My mind ran through the possibilities (I knew it wasn't a catfish; I'm never that lucky) of what could present such heft as I pulled the line hand over hand toward the surface.
With a violent lunge a serpentine neck broke the surface of the water. A sudden eruption of water and slime immediately followed as webbed feet and claws forced the leathery object downward.
"What was that?" My friend Alan Gawyzewski exclaimed from the front of the boat, where he was trying to steady the craft against a felled tree.
"Turtle,"I complained, pulling a knife from my belt. "He big?" "Pretty good size." "Don't cut him loose," Alan demanded. "They're good eating." The look on my face must have conveyed my skepticism. "Seriously," Alan reaffirmed. |
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Thus began my introduction to turtle trapping.
A Cajun with a Polish name, Alan knew a thing or two about turtle trapping. My catching a large soft shell on my trotline was luck (or so he said). Turtles can be caught on a trotline, but deliberately doing so takes a little more effort.
Turtle trotlines should be set close to shore, preferably near a steep drop off. As certain types of turtles "den" under banks this puts the line close to the turtle's home. Regular sized trotline hooks are adequate enough but bait should be harder and firmer than baits generally used for fish. Pork fatback, baitfish heads, leftover stew meat or chops, or any other number of meats will work.
Another method of "bringing home the shell" is by employing the use of traps. Floating traps that allow for turtles to climb in but not climb out, are used with great success as are floating hoop traps and live traps set on shore, half submerged in water. Although floating sun traps (where turtles climb upon to sun themselves then are unable to climb out) don't necessarily require bait, bating them is not a bad idea. Any smelly meat, fish, or left over fish offal makes great bait.
Although the varieties of turtles caught depends on the areas where trapped several species are considered more desirable than others for consumption. Snapping and alligator snapping turtles are by far the most preferred. Their uses in soups, chowders, and gumbos in Louisiana, other southern states, and in Mexico is widely known and much coveted by connoisseurs.
"Snappers" are extremely aggressive when confronted and are capable of severing fingers with their steel trapped jaws quite easily. Considered a large turtle, snapping turtles can easily weigh over one hundred pounds with some monsters reaching 200 pounds. In addition to their meat, snappers provide the extra benefit of having attractive shells that can be polished and glazed. Some shells sell on Ebay and other auction sites for over $150.
Not as widely accepted, but considered to be much better eating, are soft shell turtles. These turtles can grow well over twenty inches in length and get their namesake from their soft, leathery shell. Also aggressive and fully capable of inflecting severe pain when cornered, soft shells are widely considered by chefs to have a better flavored meat.
Other hard shelled turtles, such as sliders and coots, although edible, are hardly worth the trouble of cleaning due to the small amount of meat they provide. Their shells however, are used in a number of Native American crafts and novelty type taxidermy mounts and can easily be found for sale online as well.
Turtle trapping not only provides a great time outdoors but can also deliver a delicious meal or a little extra income.
NOTE: Check all applicable laws before trapping.
For more hunting gear and equipment, check out Cabelas for the best namebrand products.
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