need ideas on trapping/catching gar & turtles

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The gar were spawning in my pond this last week. I want to get rid of as many as i can by trapping/catching. Give me some ideas other than bow hunting, 12 gauge shot gun, or chemicals. I also want to catch & sell the turtles. Does anyone have plans for turtle traps & name/address of turtle buyers in central & south east Oklahoma? Pond is too big for seining, most of my friends & family are afraid of the snapping turtles/snakes. thank you, Larry in OK

-- Larry in OK (Nuts4bees@aol.com), April 08, 2002

Answers

a large treble hook, baited with bacon works for the turtles,, just tie it off, and throw it out,, come back and check every so often. HOw did you get GAR in a pond??

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 08, 2002.

The baited treble hook is good for the turtle. Use a very heavy line (I use 500 lb nylon twine) and anchor it well (like to a tree) as snapping tuttles are incredibly strong.

-- Randy (rvanorman@crowniintl.com), April 08, 2002.

You can net the gar but you will spend a lot of time repairing the net. It is a forgotten form of fishing in the inland USA, but as I learned in Sweden -it's highly effective !

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), April 08, 2002.

Look in the archives. I explained one time to somebody how to build a turtle trap. You might could take the turtles to Tulsa. I hear the vietanemese people will buy them from you. Don't know what they will pay. Also look on the internet for restuarants that serve turtles. They might buy.

As for the gars you might could just eat them yourself if you like fish. Just take a hacksaw and cut down through body making round steaks. Then you can take a knife and peal off the skin/scales and debone.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), April 08, 2002.


Hey Stan. . . Yoooohoooo. How comes you tell this fellow to get a hook and go turtle fishing, and you would have had me wading the creek looking for holes along the banks and then sticking my ARMS in there to get the turtles out? ( snapping ones at that)

Huh, Stan? Huh? Laughing, . . . .. . . . . . (honest)

-- Judy (JMcFerrin@aol.com), April 08, 2002.



I have been gar spear fishing up in Michigan. The spears we use are at least 10 ft. long with hand forged metal tips. Works very effectively to keep the population down. Go at night & get as many as you can. Bury them in your garden for fertilizer.

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), April 08, 2002.

cause Judy,, you asked how to catch them,, and thats how to do it,,Larry wants to get rid of them,, and the treble hook is an easy way :P (so there,,LOL)

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 08, 2002.

Thanks for the tips. As to how the gar got in the pond, 3 guesses. My pond is about 3/4s of a mile from the North Canadian River, the river may of over flowed into my pond. Ducks & geese may have brought eggs on their feathers & feet. Someone may have played a bad joke on the previous owner, LOL I searched the archives for turtle traps, had no luck. thanks again, Larry

-- Larry in OK (Nuts4bees@aol.com), April 08, 2002.

Maybe a previous owner did what my former neigher did-put gar in to control the bluegills. Real bad idea. He went swimming in the pond and the gar bit off his nipple.

-- Gayle in KY (gayleannesmith@yahoo.com), April 08, 2002.

Youst as well he was wearing a swimming costume, no?

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), April 09, 2002.


Larry: You need to get a catalog from Memphis Net and Twine.They have very good turtle nets that are easy to use.Bait with fish near back of net. John

-- john hagen (jhagen12@aol.com), April 14, 2002.

Until I saw this thread I was getting depressed about needing chest waders to get into my garden (another 1 1/2" of rain last night on the Upper Left Coast), but now realise that it's not so bad living in a place where the people eat the fish instead of the other way round.

We do get the occasional great white shark, but they only eat seals and surfers.

-- Griff in OR (griff@hangnail.com), April 15, 2002.


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