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Oh yeah, if you havent heard theres Turtles in utah lake Heres the story i was down in Lindon boat harbor close to the docks on the right side, there was some nice people fishing next to me they were camping there and they caught a nice sized channel i think it was 12 lbs, It was pretty stormy, the park guy came by to check fishing liscenses just then the man next me, his pole was almost to go in the water he hurried and grabbed it looked like he just had a snag but he dragged a big tutle in. it was later weighed at 16 lbs The Park dude was shocked theres turtles in Utah lake?
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My brother caught a turtle a month ago down by Saratoga springs. It measured about 6" across the back. Utah Lake and the Jordan River are full of "surprises".
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ANY CLUE WHAT KINDA TURTLE ?
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I have no idea what kind of turtle it was[unsure], But your right luckybob utah lake and jordan river Full of strange things[  ]
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[cool][#0000ff]The big one was probably a snapping turtle. There have been several show up this spring in urban lakes, likely transplants from some bozos who had them in their home ponds. They get huge and they are dangerous.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The smaller ones can be anything from plain old mud turtles to some of the exotics sold in pet shops and dumped into streams or lakes when they get too large for the home terrarium.[/#0000ff]
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It's not really that surprising. I've seen turtles a lot of places. Utah lake, willow pond, the jordan, cottonwood, and even blue lakes.
I caught one just last night out of the Jordan. Mine was a Red-Ear Slider, not one of the snappers that've been showing up. Although it did try to snap my fingers in half, and just about succeeded. I was kinda surprised. I was expecting a nice channel from the dead weight that was coming in. Turned out to be the turtle. He bit on a big chunk of White Bass I was using. Sad part is he took my #2 Circle hook clear down into his stomach. I hope he survived the ordeal. Even more than that I wish my digital camra didn't get soaked last weekend[  ].
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I just watched a Fox 13 news report tonight about the fact that snapping turtles are starting to show up in the weber and the Jordan rivers lately, and the DWR believes that they are now successfully reproducing here. Bizarre! I didn't think they could survive our cold winters.
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Those turtles can be really tough as well! I used to catch a few while catfishing in Florida. You get one on your hook and you will have to kill it to get your hook back. Fortunately we had a neighbor that loved turtle soup, so polishing them off was no big deal. I hope they don't get very well etablished around here.
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Its a myth that Snappers only exist and do well in warm climates..
PS.. they taste like chicken, beef and pork,,, LMAO!!
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As a matter of fact, my last trip to Salem Pond, earlier this spring, I also saw a turtle in there, on the north end of the pond, swimming in the water. It was probably about 10 inches across. Don't know what kind it was either.
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From the Fox 13 website:
[font "Arial"]"They're big, they're bad and they could be breeding. Aggressive Snapping Turtles are turning up in Utah waters at a startling rate. Last week wildlife officers found two adult turtles in the Weber River. And on Monday a baby biter turned up, a possible sign of breeding. Reptile Rescue's James Dix says many people move into Utah with the prohibited turtles and turn them loose. State wildlife officers say they'd be surprised if the turtles survived a Utah winter, but they do hibernate in shallow water."[/font]
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[reply]
As a matter of fact, my last trip to Salem Pond, earlier this spring, I also saw a turtle in there, on the north end of the pond, swimming in the water. It was probably about 10 inches across. Don't know what kind it was either. [/reply]
Salem ponds Too! i fish there quite a bit, i think i might have seen a turtle on the shore, Theres lots of muskrats and snakes, there i hope theres not huge Snappers there.
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Snappers & other turtles can survive Utah winters just fine. I lived in South Dakota for several years and saw turtles all the time during the warmer months. Stepped on a BIG snapper thinking it was a rock once while wading alongside a stream. The thing was nearly 2' across the shell & one of the ugliest things I've ever seen. I didn't spend much time standing on it I'll promise you. Fact is I didn't spend much time in the general area.
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I don't understand the reasoning that Snappers won't survive a Utah winter, Hog wash! I originally come from Northern Wis. and we have Snapping turtles all over the place. How does 20 to 30 below in the winter sound and they survive just fine. We use to catch them and frogs and sell them when I was a kid. They are not that big of a deal. They will rattle you a little bit when you see them the size of a wash tub. and Heads as big as a 1 lb. coffee can. Especially if you are in a float tube.[  ]
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Ya what if they mistake you for a love interest while your are on your tube and tried to get frisky? [shocked]
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Could make for an interesting fishing episode[ ]
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You just chalk that up as a close encounter of the wrong kind with wild life. Then again some peopel might enjoy that kinda thing like Jason (petty4life) [ ]. Just messing with you Jason. We all know it would really be Tubedude that would be into it and Geoff (Out4trout)tapeing it. Then saleing it on the net you sickos.[ ][ ][ ][cool]
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there are alot of turtles up here at glassmans pond.. i have seen 3 or 4 sitting on one log last week... there some BIG turtles in fort buenavnetura park as well.... i saw a guy catch a turtle on shrimp at glassmans.... there are a bunch down there....
JOE
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[cool][#0000ff]Hey, I don't know about freshwater turtles but I actually did have a "close encounter" with a big sea turtle in the Sea of Cortez. I was tubing in fairly shallow water and looked down through the clear water to notice that I was casting TWO shadows on the bottom. What the????[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I turned around and there was a big old green turtle looking up at me with lust it his eyes. At least it looked like lust. Mighta been PCB. I leaned back and power kicked away from the beast and it swam effortlessly along behind me. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It never did get closer than about 8 or 10 feet. That's good because I did not know how to tell one of those things "I got a headache". I guess it was just curious because within a few minutes it went off looking for a better looking soulmate.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then there was the time with the sea lion...and I'm not lyin'.[/#0000ff]
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Oh come on dude. You can't leave that "sea lion" comment out there with no explanation! [ ]
Nate
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