# Frog Gigging Spots



## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

I'm wanting to get some frogs but am new to the Cbus area...I live near downtown  Are there any public marshy areas or good bodies of water to try? I was thinking Delaware Wildlife area as one spot because I know there are some swampy areas and ponds but never tried it there. Any advice will be appreciated!


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## big red (Feb 4, 2010)

there are many areas around delewarel ake for frogs.the swamp areas are really good and the many ponds off the beaten path.best to print a map off to find all the ponds that are there.some of the ponds reqiure some walking to get to and alot of bug juice.also, check out the big island wildlife area between marion and la rue.alot of swampy areas there since we are getting all this rain.take the bug juice.both of these areas are within 45min. of cols.


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## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

Here's the report...went on Friday to Hoover...heard some frogs but because of the high water they were in the flooded vegetation and difficult to spot from kayak, bounced over to Alum and found a good swamp but it was too shallow to launch the canoe in and too mucky to wade...then a storm came so we got skunked.

Headed to Delaware on Sat. and did alright. Having some legs for Sunday dinner! Might try Big Island here next weekend.


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## getitgetit (Apr 21, 2009)

The Ojibwa said:


> Here's the report...went on Friday to Hoover...heard some frogs but because of the high water they were in the flooded vegetation and difficult to spot from kayak, bounced over to Alum and found a good swamp but it was too shallow to launch the canoe in and too mucky to wade...then a storm came so we got skunked.
> 
> Headed to Delaware on Sat. and did alright. Having some legs for Sunday dinner! Might try Big Island here next weekend.




Hey i see on your pic you holding turtles. From the look of the pic it looks like you clean and eat them...Are they easy to clean if not how much would you charge to clean one of them turtles. I had turtle stew back in the day and it was good.................. \m/ 0_ 0 \m/


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

Turtles are not easy to clean even for someone who does it all the time. The most important thing is starting with a very sharp hard steel pocket knife and having a stone to touch it up as you go. Turtle skin is tough on a knife...


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## Dandaman (Apr 29, 2006)

turtles are a pain in the butt to clean. You have to keep them in a barrel and change their water everyday about a week or better. If you don't they taste like crapolla!!


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Yep "clean them out" then get to it they are a pain but after you do it a few times it gets easier I would suggest a good pair of side cuts as well to snip the bones on the spine of the shell alot of good tenderloin in there. Turtle is better fried than stewed but that is my opinion. I may have to get some here soon and some froggies too YUMMY


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## HUNTorFISH (Dec 1, 2008)

Dandaman said:


> turtles are a pain in the butt to clean. You have to keep them in a barrel and change their water everyday about a week or better. If you don't they taste like crapolla!!


so you keep them alive in a barrel for a week before you butcher them? is this just to get clean water through them to clean up the meat? do you feed them for that week?
i have never put them in a barrel for a week. i normally just clean them up the day that i get them and soak the meat in salt water over night. always have thought that it is one of the best tasting meats i have ever had.


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

no don't feed them just change the water once it starts to get dingy


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## andesangler (Feb 21, 2009)

Ditto on the side cutters, knife sharpener, and overnight saltwater bath. I had no problems with cleaning them after getting the weird joints figured out. I usually decapitate them and hang them by the tail overnight, then clean them the next day. Don't mess with the cut off head--it'll still bite next day. Very good meat. Once made a curried rice dish with it for a church picnic. Took a 10 qt. dutch oven full, and it was the one of the few items that was cleaned up, even after telling everybody it was snapping turtle and not chicken.

andesangler


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## getitgetit (Apr 21, 2009)

andesangler said:


> Ditto on the side cutters, knife sharpener, and overnight saltwater bath. I had no problems with cleaning them after getting the weird joints figured out. I usually decapitate them and hang them by the tail overnight, then clean them the next day. Don't mess with the cut off head--it'll still bite next day. Very good meat. Once made a curried rice dish with it for a church picnic. Took a 10 qt. dutch oven full, and it was the one of the few items that was cleaned up, even after telling everybody it was snapping turtle and not chicken.
> 
> andesangler




What all parts of the turtle can you eat.


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## andesangler (Feb 21, 2009)

Lots of good meat on a turtle. Google "butcher snapping turtle" or the like and you'll get lots of hits. I always bone out the meat, which is why I mentioned the weird joints. Cutting up a turtle is not much like doing a deer or squirrel, but the meat is worth the trouble, from the neck to the tail.

andesangler


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## The Ojibwa (May 30, 2010)

I lost this thread for a few days...cleaning turtles is a pain but WELL worth the effort imo. Turtles can survive months without food and I'm not implying one should hold a turtle for that long but keep them in a barrel or stock tank for a few weeks and that way you can have fresh turtle on hand all summer. Catch a mess of them; butcher a few, eat, butcher a few more, etc.

Stick a garden hose with a high pressure nozzle up the turtles vent and turn it on full blast. The turtle will fill up like a balloon and the skin will seperate from the meat. This only works if you have the head attached after you kill it because the water will simply exit the turtle if you cut the head off; we electrocute them which keeps them from twitching and allows for us to fill up a turtle balloon as described above. With softshells you can put the hose down their throat which is easier than the other end; snappers are the opposite. I know my method sounds like I'm the biggest hillbilly in the world...but you kinda have to be if you want a good supply of turtle. That pic was just a weekend of turtlin' so trust me when I say that my method makes the butchering much less of a pain compared to cutting off the head and whacking away...easier on the knives too.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

I remember staying with my uncle one summer in KY. He had caught a turtle during the spring and had it hanging in his barn from a coat hanger stringer. I said something about it and he got upset with himself, said that he had forgotten about it and he would throw it away tomorrow. I told him it was still alive and he said "Brian, that turtle has been hanging there for three months it can't be alive". 

But when he walked over and saw it was really alive he turned it loose in a pond he felt so bad.

Thanks for the info on cleaning them, it is worth it but anything that makes it easier is appreciate. You can talk one of Justin Wilson's seafood gumbo recipes and substitute turtle, it is amazing... 

Fried is great for smaller ones too and I read that a turtle has more than ten types of meat. Maybe somebody here has the exact number.


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## leupy (Feb 12, 2007)

turtles are not hard to clean, I can do one in just a few min. (I don't usually mess with the meat on the shell, if you do it will take some time). I would gladly show how, just contact me and bring two turtles you can take one when you leave after the instruction.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

leupy said:


> turtles are not hard to clean, I can do one in just a few min. (I don't usually mess with the meat on the shell, if you do it will take some time). I would gladly show how, just contact me and bring two turtles you can take one when you leave after the instruction.


leupy, I'll remember that if I ever get two snappers . Does that include any other type of turtles? I saw someone mentioned something about soft shelled turtles?


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