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A pile of frogs

matt hougan

Junior Member
338
0
Dayton area
Took my boys out tonight for a night of frog gigging. Got the green light on a pond that is absolutely stacked. After some quick instructions before dark we hit the water in my canoe. My 3 million candle watt halogen lamp lights up the frogs like crazy. Nathan my oldest was gigging first while Zach pulled light duty. Nathan's accuracy was incredible going 15/17. One of the frogs he missed jumped in and skipped along the side of the canoe. I reached down and snatched that frog clean out of the water with one swoop. It was an amazing stroke of luck. Then it was Zach's turn. He missed his first few. I encouraged him to keep trying. He did and scratched out 14 really nice frogs. I was really proud of him. When we gig a frog we push the gig to the ground/bottom pinning the frog. We reach down grabbing the frog and the gig, lifting them out at the same time. He reached into some tricky spots leaning over the rail of the canoe (bow of the canoe on shore) He showed some grit and tenacity. No complaints no fuss, just kids listening to seasoned veteran and doing a bang up job. Even when we returned home they did a great job skinning those slippery suckers. No complaints when I insisted they shower....Who are these kids?







All I did was drive the canoe....
 
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finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Wow! You guys cleaned house! Great to see you getting your sons out doing one of my favorite pastimes. Some great eating right there. Sure miss those times. Old tennis shoes and jeans no shirt wading thru the muck and the cattails with headlamps or flashlights up to our shoulders. When we gigged the monster sized frogs we skinned the whole frog. Alot of meat on those front legs and backs.
 

Gern186

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,171
201
NW Ohio Tundra
Nice job Matt on getting the kids into frogging. We always just catch them by hand and put them in a burlap sack then clean them the next morning.
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
Very Nice!
I TOO have fond memories of gigging frogs as a kid with Gramp...
Thanks for the post!
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Nice job, Matt and boys! I plan to take my youngest out in a week or two. It will be his first time and is an experience every youngster should have to remember.
 

matt hougan

Junior Member
338
0
Dayton area
I tell ya I have not that amount of fun with my boys in a long time. I have been gigging frogs since the late 70's and the bamboo gig you see in the pics is the gig I used back then. On the day we went my little one asked if we could get the wii fixed. I explained to him that I would sooner see that stupid thing thrown in the trash then spend any money repairing it. I told him to go outside and play....... I hope with every outdoor experience they see that those games are a complete waste of time and money.

They are already getting as excited as I am about the trip to Arkansas. I cannot wait!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Good stuff. Never been frog gigging. Looks like fun. My boys catch plenty by hand but I have never cooked them up. Just smile and watch them toss them back in.