Catching Snapping Turtles is one of the funnest 'fishing' experiences I have had. To my knowledge, there are 4 ways to catch snapping turtles, and I have used 2, and soon to be 3 of them.
Trotline- Just like any other trotline for fish, except with much heavier line, hooks, and knots. I typically take about 50 pound test line, a few big hooks and a chunk of liver or other smelly meat. Then, I tie the line to a tree/stump along the shore, let out a few feet of line and tie the hook on real tight with thebait threaded on. Then, simply chunk it into the water. It doesnt need to go far, just in the water where the turtles can smell it. I come back in the morning and haul any turtles out in a feed sack. I usually set 3-4 lines, and hope to catch at least one, but not too many, because they are a pain to clean. If you are going to catch them this way, you better know how to and be prepared to clean them, because there is no catch and release once they swallow it. Unfortunately, not always legal.
Trap- There are some people that use traps to catch snapping turtles to sell. Although there are other designs, many work essentially like a crab pot; turtle swims in to bait, turtle can't figure out how to swim out. With them, you can release small turtles that you don't want to keep. The reason I haven't used them is you have to either buy or make your own trap, and I havn't put in the effort.
Barehanded- My favorite way to catch turtles- take walk along the pond bank or creek, see a turtle in the shallows or sunning itself, then sneek up to and grab it by the tail. Fun, but unreliable. For some reason turtles don't like to sit arround in the open for me to go catch them. :)
Under the Ice- Something I didn't know until a few days ago, during the winter when ponds
are frozen over, turtles hang out just under the ice along the shore. If the ice is clear, they are easy to spot. The method: Take a pickaxe, break the ice as fast as you can, and grab him by the tail before he wakes up and gets away! I haven't had the chance to try it, but the other day I could see 6 snapping turtles under the ice in my pond in various places along the shore. I can't wait to go back and try it!
I plan to create a page on cleaning Snapping Turtles at some point, as it is not an easy process for a novice. And while you are on site, check out my other pages of catching animals and pictures!
