin with pocket knife all the way around just in front of back legs, skin using pliers same as catfish. Cut backbone in front of legs with side cutters and cut feet off with sidecutters. You can just break the bones with pliers and use knife but side cutters are quicker. Rinse with cold water and chill in bowl of ice water. About 3 minutes a frog w/o rushing. Then do whatever you do with fish. I do it in the kitchen sink. 

Bullfrogs will eat about anything. They really like crayfish if avail. Toss a hard craw on the bank near one and they will gobble it up. I found a recently hatched snapping turtle in one once. They readily eat smaller frogs. I use a cloth mesh fish basket that is well over 50 years old (it was dad's) but a metal mesh fish basket works. I think an inexpensive white mesh laundry bag would work well as will a burlap bag. I've heard people eat the front legs and back meat...there is not much there. I froze the heads and plan to try them for channel cat bait. 

Last but not least, why better than gigging? I don't know about expensive wire gigs but with inexpensive heavier/thicker gigs, you need a solid backstop under the frog. You probably are not going to get one that is floating, etc. You will likely kill some if you gig, which means you need to ice them (IMO) and they can be bloody (messy). You can delay cleaning longer if they are all alive. Finally, I think dangling the hook is both easier and more fun.


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## Bronson (May 16, 2014)

Bullfrogs can absolutely see red. We caught the hell out of them on red yarn! And yep, my pawpaw taught me too! Along a few things he shouldn’t have like the old family secret of how to catch ***** with two horseshoe nails. Catch every damned **** in the county, he use to tell me. And it dang sure worked!


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## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I,m 76 you sure brought back some good times yep red works great. I have a pond on my place now ,with frogs big enough to scare you. I leave them alone like the sounds I here.


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## DeathFromAbove (Oct 21, 2008)

Yep We never gigged them. Always used flies. Never had to add a worm. They're definitely not the brightest creatures. Sure are tasty though


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