Snapper
- Thread starter czechsonofagun
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czechsonofagun
Elite Member
WayneB
Elite Member
Interesting pictures! Although it is a small snapper I would caution you on picking up larger ones. We had a woman in town feel sorry for one that was in the roadway and decided to pick it up and move it. Well as she started reaching down the turtle snapped and took off one of her fingers.
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czechsonofagun
Elite Member
I was amazed how far it can whip the neck backwards - while it was trying to get me.
I remember once stopped traffic, b/c huge snapper was moving across and two cops trying to direct it with a stick. That thing would launch itself several feet forward.
I remember once stopped traffic, b/c huge snapper was moving across and two cops trying to direct it with a stick. That thing would launch itself several feet forward.
JB4310
Super Member
czech,
Yours looks viscous and doesn't like the dog?
Yes they are fast and it makes a weird noise when they're neck whips out, you can even hear them snap when they are under water.
I pulled this one out of the local park's pond, the kids catch little sun fish off the bridge and the snappers steal them if the kid doesn't reel them in fast enough, I just lured him in close to the bridge and grabbed him/her by the tail, you can see he didn't want to give up his fish dinner. I pulled an even bigger one than this but didn't have a camera, I could hardly lift him out of the water.
Does anyone know if you can eat these things?
JB,
Yours looks viscous and doesn't like the dog?
Yes they are fast and it makes a weird noise when they're neck whips out, you can even hear them snap when they are under water.
I pulled this one out of the local park's pond, the kids catch little sun fish off the bridge and the snappers steal them if the kid doesn't reel them in fast enough, I just lured him in close to the bridge and grabbed him/her by the tail, you can see he didn't want to give up his fish dinner. I pulled an even bigger one than this but didn't have a camera, I could hardly lift him out of the water.
Does anyone know if you can eat these things?
JB,
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JESSE1
Veteran Member
I've heard of people eating them. Supposed to be good meat if you can get up the courage to actually skin it out. Softshell turtles are supposed to be good to eat, too.
jinman
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JB4310 said:
Absolutely! You can eat them and they are really good when fixed properly. When I was in the US Navy and stationed in Philly, I used to eat snapper soup at a diner in South Philly at least once a week. Here is a link to a recipe.
Bookbinder's Snapper Soup
RobJ
Elite Member
As a kid we would fight with the soft shells. Every place you are holding those snappers...a soft shell can get you with the long neck. Mean suckers.
Rob
Rob
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czechsonofagun
Elite Member
JB, that's a SNAPPER!! I usually dont bother them, but I dont want them in my pond mixing with stocked bass and cats.
dbdartman
Platinum Member
JB4310 said:
Funny, the first thing I thought when I opened this post was, "Mmmm... snapper soup!" Probably been 25 years since I've had any, but I sure do remember it being GOOD!
Soft shell turtles differ from snappers in that they generally prefer running water to still, don't get quite as big, and do not taste nearly as good (IMO). They are also far more aggressive than snappers, and 10 times faster on land (maybe 20x if they have a really bad attitude :>). I have been chased by a large soft shell on more than one occasion, and they don't let up if they can see you. You can walk away from a snapper...not so a soft shell.
Snappers take a little work to clean, but to those who like the meat it's about as good as it gets. We have done numerous things with it, and our two favorites remain 1. baking in foil w/ just a little butter and 2. grinding or cubing and making soup..real turtle soup.
Snappers take a little work to clean, but to those who like the meat it's about as good as it gets. We have done numerous things with it, and our two favorites remain 1. baking in foil w/ just a little butter and 2. grinding or cubing and making soup..real turtle soup.
tony123
Platinum Member
You guys have nerves of steel to pick those suckers up!
One time as a kid I was poking a stick at one to force him into snapping. As I understand, their necks can come out about 3/4ths the length of the body. Anyhow, one of my sticks was about the size of a broom stick in diameter, and he snapped it in half! I have no doubt you would loose a finger or toe to one....and some of the really large ones could likely take a hand off with a single snap.
To me, its similar to playing with rattlesnakes.
One time as a kid I was poking a stick at one to force him into snapping. As I understand, their necks can come out about 3/4ths the length of the body. Anyhow, one of my sticks was about the size of a broom stick in diameter, and he snapped it in half! I have no doubt you would loose a finger or toe to one....and some of the really large ones could likely take a hand off with a single snap.
To me, its similar to playing with rattlesnakes.
When I was a kid, my father was cleaning out and digging around our swimming hole with his tractor and saw a big turtle swim under one of the banks. He called a friend of his who liked turtle soup and had him come over to catch it. He (friend) went wading around in the brook- that part was only about 18" deep- poking with a piece of ( I think) rebar - until he felt a familiar "thump". The rest was easy, he just reached into the murky, muddy, stirred up water and pulled the turtle out by his tail!!! His comment was something to the effect " They always go in head first!". Yeah right! This turtle was so big it would barely fit into a large metal garbage can, I can only image the speed and power it had. I've always been fascinated by snappers, I think (in the N.E.) anyway, they are the closest living ancestors we have to some of the armor plated dinosaurs that roamed the Earth.
