Some people say they do better setting turtle traps late in the evening, I’ve heard people say it’s better to set early in the morning, and I’m sure there are some that say it doesn’t matter what time traps are set.



What do YOU say about it? Does it even matter?

No ,set them when you have the time.

just sayin Hi,good to see ya.

Anytime. I like mornings because it's cooler and less mosquitos

Pcr2 If you ever come to central FL would love to have a beer with you. I truly enjoy your whiteness. Or is it pronounced wittiness.

I always set as late as possible in the evening. I’ve found that if I set early all the sliders, blue gills, etc. pick my lines clean long before snappers move. Probably different if you are running traps versus lines.

My .02.

Day, night
NO differance in catch rate

If you're serious about getting after turtles you should leave the lines at home. Nets pretty much eliminate all the nuisance issues unless you get a mammal inside the net.

Get im the water and keep the bait fresh - no difference when placed.

We got a couple nice ones this year. Been doing really good with catfish that was preserved and fresh smellig, none of stink of bait last for weeks.

I trap turtles for several years for a living in south Georgia. Or water temperature is very warm and the bait will turn sour just a matter of hours. I usually ran 20 traps a day they were 3 foot nets some 2 1/2 foot nets. I will check the traps twice a day in re bait wice a day. You couldn’t stay out all day because of the turtles will get too hot and die. They had to be unloaded twice a day also. You would catch yellow bellied sliders and soft shell turtles during the day and on the night snappers and a few of the others. My son trapped with me By your house and also by where he went to school for college. We trap turtles in Georgia till they band it Or close down the market. The buyer usually pickEd up the turtles once a week on Saturday or Sunday. He would spend the night and leave at 2 o’clock in the morning and take him back to where he had ponds. A load would be a pick up bed full pulling a 20 foot trailer ful.I always caught about the same amount every year.I never saw another trapper while I was trapping.

Now that’s a lot of turtles.


How often would you leave nets in one location before moving to a fresh area?

Also, did you hang your bait or just let it lay on the bottom of the net?

Usually three days. I made a Bait holder or cage out of chicken wire. I hung it in the back at the top.

So, turtles don't seem to have "magnetism"? Or do you prefer wood hoops?
Asking for a friend

Please don’t derail an educational thread

For me it depends on the time if year species and size of the body of water.

When I'm doing control jobs for sliders in the summer I like to set in the morning and pull by evening. Why? Well sliders seem to be more attracted to movement and new items during the day. Not sure if their nocturnal or what. But in hot weather they seem to feed from light to dark and are extremely attracted to movement. So once one or two get caught and start shaking the trap it is highly attractive to other sliders who I've seen see the movement and make a direct B line towards my trap.

For snappers it depends on the body of water on the same time if the year. Movement does seem to attract them in the day but u less there's slot of shadowy or shaded places I can set my traps, the pond is just really small I'll generally set in the evening g for snappers. Seems they are just naturally mire active around Dusk through the night or they will reserve them selves to the more shaded places in a larger body of water. That being said if it's a small cow pond say less than 100' across and fairly barren I have caught them. Mid day in slider traps. You need a good bait though that will bring them in.

Now all this is in Warm weather with nicer warm nights. When we start dipping into cooler nights and temps then I'm going to set right before the warmest part of the day and try to pull before night. Why? Well being reptiles their going to more active during the warmer parts if the day.

With that bieig said with a good bait and trap location you can catch snappers almost year around at night. But when temps drop and stay down I feel setting at dusk and checking in the morning doesn't give the best results

I never left a turtle Fyke in the same place.
Moved them every time I tended the Fykes