Frog Cove
The long list of regional delicacies that includes escargot and jambalya in New Orleans, Mesquite BBQ from Texas, and West Virginia Mountain Oysters, would not be complete without mention of pan-fried frog legs in the rural Midwest.[i]In the rice paddies of Asia, the dish is known as Paddy Chicken and is equally tasty In Michigan, the North American Black Bullfrog is the species of choice, and the fine art of hunting them requires skill, practice, dedication, and an intellect exceeding that of the frog. I am aware of and thoroughly practiced at three accepted methods, each having its pros and cons.
The most common practice, referred to as “gigging”, relies on a primitive tool resembling a giant 3-prong fish hook with the barbs all aligned to point in the same direction. This oversized salad fork is thrust at the unsuspecting frog sitting innocently in the water. The frog meets his maker, and the thrill of the hunt is over – not very exciting.- The “angling” method is a matter of outfoxing (outfrogging) the prey, requiring a good bit more skill than gigging. A scrap of cloth is torn from the hunter’s shirt and attached to a large fishhook, which is dangled above the frog’s nose. I am not aware of any data regarding the frog’s preference as to the size or color of the cloth. Whatever shirt I happened to be wearing seemed to fool the frog into mistaking it for a tasty bug. One advantage of this method is that the frog, after being unhooked and put in a gunny sack with the others, can be cleaned the next morning, instead of in the middle of the night.
- The “grabbing” or “snatch” method is far more engaging for both hunter and hunted. Shining a flashlight in the eyes of a frog seems to suggest to him that the sun just came up, reminding him that it’s time to take a nap. Slowly and quietly working around behind the dazed frog makes it possible to grab him with one hand and throw him in the gunny sack held in the other hand.
These voracious amphibians come out of hiding places an hour or more after sundown, so the hunt must take place at night. Since those caught by the gigging method have already involuntarily “croaked”, they need to be cleaned in the middle of the night, whereas with the other two methods, that can wait until morning.
There were always plenty of frogs along the shore between Willis Earl’s place and Little George, but when Jim and Doris Wyatt built their new house, they cleared the brush along the shore, so we had to go to Frog Cove to get a good catch.
By: Jim
Written: September 22, 2025
Published: October 10, 2025
Revised:
footnotes
| ↑i | In the rice paddies of Asia, the dish is known as Paddy Chicken and is equally tasty |
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