# The turtle that got away?



## #18Fan (Jan 3, 2012)

Went fishing at DC this morn when i noticed a small stick floating oddly towards me and against the winds waves. As it got closer (within 10 feet or so), i seen a turtle approximately 14x14 inches right in front of me somehow tangled in line and to the stick. So i cast my crankbait between the 2 hoping to catch this turtle but only managed to catch the stick freeing the turtle of both the line and stick. It was absolutely crazy. Has anybody else seen or heard of such a thing in one of our lakes? Oh and the fishing sucked at the lake. Hit the provo on the way home and done pretty good there for a change. Wish i would have had a camera, Argh !


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Crazy! How big was the turtle?


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## #18Fan (Jan 3, 2012)

Bout 14 inches. I watched the stick moving oddly cross the top of the water for about 10 minutes before it got close enough to see the turtle pulling it ha ?


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

on turtles... i was out doing yard work a few years back and my 2 dogs booger and KC were going bonkers in the field next to me. i ignored them but they kept at it. i finally yelled at them to come back. booger reached down and i could tell he was picking something up but it was very difficult. he finally got it and brought me a box turtle. here was a lost pet at least 1/2 mile from houses... weird. this one of yours is likely a similar kind of thing.


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## wes242 (Jan 2, 2010)

I have seen some turtles in Salem Pond and along the Provo River about a mile up from Utah Lake. And once in a little stream by our house when I lived in Idaho. It looked like someone and drilled a hole in the side of the shell to put a leash or somthing on it. But it was broke off. Could be someones pet they got sick of.


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## tye dye twins (Mar 8, 2011)

They have been caught on worms at the Bountiful Pond as well as the Jordan river. Not the greatest fighters from what I hear.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

wes242 said:


> I have seen some turtles in Salem Pond and along the Provo River about a mile up from Utah Lake. And once in a little stream by our house when I lived in Idaho. It looked like someone and drilled a hole in the side of the shell to put a leash or somthing on it. But it was broke off. Could be someones pet they got sick of.


Where I come from it was common to drill holes in the rear of turtle shells and tie toy cars and trucks to the turtle.

The practice was outlined in the 1959 ******* Training Manual.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You have to figure that turtles are long lived and to make a pet out of them is really just wrong. I remember in the early 60's that my sister and myself went over to the five and dime store and bought 2 of them. One of them is still kicking at my sisters house 50+ years later.


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## gunplay (Apr 28, 2008)

I caught on on a dry fly in a St. George pond a couple years ago. Those community ponds down there all have them.


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## Jeremy28 (Dec 1, 2007)

I caught a huge one on a worm in st. george as well (near washington) in a pond. It was one of those soft shelled ones with the big nostrils and that thing was MEAN! everytime you would get near it it would hiss and try to bite you with its huge long neck extending out. That thing could run fast too so just had to cut the line and wish it the best.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Jeremy28 said:


> I caught a huge one on a worm in st. george as well (near washington) in a pond. It was one of those soft shelled ones with the big nostrils and that thing was MEAN! everytime you would get near it it would hiss and try to bite you with its huge long neck extending out. That thing could run fast too so just had to cut the line and wish it the best.


Ugh, I used to catch those stupid things all the time when fishing for stripers in the Overton arm of Lake Mead with cut bait. The bigger ones would fight some when reeling in, but it was always a pain to get them unhooked because they would try to bite you. I found that holding the turtle up by your fishing line would cause the neck to fully extend and you could get a hemostat in to free the hook, without getting bit.

I understand that folks from Goob's original neck of the woods like to eat those things,  but I can't say that ever interested me or would I have any idea how to prepare it.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Catherder said:


> Jeremy28 said:
> 
> 
> > I caught a huge one on a worm in st. george as well (near washington) in a pond. It was one of those soft shelled ones with the big nostrils and that thing was MEAN! everytime you would get near it it would hiss and try to bite you with its huge long neck extending out. That thing could run fast too so just had to cut the line and wish it the best.
> ...


That's right. Turtle is very good; tastes like chicken. Snapping and Soft-shelled turtles were (are) the most popular. Turtle meat has become very expensive...as-a-matter-of-fact because of *******-oriented TV shows anything related to Redneckedness is now expensive. 

"Redneckedness" uh...I just made that up.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

See: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=38101&p=392331&hilit=turtle#p392331


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## #18Fan (Jan 3, 2012)

Ha that's funny. Id love to see the look on a guys face when he reels in a turtle from a drowned worm. And i thought my turtle was a one and only! I had never heard of such a thing until now.


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## Narient (Jan 9, 2011)

This is the first time I've heard of turtles of the swimming variety out loose in Utah. growing up in Kansas, I've kept turtles for pets, eating them in soups and deep fried, but was always under the impression that there weren't any out here, save at the zoo and pet stores.


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## Caddis-n-Cutts (Sep 28, 2007)

We ran into one at Willard Bay a few years back. He was about 8-10" I thought it was really strange....My wife claims it was the one she had as a kid. :lol:


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Speaking of the goob and turtles&#8230;

I like these kind. They don't bite back.

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=35938


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