anyone else HATE catching turtles?

[burce]

I swear I've caught at LEAST 10 snapping turtles within the last year, and have lost tons of worms to them. Some of these suckers are huge too, and smell awful. I've hooked them in the mouth, and also have false hooked a bunch of their hands/feet. Always makes me mad because I feel something huge on the line. The first time I false hooked on on the hand, his swimming motion made the line move like it was a huge fish, and I was soo pumped before being furious when he surfaced...

I've caught more snapping turtles than bass in that year timeframe

[fourbizz]

cue J Francho. . .

[Nibbles]

They're good eatin'.

Take em home and keep em in a large bucket or tub for a few days, and change the water frequently. This will get rid of that muddy smell as well as make their flesh more palatable (not taste like pond scum).

To dress a snapping turtle, take a popsicle stick or any long wooden or plastic object and prod its head till it bites and latches onto it. Then pull the head out and lop it off with a sharp knife. Be careful as the decapitated head can still bite. You can then drain it of its blood (which actually makes GREAT catfish bait when mixed with blood baits). Then just use that sharp knife of yours and insert it into the gap between the bottom shell and its flesh, and slowly cut away the ligaments that hold the shells together.

From there on it's just a matter of getting rid of the guts and harvesting the meat. Turtles make good soup - the bones make a great soup base. You can also just bread the meat and fry it like chicken.

[burce]

Hah, sorry but I think I'll pass on the snapping turtle stew

[Nibbles]

You don't know what you're missing. 

[WanderLust]

They're good eatin'.

Take em home and keep em in a large bucket or tub for a few days, and change the water frequently. This will get rid of that muddy smell as well as make their flesh more palatable (not taste like pond scum).

To dress a snapping turtle, take a popsicle stick or any long wooden or plastic object and prod its head till it bites and latches onto it. Then pull the head out and lop it off with a sharp knife. Be careful as the decapitated head can still bite. You can then drain it of its blood (which actually makes GREAT catfish bait when mixed with blood baits). Then just use that sharp knife of yours and insert it into the gap between the bottom shell and its flesh, and slowly cut away the ligaments that hold the shells together.

From there on it's just a matter of getting rid of the guts and harvesting the meat. Turtles make good soup - the bones make a great soup base. You can also just bread the meat and fry it like chicken.

ummm... wow. I'll pass on turtle soup.

[BrianNJ]

Whats worse is when they make huge dents in your lures.

[Fishbone]

In the Philly area, snapper soup is a top shelf item. I pay $20/pound for meat to make this soup; and would pay more if I had to. Great food.

[CWB]

Got this beast on a shiner off my dock.

Pretty good fight. Feet were bigger than mine.

[Nibbles]

What I hate more than snapping turtles though are painted turtles and red eared sliders. They ruin or steal your tackle, and the little jerks aren't even edible.  >

[32251]

You can sell the snappers around where I fish. People love to eat them.  Dont let that BIG  sucker bite you!!!!!     Take your finger off!!

[Bassin_MO]

How do you guys who catch turtles get the hooks out? I've never caught one, but have often wondered this. I suppose if it's a big snapper that might make a difference if you even attempt to get your hook/lure back.

Anyone ever catch a big alligator snapper? 

[HopelesslyAddicted]

I swear I've caught at LEAST 10 snapping turtles within the last year, and have lost tons of worms to them. Some of these suckers are huge too, and smell awful. I've hooked them in the mouth, and also have false hooked a bunch of their hands/feet. Always makes me mad because I feel something huge on the line. The first time I false hooked on on the hand, his swimming motion made the line move like it was a huge fish, and I was soo pumped before being furious when he surfaced...

I've caught more snapping turtles than bass in that year timeframe

Dude its pretty funny that you're mentioning this.  I also live in CT and my last trip out in the canoe, I thought I had hooked a monster fish.  The thing was pulling us around a bit in the canoe, and I was thinking to myself, "d**n if this is a fish its a HOG!"  And then of course I pull up this ugly freakish beast of a snapping turtle, with my wacky rigged senko in his mouth.  After seeing the canoe for a bit he decided to let the worm go thankfully, but he held on for a good 3-5 minutes! The thing had to be at least 25 lbs. Dang turtles.

