Lake Winnipesaukee Monster
 

My wife and I went for a swim late this afternoon. Just before I jumped in my wife yelled - "what is that?". I looked to to see a large (I presume a snapper) turtle swimming at the surface of the lake about 10 feet off our dock. Guessing its shell was about 15" front to back. It was swimming parallel to shore heading east to who knows where. We've been here five years and have never seen a turtle in the water where we are. Elsewhere, yes, in quiet marshy areas but we are in the Spindle Point neighborhood, facing the Weirs, with clear and turbulent water. There is no marshland or grassy/muddy calm areas anywhere near us. Not sure where it came from or where it was going.

I do know that this is the time of year that they are laying their eggs and we see them doing that often in our yard in CT. Just seemed strange to see that here in this specific environment. I'm also grateful I didn't jump in right next to that beast. Just the sight of it while swimming would have been enough to land me in intensive care.

Who said there wasn't a Lake Winnipesaukee monster?

I've caught one in the foot while fishing a swampy lake (Eagleville CT) with wifey aboard the canoe.

She just kept chanting "Don't bring it into the boat!"

It was bigger than my car's steering wheel and not too happy.

I donated my Rapala lure to it.

Meet Mertle
 

We had a visitor last week. She came up to the house which is about 10 feet above lake level. That's the first time we've seen a snapper where we are. She did a little digging right off our back steps and my wife was concerned about her laying eggs right there. I think she was just nervous. But she had a great smile. Twenty minutes later she was gone.

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/photop...le_smiling.jpg

Here she is heading back to the water. Her shell was 13 inches long. I thought our golden was going to have a nervous breakdown.

https://www.winnipesaukee.com/photop...le_walking.jpg

Have seen them several times in 19 mile Bay Area. Have had them crawl up over beach to shady wet areas. They stink when out of the water!

Protected?
 

Are they protected? If they stink when out of the water is the turtle soup not good?

Parker Marine
 

When I docked at Parker Marine, they had two that were pretty good sized, at least 12 inches across.

Never worried about them buying a finger off. The whole hand maybe!!!;)

Dave

You pick them up at the front edge and back edge of the shell.


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They don’t “stink” per se, perhaps any mud may have been the odiferous, culprit. I have them in my yard every year laying eggs (beaver swamp on my property line)
I once caught one in the yard as a youth (per order of my dear mother) who wanted me to put it in the trunk of her car whereupon she took it to a local Chinese restaurant.
They were very excited to see it and they offered her $20 which she happily took as they all shouted “tortor soup”!
Biggest one I ever saw was near the Merrimack River in Methuen, MA
I would fish and bow fish for carp in the backwaters along route 110 known as the Lowell/Lawrence Boulevard. The snapper was ensconced in a nasty brush filled section of the backwater and his hiding place was beneath a half sheet of discarded plywood. It’s head had to be 4-5” wide as that was all that was exposed. Try as I might, I couldn’t get it to bite my bait offerings...although I have no idea how I would have been able to haul such a beast up the bank...
Just a little turtle anecdote from my youth (circa late 1950’s)

Ha! Perhaps they liked to go skinny dipping at night and didn’t want to attract any attention to their “turtle baits” ;)

Feel free to name that one "Scagbreaker". :eek:

That would be a big 'boom' under the hull.