[dallasdb]

Went out with Bandrews on Sunday morning for a few hours.

Got to the lake at 10am, water temp was 40 degrees and nobody else in sight.

Sun was shining and it got warm quick. Was trying for perch but with my daughter with us we weren't able to move around and find em like we should have.

Tried minnow under a bobber ranging from 4-8 feet. We were fishing a steep dropoff and honestly I don't think 8 feet was enough to get it in front of the fish if they were there.
Tried crawlers on the bottom, minnow on the bottom, even tried Pautzke's fire bait dough balls for grins.

Bandrews was throwing a spinner bait. I tried a couple jigs but nothing until I saw my line with the drowning worm go tight. I ran over and set the hook but missed it and snagged a log. Couldn't get it unstuck so I walked down the shoreline to try a different angle. I felt the log come loose and spent a few minutes slowly pulling then reeling a few feet at a time. It wasn't until it was about 10 feet from shore that I thought I hooked a fish and it wrapped around the log!

Turns out it wasn't a log at all but it was my first and personal best prehistoric monster!!!

The thing was massive and didn't fight at all. I fouled hooked him in the foot. The hook ended up coming out as Bandrews got close with the pliers.

Then it walked (or ran at turtle speed) off into the depths and out of sight.

 

[Stickbait Pillager]

Turtle stew with the possibility of a cool necklace or belt or something with those claws.

That thing could snap your pole in half with those jaws.

 

[dallasdb]

It was MASSIVE!!!

I wanted to pick it up but had no idea how to properly handle them or how fast they could whip around and bite you.

I was more scared of it than it was of us.

 

[ducky540]

I've had them steal stringers of fish. I've had them follow me on my pontoon trying to steal my fish. Snagged quite a few and still don't like handling them.

 

[kirbydog]

Dallas-You add new meaning to multi-species angler.

 

[pistoldog]

There's got to be an appropriate meme for this thread somewhere!

 

[DoctorDooom]

Very cool. I didn't do any fishing this weekend and a snapping turtle isn't all that bad right. Hahahaaaa. Glad he got unhooked before you handled him. Those things have a rediculous bite strength.

 

[pistoldog]

 

[Ninja]

Now that's funny PD. WTG Dallas you can have the title of "Turtle Man" if you can just get over the fear of handling them.

P.S.- Turtle soup is pretty good stuff.

 

[slayerfish]

Crazy!

 

[pistoldog]

 

[jkaboom]

Nice catch and that's cool you landed him to pull the hook. Those bastards used to scare the hell out of us in Michigan - mean nasty fuckers...

 

[Zman]

When I was about 14 (a very long time ago) there was a park in Minnesota we used to ride our bikes down to and the spot we fished for Northern Pike where a slow moving creek dumped into the main river. We would catch 6 to 8 inch chubs and put them under an apple sized bobber and fish for pike. We used heavy line and wire leaders and snappers like the one you caught would swim up under those big chubs and could bite their stomachs open like you did it with a knife and they would suck all the guts out and not touch anything else. One day we managed to hook one and got it to shore it was 20 or 25 pounds, man that thing smelled bad a had the most wicked hiss. We were poor kids and wanted our steel leader and hook back...silly dumb kids being invincible thought we could get it out of the corner of the turtles mouth. While we were messing with it one of our friends showed up riding home from baseball practice and had a 32 inch hardwood Louisville Slugger baseball bat. We thought we could hold its head down with the bat handle end. The turtles head moved quicker than lightning and bit that bat handle in half in one chomp like it was a toothpick. We just let it go.

 

[TthePikester]

was Minnesota even a state yet when you were 14?

 

[Zman]

Hell youre older than I am...I didnt witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence like you did...yes Minnesota was a state by 2 years and our bikes had stone wheels!

 

[GRABABREWSKI]

 

[dallasdb]

Great responses guys. I love the memes.

zman,
I was so cautious around that dang thing. I didn't want to lose a finger.
I had no clue if they could whip around really fast or not.

I reeled him up to within a few feet and with Bandrews and I working together the hook came out and he just strutted his stuff back down to the depths.

An old forum member, whom I shall not name, said if you grab them by the tail they can't bite you... I'll keep that in mind next time

 

[GRABABREWSKI]

I was up in Minnesota this summer and we spotted a Snapper. My Nieces husband got all excited and says "I love turtles" runs over and grabs it by the sides and picks it up. It proceeded to piss all over.
I don't think I'll try that move, but he made it look easy

 

[Dakota]

Awesome Dallas! If you don't know how to handle a snapper... DON'T DO IT. Ha. Next time you can always approach them from behind and grab them, but keep your elbows pointed out, they have a lot more reach with their neck than you think. You can also always grab them by the tail. This can be a little harder with the bigger ones.

 

[DoctorDooom]

Or you can shove a broomstick in their mouth and carry em around once they clamp onto it