Catch walleye whenever I go out but I do not get out often as I used to. I wanted to get some others here out also " LT " for one Buzzy wanted to go out too. Anyhow yes to walleye. Early in the season and late is the best time.

I know where there are some heavy loads of lotus on some rivers dumping into lake Erie. Marshes are full of cattails and there are some other weeds too. But all those places warm up in the summer. Some area just off the lake have all kinds of different weeds, arrowhead, cattail, phragmities, curly leaf pond weed, eel grass, lotus, duckweed, and well just about everyweed imported or native.

Michigan tends to have many spots that I mentioned. But Ohio does also.

The shells are easy to save. Snipe off the ribs with diagonal plyers and smooth with heavy

sandpaper of a drum. Scrub outside of shell with soap and water, dry then varnish. This is just a small one I kept for myself. And don't throw away the head, clean them with ants them varnish them too, they sell easy.....jk

hey somebody stole your backstraps. lol

pretty cool on the shells. most of these turtles will be picked up alive. i have seen some clocks made from turtle shells that are well made.

usually a good sign when i see the water clear in heavy vegetation. most always means a turtle/turtles are in the trap. care should be taken to also stake traps that are on a slanted bank as larger turtles can drag the trap towards deeper water. a mistake you'll only want to do once!

what size trap do u use?

here are a few turtle pics for you. you can opine about newt bein in all the gardens, I want a percentage of the royalites he gets from them "travilin Knome TV adds"

well finally a real turtle man shows up ! lol

Eric,
I mounted a turtle just like that hump-backed one in the upper photo. It was 26-28 years ago though.

Hi Mousie, those D-shape net traps are fine but here by me the lifespan for them is 4 nites before fisherman slice them beyond repair. so I use my own homemade cage traps that are designed to be set completely underwater,as far as 8 inches, can be covered with water plants and not be seen by fisherman or passerbys. I have not lost a trap in 3 years. I have posted them here before but here are the pics again. 12 inches high, 2 feet across and 4 feet long, net throat, hog panel flap back door for easy turtle removal, hog panel reinforced 6x8 inch breather hole in the top near the rear of the trap. level set trap works far better than one set on a steep angle.bait is held under a 1x1 wire flap on the floor of the trap

J.Morse, I got that one this year, was a female, I assume it hatched that way. was not nasty at all. here's one I got a few years ago that was a victum of the plastic 6 pack holder, was some plastic still embedded in its shell, turtle weighed about 15 pounds. I figured it didn't deserve to die, so I released it. I have posted this before also.

Eric what keeps the turtle from drowning if the traps are under water? suppose the water rises.

nice pics!!

Most of the time the trap is only 2 to 4 inches underwater, water can rise another 6 to 8 inches before small (10 pound) turtles could not reach air. I have had 20+pounders 15 inches under water and still they can stretch their necks enough to get air. It is surprising how long the turtles neck is. I prefer to trap turtles in streams and rivers. It is amazing how big the turtles are there and how the flowing water gets that bait smell over a much larger area than in a lake or pond. Also most river turtles are eating a lot more fish and crayfish and do not have a constant belly full of vegetation, so they are hungryier. I face the trap downstream and have watched many turtles come upriver as fast as they can go and literally jump into the trap. Caught a turtle this summer and he pooped out a ball of hair, mink hair! Can't say I was sad to see him off to the choppin' block.
Turtle trapping is like fur trapping, its all location, location, location. In a lake or pond, set the shallows, thats where they hunt. In a river or stream set in the shallows just above a deep pool, or at the edge of a deep pool just below a dam. Picture below is the last thing millions of ducks, mink and muskrats have seen

eric when do you think the turtles quit feeding for the year? i think our climates might be the same or close to it. i think its around the first part of September but this year it seems warmer. what do you think. i just got more fish and am getting ready to make one more run at it.

are dock lines legal in michigan?

I was hoping to do my big end of the year set this weekend, but got pneumonia (I don't know if that is the right spelling but you can get the idea what it is). I am going to set the first few days in Sept ifin I can get this bug whipped. Most years by Sept 7 they are done here. Water colder here than normal this year, they might have quit before I can get back at them. 'Bout 5 years ago they quit on August 23. My experience, (for what little it is worth), is that the turtles over 15 pounds all shut down at the same time, just like you turned off a faucet. But they will feed like crazy for the couple of days prior to shutdown. My biggest catches are just before shutdown. Last year I made a big catch Sunday nite of Labor day weekend. The next nite (Labor day Monday) I caught 0 ! If a cold front moves through any day now that will finish them.

but eric arent they going to feed last on vegetation not meat or fish? or is that a misconception?

You ain't Lookn at her turtle.....:)

getting ready to make one more run for the season. nets ready.new water lined up and spme old water looked at again. bait filled containers are ready in the freezer and stuffed with carp. a storm could cool the water down and end the season in a flash. we will see what tomorrow brings but for now things are on hold.
fear brings hesitation and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true !

Good luck. Set heavy for the last hurrah!