Make your own Frog Gig
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 poles 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
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?".
Don't fret over this...
It's super simple, 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 gigging spear down below...
Step 1: Gather your Materials
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1. Gigging Spears
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 this project.
Green wood is more durable and longer lasting than dead wood. Green wood will absorb shock better without snapping or splintering out prematurely. - • 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.
Step 3: Prepare your frog gigging pole
- • Baton your knife blade down the center of the pole about 3" deep. This is the slot where you will place your Gigging 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 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 Gigging Pole more durable.
Step 4: Attach your Frog Gigging Spear
- • Utilizing the slot that you batoned into your pole during Step 3, simply slide one of your Gigging Spears into the slot. (Use caution to not gig yourself here)
- • Make sure your frog gigging 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 spear points.
Step 5: Secure Everything
- • In this last step, you're going to take your Number 36 Bank Line and securely tie everything together.
- • 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 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 Gig 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 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
