What Does a Night of Frogging Involve?
Mostly it involves a headlamp and a boat moving barely faster than a walk, with everybody staring at the same eighteen inches of grass line. That really is most of it.
Bullfrogs sit up in the grass and the pad edges after dark, and their eyes throw the light straight back at you. Once you learn what that looks like you cannot unsee it. The rest is boat handling, getting somebody close enough to reach, and doing it quietly enough that the frog does not drop off into the water first.
The photo up top is the next morning. That is one night, laid out in rows on the table before cleaning, and it is a good night by any measure. Nobody counted until they were all out there.
This is the same country Switchgrass Outfitters runs every other trip through, just with a headlamp on and the engine barely turning.
Can Kids Come Frogging?
That is a kid in a pink hoodie with her hearing protection still on, holding a bullfrog bigger than both her hands. So yes.
Frogging suits kids better than most things we do at night. It is slow, it is hands on, and it does not require sitting still and being quiet for an hour the way a lot of hunting does. They spot eyes, they call them out, and half the time they see them before the adults do because they are not overthinking it.
The frogs are big enough to be exciting to a nine year old and harmless enough that nobody worries. Florida bullfrogs get heavy, and the yellow throated ones are usually the males.
We hand out hearing protection the same way we do on the airboat rides, because getting out to the frog water and back is still a boat ride.
Watch How a Frog Gets Caught
It happens faster than it sounds like it should. Here is one going from the pads to the boat.
What Happens to the Frogs After the Night Is Over?
They get cleaned the next morning and they get eaten. Frog legs are the reason anybody does this, and that has not changed in a hundred years.
This is old Florida food, the kind of thing that was on tables around here long before anybody built a theme park down the road. You keep the legs, you dredge them, and you fry them, and every person who claims they will not try it tries it.
Cleaning takes longer than people expect. A big night means a long morning at the table, which is why the frogs end up laid out in rows like that instead of dumped in a cooler. It goes faster when you can see what you are working with.
We take what we can use and we follow Florida's rules on how and when frogs can be taken. Whatever the photo suggests, nobody goes out here chasing a number. You go because being in a marsh at two in the morning with people you like is worth doing.
Same marsh, same family, same reason people book our hog hunts. There is still a working piece of Florida out here and we would rather use it than photograph it.
What a Frogging Night Looks Like
Frogging is a warm weather thing and a wet weather thing, so it is not something we run on a fixed calendar. Ask us what the water is doing before you plan around it.
Headlamps and Eyeshine
Every frog you catch, you find by its eyes first. Once you have seen eyeshine in the pads you will pick it out from thirty feet away for the rest of your life.
Slow and Shallow
Frogging happens right against the grass line in water that is often ankle deep. It is quiet work, nothing like the run out to get there.
Warm Months, Wet Years
Frogs are active in the warm months and the marsh has to have water in it. Both have to line up, which is why the good nights get talked about for years.
Bring Long Sleeves
Mosquitoes are part of the deal in a Florida marsh after dark. Long sleeves, bug spray, and shoes you do not mind ruining.
Who Is Taking You Out There?
Captain Seth Whitaker holds a Master Captain license from the U.S. Coast Guard. That is the highest level of professional mariner certification, and it takes thousands of hours of documented sea time, written exams, and regular renewals to hold onto.
He has been running the channels and marshes of the St. Johns River for over 15 years. This is not a side job. He grew up here, raised his family here, and knows which slough holds water in a dry spring and where the eagles nested last year.
All Switchgrass Outfitters boats are inspected and meet U.S. Coast Guard safety regulations, including fire extinguishers, life vests in every size, communication equipment, and maintenance logs.
You are not getting a seasonal hire reading off a script. You are getting somebody who lives on this river.
Real Reviews from Real Guests
"I'm going to tell you, this is the airboat guide you want. We had Seth, he was great. Showed us around and we saw well over 100 gators... A++++"
Erik B., Oviedo
(Google Review)
"Captain Seth has extensive knowledge of the area as he not only grew up there, but he is also raising his family and uses the land for sustainability... I highly recommend if you're in Christmas, Florida."
KeiLani B., Titusville
(Google Review)
"Just amazing, first time and it was the greatest experience ever. Seth was a fantastic guide... You won't regret it!"
Jessica S., Orlando
(Google Review)
Switchgrass Outfitters holds 314 five-star reviews across Google and TripAdvisor. We've earned TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Award, which places us in the top 10% of attractions worldwide based on traveler ratings.
Read More Reviews on GoogleFrequently Asked Questions
What is frogging?
Working the edges of a marsh after dark to catch bullfrogs by hand or by gig, using a headlamp to pick up the eyeshine off their eyes. It is a Florida tradition, it happens slow and shallow, and the frog legs are the reason people go.
Is frogging good for kids?
It is one of the better night activities for children. The pace is slow, it is hands on, and kids often spot the eyeshine faster than the adults do. Hearing protection and life vests are provided for the boat ride out.
What time of year can you go frogging in Florida?
The warm months, and only when the marsh is holding water. A dry year can shut a frogging night down no matter how warm it is, so the water level matters as much as the calendar.
Do you eat the frogs?
Yes. Frog legs are the whole point. They get cleaned the next morning, dredged, and fried, and it is about as old Florida as a meal gets. We take only what we can use and follow the state's rules on taking frogs.
Service Area: Nearby Cities We Serve
Switchgrass Outfitters is located in Christmas, Florida, and serves guests from across Central Florida. We are the premier choice for Port Canaveral airboat tours, offering a quick and straightforward drive from the cruise terminals. We're an easy drive from:
- Chuluota (9 miles)
- Bithlo (10 miles)
- Mims (15 miles)
- Geneva (16 miles)
- Titusville (17 miles)
- Oviedo (18 miles)
- Port Saint John (18 miles)
- Sharpes (19 miles)
- Cocoa (20 miles)
We're also convenient for visitors staying in Orlando, Sanford, and Altamonte Springs.
Want to Go Frogging With Us?
Call or text and ask what the marsh is doing. Water level makes or breaks a frogging night, and we would rather tell you to wait two weeks than take your money for a slow one.
New to this country? Ride it in daylight first. Our airboat tours cover the same marshes we frog, and it is a good deal easier to picture the night version once you have seen where you are going.
