Snapping Turtles

W

WVU69Josh

New member
Does anyone else like to trap snapping turtles???
Every summer I put out traps for them and I also catch them on rod and reel. The put up quite a fight and they are delicious!
 
i have eaten a few but only when i just happen to find one along a creek or catch one while fishing a pond .....how do you go about trapping them????
 
Are you talking about common snappers or alligator snappers? Alligator snappers are protected in Texas and listed as state threatened.
 
I am talking about regular snapping turtles. There are no alligator snappers in WV. The way I trap them is by tying 2 feet of heavy duty fishing line or rope to a milk jug. On the end of the line I tie a big hook (4/0 or 5/0) and I usually put a chunk of bluegill or sunfish on the hook. I make a few of these rigs and throw them out at a nearby pond and leave them out overnight. Usually the next morning you will have a few snappers.
 
Here's a nice East Texas Alligator Snapper.

fcac7281.jpg
 
I’ve caught a 20 lbs and a 16 lbs common snappers in my grandparents pond with a fly rod!! No special line or anything!! One I caught with a fly and the other I caught with a big hook and a piece of bluegill!! It was a blast to reel them things in and see how big they were! Cuz that’s the biggest thing I have ever caught… never been ddep sea fishing, so that’s BIG for me!!! Ok well im out!

Andrew
 
When i'm "fishing" for them I use a heavy duty rod and reel with 30lb test line and a steel leader. I use a chunk of bluegill as bait and I use a large, wooden bobber. It is a challenge reeling in a big turtle especially when they dig in to the muddy bank. I spent most of my summer doing this for fun and I had it down to a science /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif . The only thing I dont like about it is cleaning them! Does anyone know of an easy method???? It just seems like those things never die! (anyone who has cleaned one knows what I mean)
 
When I catch them, I give them to my neighbors and they eat them… What they do, is get a big cauldron, boil hot water in it, and toss the turtles in! That’s all they do! I always get them to keep the shells when they are done! They are like my souvenirs! Hehe I love them!!!

Andrew
 
I used to get the silly things in my conabears when trapping holes in high banks for beaver and rats. And no, it never killed them despite being under the ice for long times. Probably only had a half dozen heartbeats a day!

Rick L.
 
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