I read the snake hunt thread and was wondering if ya'll catch turtles to eat. I got 3 last year that were eating size. One was 23lbs, one was 22.5lbs, and one was around 16lbs. The rest were under 15lbs and I threw them back.

No turtle eaters?

MMMM-turtle on the halfshell!

I've caught quite a few turtles. I usually give them to other people that wanted them and didn't eat them myself. The heaviest one I've caught was over 40 lbs.

Yea, Ive got a few. Usually while cat fishin with livers or other parts. Just a bonus to gettin a stringer of catfish! If I see a bigger snapper Ill pitch a piece of somethin or a bluegill to it to get a hook in it. I was contemplating trying to jug some.
Like, find the holes they have in the bank and set a jug with meat or a minnow on it. Does that sound like it would work if I used a wire or a leader or something?

That does work. Clorox jugs work well. You can also catch some large catfish on it.

Turtle is tasty, but you SHOULD NOT eat the big ones. They accumulate too much toxins and chemicals in the meat because they've lived so long. a 30-40 lb snapper might be 100 years old!

Also, you should let the big ones go if you want to have turtles around for awhile. Snappers don't breed untill theyve reached 15-20 years of age. by killing the big ones and throwing back the smaller(tastier!) ones, you can really do a number on the breeding stock. (plus, i have this thing about killing anything older than i am)
good luck!
moose

Moose is right 20lbs is my max. The meat tastes odd. Anything over 20lbs and I throw it back.
I like to catch them while they feed. Get in a jon boat and when you see a tail in the water grab it. It's loads of fun provided you don't tip over.

ive got a picture on the wall of my bar, i grabbed a BIG one (crocodile hunter style) out of the hudson river last year. she was about 35lbs and in 2 feet of water on a tidal flat. i had to run out about 30 yards to grab her. my kids were loving it! ( i was doing the Aussie accent while doing it)we checked her out (she was full of eggs) and let her go to make more turtles. if i can find someone with a scanner i'll post the pic. it was pretty cool.
-moose

heres that pic, it is a bit poor quality,( it's a pic of a pic) but you can see the size of her...

G'day mate! LOL. I bet your kids did love it. Nice snapper!