Make your own Frog Gig
HOW TO MAKE A FROG GIG POLE OR FROG SPEAR
I can remember being a kid and my dad going out with his buddies frog-gigging. It seemed like every weekend, I'd see them load up and head out with their frog gigging pole in hand. I was a little too young to join in with them back then. However, if we fast-forward to my middle school years, me and my good buddy Chris would spend any day we could fishing. Then at night we'd go frog-gigging. It was always such a blast. And, it's something that I still thoroughly enjoy doing.
How to Make a Frog Gig Pole
The biggest question that arises when you decide to go out for your first frog-gigging trip is, "how do I make a frog gig pole?" or "what frog gigging equipment do I need?" or even "What is a frog spear?".
Don't fret over this...
It's super simple to make a frog gig pole, in-expensive and requires very little gear. Also, you get to brush up on a few bushcraft skills in the process!
I'll teach you how to make your own frog spear down below...
Step 1: Gather your Materials
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1. Frog Spear
We highly recommend our Gigging Spear Card or Surf & Turf Card. These stainless steel spear points are incredibly sharp, strong, and very effective at their intended task. -
2. A frog Gig Pole
I would recommend cutting a green sapling for your frog gig pole. For best results, cut it a foot or two taller than your head-to-toe height. You can always trim it to your preferred size later on, but you can't add more. -
3. Cordage
You'll need a way to tie everything together. Some simple No. 36 Bank Line will be perfect for this. -
4. Knife
Any knife will do for this project. But I really like the Swiss Army Knife Farmer, which has a saw and blade on it for every task that this project requires.
Step 2: Select your Frog Gigging Pole (stick)
- • Green saplings work best for a frog gig pole.
Green wood is more durable and longer lasting than dead wood. Green wood will absorb shock better without snapping or splintering out prematurely ensuring your frog spear lasts a little longer. - • Make sure your frog gig pole is taller than you are from head-to-toe, with an additional 12-24 inches of height. This will give you some added reach around bodies of water and make things much more comfortable for you when using your frog spear.
Step 3: Prepare your frog gigging pole
- • Baton your knife blade down the center of the frog gig pole about 3" deep. This is the slot where you will place your Frog Spears in the next step.
- • I recommend batoning WITH the grain of the wood. It only takes an extra second to check the grain direction...But it helps immensely when batoning & preparing pieces of wood for projects (or for firewood).
- • The last preparation you'll need for your frog gig pole to make is to "chamfer" the end of your pole like I'm doing in the photo above. 'Chamfer' is just a fancy word for rounding out the sharp corners of your stick. This will help prevent splitting and make your frog spear more durable.
Step 4: Attach your Frog Spear
- • Utilizing the slot that you batoned into your pole during Step 3, simply slide one of your Frog Spears into the slot. (Use caution to not gig yourself here)
- • Make sure your frog spear point is slid securely into the notch about 1" or a little further. Any less than 1" and you'll run the risk of it sliding out. Any more, you're losing length on your frog spear.
Step 5: Secure Everything
- • In this last step, you're going to take your Number 36 Bank Line and securely tie everything together on your frog gig pole.
- • Why Bankline?
Bankline is very grippy by nature and holds knots very well. It was also designed for use around water...So, it's a win/win! - • What type of knots?
You can get fancy here...But honestly, as long as it holds your gigging spears onto your frog gig pole, you're good to go. I personally just start out with a "clove hitch", then do some tight "wraps", and end with a second clove hitch.
And like that...Your Frog Gig pole is ready for action!
Making your own Frog Spear is a super simple project, taking only a few minutes to complete once you have your supplies gathered. Frog gigging, itself, is not only a super fun way to spend an evening by the water, but it is also a very worthwhile skill for procuring food in the outdoors.
For more information on how to gig a frog with your newly made frog spear check out the article HERE
About The Author
Based in the Appalachian Mountains, Anthony is a commercial photographer and avid outdoorsman. Whether he's setting up a scene for a photograph or getting things ready to camp, Anthony feels most at home with mud on his boots and a warm campfire burning nearby. Learn more at AnthonyAwaken.com
