Froggers prepare for new season

When the season opens on June 30 at sunset, you can bet there will be thousands of froggers ready including George Alexander, Odessa. This 67-year-old "youngster" has been waiting for that date since the season closed in October 2008.

"I got my first taste of frogging when I was in grade school and haven't missed many opening days since. I have a lot of memories of frogging, some good and others not so good. I remember when my mother put some frog legs in the hot skillet and to her surprise, some of them jumped out. My dad hadn't taken the tendon from some of the legs and my mother thought they were still alive. Her screams could be heard all over town," he said.

Some of Alexanders stories include the one time he and a friend were after frogs in a canoe when, in their excitement of getting a big frog, the canoe overturned and both boys had to swim for shore and lost the 10 frogs they had in a bag.

"We have had some wild experiences going after frogs, but it was worth it when you see a plate full of frog legs in front of you at the dinner table," he said.

This year looks to be one of the better one in the past several seasons according to some experienced froggers we talked to. Tom Nelson, Sedalia, said, "I have been checking some of my favorite ponds where I usually can get a few frogs and this year I have seen and heard more than usual. Since the ponds are full, I plan on using my small boat to sneak up on them. Last year, I tried using my pellet gun and by using pointed pellets, I was able to get a limit. However, when I used the flat pellets, the frogs hardly noticed. My son used his slingshot and got five frogs."

When I was growing up in Carrollton, I used to hit the area farm ponds for catfish, bluegill, bass and anything that would hit my lures. There always seemed to be a lot of bullfrogs along the bank so when the season opened, I was ready. One year, a local businessman offered me 50 cents for every frog I could bring him. I jumped at the opportunity, that was a lot of money back then. I headed for one of my favorite ponds and was able to get five big frogs by using a Hula Popper lure on my flyrod. I had fun getting them and the $2.50 I received for them was a big bonus.

There are a lot of different ways to get the big jumpers, from shinning a light on them and grabbing them, to using a firearm. One year, my son, Brad, used a slingshot to get his frogs. He used a homemade slingshot and a lot of ball bearings as ammo. Even when he got close, the frog would usually stay in the same spot, giving Brad another chance.

Harry Williams, another Sedalia frogger, uses a small boat on the ponds where he gets his frogs.

"The first time I went after the frogs, I walked the bank using a flashlight and grabbing the frogs, but the next day I had all kinds of chigger bites so since then I use a boat to stay out of the tall weeds around ponds. This year, I have rigged up my 10-foot boat especially for going after the frogs. It looks like one of the best seasons ahead that we have had for sometime. I have seen a lot of big bullfrogs while fishing several of my local ponds so I know they are there just waiting for me to come and get them," he said.

No matter what method you use to get your frogs, they always look good after fried up and put on the table. And yes, they do taste a lot like chicken.