Never could decide if catching frogs is hunting or fishing so I just call it “frogging.” In Louisiana we have a 10-month open frog season. Only a valid fishing license is required. April and May are the only months when frogging is not legal. Size limits are measured from tip of muzzle to posterior of body between the hind legs, and are 5 inches for bullfrogs and 3 inches for pig frogs. Not being a catch and release sport (at least not intentionally) there are no limits on how many frogs you can take home. No firearms are allowed when frogging, but it’s ok to take them at night with lights, gigs, spears, nets, etc. The best method is determined by the species hunted and the terrain. Bullfrogs (at 5-15 inches, the largest frogs in North America) are more common in swamps and along rivers and bayous that have high, dry banks. Pig frogs (3-7 inches and named for their “hog-like” grunting sounds) are more common in marshy terrain like duck ponds. Sometimes their territories overlap allowing you to catch both species in the same area.
I don’t claim to be a frog-catching expert and I’m sure the commercial catchers probably have it down to maximum efficiency, but here’s what I learned from other froggers and through trial and error that works for me.
For catching bullfrogs in tree-filled swamps or high weedy banks, here’s my technique. If you need a paddle boat, my choice is a pirogue or for the less nimble, a canoe. I know froggers who use mudboats, go-devils even airboats to cover more territory but you’ve still got to slip in close for the catch.
The moment of truth is when you spotlight a frog, drift in close and make a quick catch. The simplest tool of all is permanently attached to all of us – our hands. When you can get that close, hand-grabbing is the best choice so long as you’re sure it’s a frog and not a submerged gator or snake. Other items I always have are wood-handled bait net, a spear and a paddle. Each of these I use for different situations. The net comes in handy when frogs are partially submerged on the edge of a bank out of arm’s reach. The spear is used when frogs are perched on the side of a bank but might be out of reach or protected from above by branches. The spear won’t work in the water since there’s nothing solid behind the frog to brace it while the spear point impales it. Finally the paddle is used to smack an out of reach frog floating in deep water. If not killed, it will be immobilized long enough to bag it up.
When I’m frogging in grassed-over duck ponds and marshes, it’s a different story. Mostly what you’ll find here are the smaller pig frogs, but some bulls can be mixed in too. A small, long or short-shafted mud engine on a 12-14 foot John boat is ideal since you’ll be in the boat the whole time. Here the nets, spears and paddles are really unnecessary as you’re operating in deeper water with no “over the frog” cover to worry about. Hand-grabbing is best for this type of terrain.
Getting into the deepest recesses of the most remote swamps can eliminate competition and add to the mystique of the trip, but often isn’t necessary. I know a couple of guys who do quite well in the roadside ditches not far from motels, malls and shopping centers in the Baton Rouge City limits. Driving slowly along gravel roads that border swamps and allowing the headlights to sweep the banks is another simple but highly effective way to locate frogs. You won’t catch the big numbers but just a dozen or so frogs cleaned whole can feed a whole family.
There are just a few other items that should be in every frogger’s arsenal. Battery powered lights are a must. Many people are under the impression that frogs are blinded and held motionless by bright lights. I’ve never found that to be true. I’ve used a regular flashlight to locate and catch frogs. What does spook them worst of all is the feel of rippling water as you approach. Again, here is the need for small boats that can slip in with the least amount of water disturbance. A grabber seated in the front with the light and a paddler gently steering the nose of the boat seems to work best. Locating frogs up on clean banks out of the water gives froggers the best chances for a successful catch.
Insect repellant is a must and so is something in which to keep live frogs. Maybe we just get more used to mosquitoes as the night wears on, but it sure seems like the bugs aren’t nearly as bad the closer it gets toward dawn.
Wire fish baskets with those one way doors make the best frog holders but onion and potato sacks will work too. Be careful, frogs have a way of “untying” sacks and a jailbreak could mean losing an entire night’s work in a flash. For the do-it-yourselfers, an open wooden square with a net held tightly by a stretching rubber inner tubing around it, makes a good frog bag. The open top should be covered with inner tubing with a slit cut in the center. The slit allows a hand with a frog to go in and then closes when the frog is released and the hand removed. Every escaped frog is a pair of main course legs lost.