Turtle Farts

[OldTimer]

Hey,

Even though there may be a declining overall population of turtles in Ontario, my experiences on the Grand the last 2 years indicates they are doing well in the areas I fish. In fact they seem more abundant.

Last fall on several outings we had our baits chewed up by snapping turtles. My lady actually landed a small one with about a 12” diameter shell……. De-hooked and released in excellent condition.

This year I have hooked 3 so far (landed 1 huge beastie with a 20” shell), and believe that I may have had a few more on the hook due to the slow motion runs and inability to stop them before the line parted.

These events happened mostly on cut bait, but also on corn, worm, and live minnows.

I thought I’d pass along my thoughts on knowing when it’s time to fish another spot since the turtles will spoil the day.

Telltale signs turtles are around:
- 1 – You see them…………duh! ………..They do come up for air and you’ll see their dark heads just poking through the surface. Where there is one – there can be many.

- 2 – A lot of annoying small twitches on the line, with no real take…. And when you set the hook- it seems that there’s nothing there, and your bait has been taken or chewed up. With cut bait – many times you’ll get back the skin with all the flesh gone but still threaded on the hook.

- 3 – A hook up to something that does not run but moves slowly away with impressive power just before you’re cut off.

- 4 – Bubbles. I’m not kidding here – really. We all know that the lake beds of ponds and rivers do expel methane gas produced by the rotting vegetation on bottom, or buried in it. However - Snapping turtles are prone to significant flatulence because of their diets. Unusual bubbling activity, or trails of bubbles can indicate the presence of turtles (or carp).

We are allowed to take snapping turtles, and turtle soup is tasty, but trust me – cleaning one is something few will enjoy doing.

   


Cheers,

OldTimer