# Sea turtles



## BBreeze (Aug 26, 2009)

What is the deal with the sea turtles. I went to the state park in GS and caught 2 Saturday morning and my cousin caught 2 his morning in the same area. Is this common. I will post some pic after while. Also the pomp and whiting bit was good on both trip, but the pomps where running on the small side only 50% keepers


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

Be careful with the turtles. They are endangered. If you hook one let him go soonest. Don't drag him ashore to take pictures, you might get a visit from the IRS (A joke,... well partially)

It'd probably be okay if a second person is taking pictures, but I'd not hold him out of the water as a trophy.

Jim


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## lowprofile (Jan 6, 2013)

aren't they laying eggs now, or soon?

it's their ocean man and the beaches are their nesting grounds. just let them be. 

although they'd probably make good tiger bait...


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

Yes. Now...

We used to use this time on a "date" in the '70s on the east coast of Florida as teenagers.

"You want to go down to the beach and watch turtles lay eggs?"

It'd work sometimes. And sometimes we'd actually see turtles lay eggs.

I know, I know,

TMI,

Jim


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## BBreeze (Aug 26, 2009)

The turtle people watched me catch the first one and said it was a kemp Ridley turtle. They took the pic while I was get him unhooked. These all where small turtles, about the size of a 5 gallon bucket.


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## flex (Feb 26, 2013)

read an idiot caught one and put him in his cooler.. it died. he got a visit from FWC and was arrested and taken to jail 

i hope none of you are dumb enough to do something like that

glad you were able to catch some decent fish.. is the water cleaner ?? its been dirty lately and all catfish


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## BBreeze (Aug 26, 2009)

The water was a little dirty but fish able


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## jim t (Sep 30, 2007)

BBreeze said:


> The turtle people watched me catch the first one and said it was a kemp Ridley turtle. They took the pic while I was get him unhooked. These all where small turtles, about the size of a 5 gallon bucket.



Kemp Ridleys are supposedly very rare... COOL! I hope they are making a comeback. 

An interesting read:

http://seaturtles.org/article.php?id=1830 

Jim


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## BBreeze (Aug 26, 2009)

Added pics


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## JerseyDevil13 (Apr 21, 2012)

I have caught a few in the past two years as well, always on peeled shrimp. I use circle hooks and they work on turtles as well, I was able to use some pliers to pop them right out and send the turtles on their way. Just watch those beaks, those babies can bite!


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## rfh21 (May 17, 2012)

I'd say what you have there are loggerheads. Definitely don't mess with anything turtle. You can go to jail for possessing any part of them but still cool to get a good close look like that. Glad you got him back to sea safe


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## BBreeze (Aug 26, 2009)

Yea I had no clue of species. Kemp Ridley is what the turtle people walking the beach said it was. They took pic to verify and stopped me when I was leaving to tell me what they where.


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## mjg21 (Sep 5, 2012)

Im to young to ever try this I'm almost 30 but my grandpa tells me that when he was a boy his dad would take him to the beach at night during nesting season and look for tracks, when they saw them they would follow, catch the turtle and use the turtle meat for turtle soup,he said everybody (locals) did this and it was the best he ever tasted.... with that being said look at them the wrong way now and your going to jail!


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## mjg21 (Sep 5, 2012)

If I had to guess this was in the 30s and 40s...


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## Sea Raptor (Oct 15, 2012)

mjg21 said:


> If I had to guess this was in the 30s and 40s...


For sure late fiftys, went with nieghbor/babysitter in 1958


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## williamsdad (Feb 2, 2010)

Fishing in Orange Beach last year when a big one washed up on the beach. Smelled it before I saw it, it had been floating a while. Huge crowd gathered for a while, then the "turtle patrol" came and i assumed they would take it way for testing.

After some measurements and paperwork, the guy took it up by the snow fence right by the huge condos, dug a hole, and buried it in the sand. I was very surprised, and not so sad we were leaving - not sure burying something that big would kill the smell.

I tried to contact some "authorities" to see if that was normal, but never got any reply.


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## jmh41190 (Apr 8, 2010)

watch the eyes


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## Wingman1 (Jun 5, 2010)

I found where that sand got in your reel. Blaming it all on me...


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