Caught a 50 pound....

Chuck7 · 02-21-2009, 11:13 AM

The bite was slow but I hooked into a monster something...We certainly put my Team Diawa and my 20 pound Power Pro to the test..

My rod bent over and my drag was screaming..I thought 20 pound bass..nope..it didn't fight like a bass..didn't fight like a gator or catfish either...actually it fought like a sting ray..

15 minutes later....my rod totally bent and and the thing boiling..I pulled up a 50 pound soft shelled turtle..

Power Pro...GOOD STUFF..

Here 's a picture of a soft shelled turtle.

Phil from Maine · 02-21-2009, 03:34 PM

That's a story to last a lifetime..

I have never saw one of those before. Up here I catch snappers occasionally after they decided to like a rubber frog.. Congrats I guess I need to say but what are you going to do with it. Did you let it go?

Chuck7 · 02-21-2009, 03:42 PM

Phil,
I did a research oin them when I get home...the study said they can easilylop a man's wrist off . My son used his long hook thing to grab the hook and get it out..I was really encouraged on how the Power Pro did not break..My drag was tight and my rod was bent as far as it would go..The turtle can ge tup to 20 inches long..this one was about 28 inches long..[:-]It was a monster..The head was as big as 2 soft balls.We never got a fish till about 11:00 AM//We started at 8:00. It was 28 degrees here in Florida and I raced out the house at 4:00 AM to cover all my newly planted vegtables..not one was lost..My dad said over the phone that as long as it was dew and not ice on the leaves at 4:00 that they might be saved..they were..Our spawn should start sometime in early March..Out fish are not bedding yet. I had my camera set on the indoor setting instead of the outdoor..the reason for the poor quality pics..
I'll be fishing about twice a week so I don't miss the spawn..I'm expecting a 10 pounder this year..After that huge turtle..I'm ready and confident..

oh..and yes..I let the turtle go.It's against the law in FLorida to keep them.

Pygmy · 02-21-2009, 04:00 PM

Wow, Chuck, what a catch...!!!...

We have a few softshells up here, but mostly snappers...I have seen perhapshalf a dozensoftshells in NY in my lifetime.. One in Keuka Lake and the others in Honeyoye lake...

Chuck7 · 02-22-2009, 12:51 AM

Hey Dan,
Good morning..

There are about 17 different soft shells..species. The Florida species is the largest. I only estimated the 50 pound weight..It was probably closer to 80-100...Florida has the largest vatiety..A 20 inchers is over 50 and this one was a good 28 inches long..We had no way of lifting him from the water to the boat.He was much bigger that my net. I on;y got him upto the top of the side of my boat... as my 20 #Power pro would not break..so I polled on his neck while Matt pinched the hook with his 12inch hook pliers ,,,and got the hook out. The hook was a #2 Mustad..straight shank worm hook..it was still perfectly straight.

When I reseached the creature I learned that the turtle is presently against the law to keep in most waters..

Fighting it ceratinly built my confidence in Power Pro...I really thought I may have had a world record bass for the first 2 minutes..

...Pulling on him was like fighting an 80 pound bag of concrete..I was more worried about the Team Diawa 7 foot MH rod breaking than the line..

Tight lines,
Chuck7

jim1966 · 02-22-2009, 09:11 AM

Sweet catch.

Pygmy · 02-23-2009, 09:03 AM

Chuck... A friend of mine lived in Lakeland about 30 years ago, for a period of about 5 years... He told me that at that time used to put out trotlines for turtles..He caught both snappers and softshells, and told me that the softshells were even more vicious than the snappers, but were the better eating of the two.. Must be the time it was legal to take the softshells, or else perhaps my buddy didn't KNOW any better...

...

Chuck7 · 02-23-2009, 09:25 AM

YOur buddy was right..they used to b elegal to keep..Soft shells don't bite fingers off.they bite arms off..[

]

ksfowler · 02-23-2009, 11:42 AM

I caught one of those in a river fishing for Channel Cats one day. I thought i had a big catfish then it turned out to be a 5-10 lb soft shell.

Chuck, is that power pro a braided line?

Chuck7 · 02-23-2009, 01:45 PM

In reply to Ksfowler,
Yes it's a braid..but not like any other braids I've ever used..The 20 # is about 8 pound diameter..It's hunter green..I also have it on some of my open faced spinning..It cast a mile.

It cost at Walmart about 22.00 for 330 yds..fills about 2 spools..I'm on my second year..i primarily use it for structure fishing or shiner fishing when I know I may hook a 10 pound or better..

The only draw back..after a period of time the line bleaches out ..Simply take a green permanent marker and redye about 10 foot of line. in Florida Power Pro is a must..where I fish the water is mostly mats of hydrilla..

Example..