Snapping Turtles?

[Starling]

In my neck of the woods, there are a lot of snapping turtles in the lakes and rivers where I fish. More often than not, I end up hooking turtles more than fish. One time, I hooked a turtle as long as my arm. They are scary with those big jaws!

Are there any areas of a lake that might be turtle-free?

 

[dinosaur]

Why would you want that? Turles are delicious..

I've been taking turtles from my land for ten years and suddenly they disappeared. I guess I took too many. They'll come back. They go where the food is. They're just like me.

 

[Starling]

I've never eaten a turtle in my life, though I know people have before. I guess I wouldn't mind learning how to skin and eat one, but personally, getting my hands near those jaws tend to terrify me. I've heard all the rumors that snapping turtles can bite off fingers. I don't know if it's true or not, but turtle soup or however people cook turtle isn't worth a lost finger!

 

[hikinmike]

I live with a canal along the back of our property (Florida). Turtle paradise. It's those Alligator Snapping Turtles I don't want to encounter. They're scarier to me than a gator.

 

[ChadTower]

I love it when you're fishing out of a canoe and a snapper follows you around. There is one reservoir my son and I fish where people must throw food in for the snappers. More than a few times we've had one follow us around for 20 minutes before losing interest. It's funny - the thing will be invisible for a couple of minutes and then a head pops up 20' away. Then it goes under and pops up 15' away on the other side.

 

[Starling]

I love it when you're fishing out of a canoe and a snapper follows you around. There is one reservoir my son and I fish where people must throw food in for the snappers. More than a few times we've had one follow us around for 20 minutes before losing interest. It's funny - the thing will be invisible for a couple of minutes and then a head pops up 20' away. Then it goes under and pops up 15' away on the other side.

Yeah, they are funny when you look across the water one moment, and then the next moment there's a giant head popping up! I don't mind turtles really if they wouldn't be stupid enough to go for my bait. They either shred it right off or get hooked. Depending on the size of the turtle, it takes me between 5-10 minutes to unhook it and that time could have been spent reeling in some bass.