Snapping Turtles

[tlkilian]

What do snapping turtles do when hooked? Are they going to just keep clutching the bottom and stay solid as a rock or do they get mad and try to run? 

[Darren.]

My sons and I have caught a few snappers.
Fortunately for us they were not larger than
a good 12" diameter shell.

For the big ones that we couldn't use long
pliers to unhook, we cut the line and let
them back to their domain.

Some we have been able to release w/o hook
in mouth.

[Lendiesel22]

From what I have seen they are rarely mouth hooked although it does happen. Most of the time its in a foot or underside of the shell but in all cases they move. Its a dull slow pull kinda deal.

[Raul]

Hmmmm ...... snapper turtle soup -----> YUMMI !

[capjohnson.mike]

Hahah. You know in Bahamas I've had loggerhead soup. I bet snapper turtle would be d**n good!!

[Kevin Beachy]

I was using a LT sunfish the other day, a snapper swiped at it, i set the hook, and my lands, those hooks went right through the top of the mouth. From my experience, they try to run. 

[ward131]

I hooked one on a purple worm through the roof of the mouth. I came up like a log. No fight.  It was maybe an 18 inch shell. 

[Munkin]

I have caught them on both jigs and creature baits around here. When you first set the hook you think you are snagged on the bottom. Try pulling on the line and it feels like you hooked a log that you can drag to the boat to retrieve the lure. Once they decide they don't want to come into the boat they start swimming which then feels like a catfish death roll. If you are fishing for catfish with live bait just cut the line because they have swallowed the hook. Lures it is hard to get the barb into their mouth since it is so hard. Generally I just give them a lot of slack and the bait pops free.

 

Allen

[FordsnFishin]

Been awhile since I've hooked into one.  But when I have they tend to feel like your pulling up a log. Normally not much of a fight

[BassThumb]

They're don't fight much, but they are beautiful and highly useful creatures, in my opinion. Nothing to be feared.

I used to catch some on the Mississippi while bassing, and it was usually the highlight of the trip.

[buzzed bait]

i had one chase down my spinnerbait at a local pond, came in like a log, no fight.  luckily for me and him both, he came off right at the bank when i gave him a little slack in the line!

[L a r r y]

When I was a kid and our local pond was over run with turtles, if we caught one, we would drag them up on the bank, put our foot on their back, pull our line until their necks were stretched and begin to remove our hooks.  Nasty lil fockers, and some of them had to be sacrificed during this process.

[Bluebasser86]

The big ones will dig into the mud or weeds pretty good, but none of them are a very good fight. Softshell turtles are much faster and put up a lot better fight. I used to know a guy who loved to eat them so I'd catch them on setlines and give them to him. They'll knock the fire out of a jig or worm though.