[Nibbles]

How do you guys who catch turtles get the hooks out? I've never caught one, but have often wondered this. I suppose if it's a big snapper that might make a difference if you even attempt to get your hook/lure back.

Anyone ever catch a big alligator snapper?

If it's liphooked, you just remove the hook like with a fish, turning the hook somewhat to get the barb out. Just make sure to approach it from behind, step on its shell, and use gloves + needle nose pliers.

If it swallows the hook, you're better off cutting the line. If it's a treble hook on a lure, you're better off just using needlenose pliers to remove the hook from the lure.

[bigbill]

First the eco system needs these turtles to survive. But i do hate it when there around because nothing bites. I have dragged a snapper in the size of my 15" tire on my jeep wrangler twice in one night. His legs were tilling the bottom but i got him in and let him go. At another place in CT we have one thats 4' in diameter because we can see him swim under the bridge we fish from. Another time I hooked him and he stuck his head up and my son thought it was a log. Then the log moved. I just cut my line because his head was that big. I didn't want to mess with it.

BigBill

Becareful when working your lures along the bottom the turtles sit on the bottm like rocks waiting to strike anything that swims by them. I was using a timber doodle in the weeds when it came out on the rocky point and a rock grabbed my lure. Of course i was going to lose my lure so i punished it(P1ssed).

I really hate water snakes!!!!!!!

[VAfishin4me]

my grandad used to catch alligator snappers and sell the meat. he might quite a bit of money before the market dropped. he told me New York restaurants would buy the meat for soups. never tried it or caught one myself, but he would use bamboo poles with a bait and hook attached stuck into the bottom of the pond. i pulled a pole up one time out of the bottom and a 60 pound plus snapper came up. nearly pulled me in water. i can't imagine catching one of those on a rod and reeling it in. it'd probably break.  ;D

[bass or bass ?]

I once caught a 25 pound softshell in Florida.

Seeing that photo of CWB holding a large one made me cringe. Those softshells are viscious suckers and they can extend their necks long enough to reach their tails with ease. He's lucky to still have all his digits!

[Syppy]

I've only ever hooked one at a Boy Scout camp long long ago.  My wife reiterates to me each time I go out that if I catch one to hold onto it.  She wants to do the turtle soup bit, or keep some smaller Red ear sliders as pets.  I dunno I just fish =P

[simplejoe]

I caught this one off of a Rage Space Monkey around  3 in the morning. ;D

[CWB]

I once caught a 25 pound softshell in Florida.

Seeing that photo of CWB holding a large one made me cringe. Those softshells are viscious suckers and they can extend their necks long enough to reach their tails with ease. He's lucky to still have all his digits!

That was actually the smaller of 2 I caught within 1/2 hour of each other. The bigger one broke the line as I dragged him on shore and away he went. They cruise the shallows in early fall, maybe to lay their eggs. I would rather mess with a snapper than a softshell. They are nasty. The ones I've caught can't reach their tails with their necks out but they can go about 1/2 the way back their body.

[frogtog]

It is always fun for the first few seconds when I hollow get the dam net. Then the excitement is over.

[JLBomber]

If you live in the south, catching turtles and hornpout are like panning a stream and finding gold. In the north, hornpout are fun, but turtles (like the monster I witnessed two days ago), are a temporary distraction from the goal.

BTW. That sucker must have been 200 years old. HUGE. I promptly switched rods and my Spit n Image soon became a Sleep n Image on the sidelines

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

Got this beast on a shiner off my dock.

Pretty good fight. Feet were bigger than mine.

thats one mean looking SOB hahaha

[Stiller]

Just caught a big one crossing my lawn last week. The shell was about 18" froint to back and 15" wide. Didn't weigh it, though. Anyway, I left it in a trashcan for a week changing the water daily and then butchered it. The legs and tail were red meat and the neck and loins were white. We made soup using Emeril's recipe. Fussy recipe, but very good. Well worth the effort. This will be standard procedure for turtles from now on. That week or 10 days in a trashcan is crucial. Don't bother trying to eat one otherwise.

[zbigbadaaron]

i used to think it was kind of fun pulling in huge turtles when i didn't use expensive lures when i visited Tennessee in Wisconsin we just have tiny turtles