Bullfrogs

I have always heard that bullfrogs are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. For the majority of my life, I can’t remember ever finding a large population of these guys in any body of water. As a kid I spent as much time as anyone in and around rivers, swamps and lakes. I’m sure I destroyed 100 butterfly nets catching critters. I have to say in the last few years, I’ve heard many more of them on the lakes I fish. I took my two year old out for a drive this week and stopped by a local watering hole to look for sunfish and we were greeted with the loud hum of multiple frogs. My kid was waaaay more interested in finding the critter that was making this noise than catching a fish, so into the swamp we went. I couldn’t believe how many giant frogs we found. Within a 30 yard stretch of bank we saw at least a dozen of these cartoon sized frogs. These things look like the ceramic frogs that people put in their gardens. I hope this means that our lakes and wetlands are getting cleaner. I’ll take the youngster back to catch one tonight and post a picture.

Please post a picture. I’m curious to see how big they are.

When I was young, we lived in the ‘burbs of Milwaukee, and I recall catching some ridiculously-sized frogs. We used to catch the tadpoles (also huge), too, and keep them in a re-purposed kiddie pool till they grew into frogs.

They’re not very common in MN, and from what I have read, they’re causing problems in areas that they weren’t originally present.

Sounds like dinner to me. Frog legs are one of my favorites. Not to mention how much fun to catch they are.

There’s a small spring hole by our cabin in NW Wi that looks to be full of them. I have been meaning to get some for years. I love them but my wife who eats all the wild game I can throw at her, with zest, wont even consider eating frogs.
We have nothing but small green frogs and leopards at the cabin and my youngest dog keeps them in check.

Here ya go KP… caught a few with my kids last wknd. Now that I know where they are… will probably go back and grab some for dinner.

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Leopard frogs are also a sign of a good ecosystem. I believe it has to do with them absorbing pesticides and pollutants through their skin?

You are correct pug! They are one of the species that exhibits defects from too many chemicals around. Has anyone ever tried eating the legs off of Leopard Frogs? I know they are small but we don’t get bullfrogs around my area….I’ve always wanted to try frog legs.

youngfry wrote:

Here ya go KP… caught a few with my kids last wknd. Now that I know where they are… will probably go back and grab some for dinner.

Thanks Youngfry, lol!

That picture is so great it makes me feel bad about eating the legs.

When I was young and just introduced to fishing there was a restaurant in Prior Lake that was called the Anchor Inn. Whenever we went there I always ordered the frog legs. Although I haven’t had legs leg’s since then (35 years) I can still remember the taste and would love to find a place that still offers them on the menu.

Cool! Thanks for posting the pic. I would love to find some frogs like that to catch!! All I ever find are small frogs and smaller toads. Don’t get me wrong, I love catching the smaller ones too… but to catch a cartoon-sized frog like that would make my day! I think I’m hearing lots of frogs while I’m out fishing, but I’m not sure of they are bullfrogs or other frogs.

Our hand size Cuban tree frog is back hanging out on the gutter.

If it makes you feel better, bullfrogs are large eating machines and can clear out the smaller native species of frogs over time. So… it’s good to keep their numbers in check

just think,thousands of bullfrogs in wheelchairs.

Sharon,are you sure that frog you heard wasnt your old man after chugging a warm beer or soda??

seriously,the bullfrogs on the Iowa river years ago would be weighing in at over a pound,some measuring over eighteen inches in length from the nose to the tips of their back feet stretched out,talk about huge!!!
didnt take many of those to fill a skillet.

I will have to look and see if I have any pictures of them left and try to scan them and post them here.

Back in the early ’70s my wife and I would throw small Rapalas in the early evening hours and always catch a mess of bullfrogs for the skillet.

We would cast beyond the frog (if we saw it) and retrieve in slow motion beck past him. It was fun watching the frog watch your bait as it got closer to him then,,,,,,,BAM!! he was lunging at the bait.

Fried them up in a skillet of melted butter. Yumm

Iowaboy1 wrote:

just think,thousands of bullfrogs in wheelchairs.

Sharon,are you sure that frog you heard wasnt your old man after chugging a warm beer or soda??

seriously,the bullfrogs on the Iowa river years ago would be weighing in at over a pound,some measuring over eighteen inches in length from the nose to the tips of their back feet stretched out,talk about huge!!!
didnt take many of those to fill a skillet.

I will have to look and see if I have any pictures of them left and try to scan them and post them here.

I used to know a guy from south eastern Iowa that would use 22cal shorts for the giant bull frogs along the skunk river.
Yes! They are big !!

I’d never seen or heard a bullfrog coming from Northern Iowa. The first time I met up with one was when I was fishing a back water in the central part of the state where I moved later and heard this really loud halfway growl. Kinda got me nervous then seen over the bank this giant bullfrog was causing the commotion.

Did you know it is illegal to sell, buy or possess a bullfrog or tadpole—except as fishing bait—without a DNR permit in Mn. The new invasive speciies of mn.

Now if they are dead are they still a bullfrog then again is a dead asian carp still an asian carp.

“Sharon,are you sure that frog you heard wasnt your old man after chugging a warm beer or soda?? ”

SR

Our cabin is tucked away on a channel rich with lily pads and cattails. In the evening the bullfrogs sure do sing! They, along with the birds and loons combine for some wonderful sounds.

I need to get on the waders and check them out.

I love frog legs, but someone else has to harvest them for me.

Was going through the frozen food section at the Asian market looking at all of the strange stuff and low and behold they have frog legs. Packs of 6 legs were only a few bucks.

Years ago, I remember the huge population of bullfrogs we found at Whitewater Lake in SE Wisconsin. We would catch them with a long cane pole and tipped with a dry trout fly, twitched in front of their faces. We tossed them back buta meal might take all of ten minutes to catch.

youngfry wrote:

Here ya go KP… caught a few with my kids last wknd. Now that I know where they are… will probably go back and grab some for dinner.

Wow just wow! That thing is a monster! I’d love to find some of those for a nice fry.

youngfry wrote:

Here ya go KP… caught a few with my kids last wknd.

My folks have photos of me as a youngster with similar frogs. They’re huge and awesome! I need to find some with my kids someday.

Heres a short story about how big some bullfrogs get. I’ve got a friend whos family had a small farm just across the Iowa Missouri border in Missouri and he used to go visit with them for a couple weeks when he was young during the summer. They had a pond and it was full of big bullfrogs and I asked how big, because I also hunt and eat them, so It got my curiousity up. He said he was by the pond and seen this huge bullfrog along the shore just sitting there. A small water snake came along and just happened to get a little too close to this bullfrog and yep, the bullfrog grabbed this water snake and got the whole thing in its mouth. He stood there a few minutes to see what would happen next and the frog never did burp the water snake back up, that’s a darned big bullfrog.