Soft Shell Turtle

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Last night I rigged up a bait fish and tossed it out. It had been awhile since I checked my line. Well when I pulled on it, snagged was my first thought. All of a sudden it let go. Pulled the line in all the way and the bait fish looked like I had pulled it out of the gullet of a big fish. Nasty and slimmy, YUK!<br /><br />So I added another hook and tossed it back out. This time I left slack in the line. About 5 minuets later line goes tight and almost jerks my pole out of the boat. I grabbed the pole and pulled hard. Man another snag, at least I thought. The pole started to bend real bad, the drag started letting line out. What the heck did I hook? I struggeled with it for about 10 minuets. With the comotion going on, several people on the docks came over to the boat to see what was going on. Finally it gets close to the boat and a bunch of air bubbles come up. Then finally I got it to the surface to see the biggest turtle that I have ever seen in this lake. My wife couldn't handle the net, so she had a friend of mine take over. It barely fit into the net! The shell measured 16" from side to side and 19" from front to back.<br /><br />We couldn't get the hook out, so we just snipped off what we could of the hook and turned it loose. We figured that it must have weighed about 20lbs. How big do these soft shell turtles get? I know it got my adrenilin pumping for sure. Would have kept it, but didn't have anything big enough to put it in. Just thought I would share my weekend event with you all.

 

[Skinnywater]

Re: Soft Shell Turtle

That's a big one.<br /><br />As a kid back in Florida, I've caught quite a few.<br />They were pretty good eating to.<br />They don't have a foul smell when you're cleaning them. And the fat on them is orange.<br />We always caught a couple when catfishing.<br /><br />One things for sure. The only way to handle them is by holding the shell firmly by the backside. And firmly enough because he'll try to kick with the back feet. Holding him anywhere else is well within range of that chomper. Soft shelled turtles have very long necks. And they are very fast turtles.<br />We'd make the kill by pulling on the line to pull the head and neck out of the shell and stepping on it. Then cut the head off.<br /><br />Catfish and turtle, bona petite.

 

[gonfishn]

Re: Soft Shell Turtle

At First SS I thought it was a snapper..There are seven different kinds of meat on snappers..My ex use to fixem up and and was great with some gravy fixns..<br /><br />That a biggggg rounder..Someone told me turtles can live for alot of years so I imagine they can get some size to them..I once saw a 40 Lb Snapper that you could sit on..