How do you unhook a terrapin?

fishplate42

fishplate42

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There I was yesterday, out fishing for small silvers, and all of a sudden the line when tight and heavy. I reeled in and what was on the hook but a huge terrapin, the size of a dinner plate! I got it in the net and placed it on the unhooking mat thinking "this will be interesting" With that it bit through the line and ran straight back into the lake before I had a chance to take a photograph of it. I forgot that terrapins, unlike fish, have legs!

For anyone who is interested a short report of the day, including a short video of my company for the day, is on my blog, HERE.

Ralph.
 
mikench

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Could have been worse Ralph; it could have bitten your finger and that would have been a turtle disaster!:wh
 
sam vimes

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It's not a good thing to leave hooks in anything. However, I'd be rather pleased if I caught one and it escaped, even by biting off. Terrapins are notorious carriers of salmonella, are often rather aggressive when caught and have a rather nasty bite. I'd not want to be poking around at a terrapin, especially at the sharp, pointy, bitey end. I've never really understood why the things are allowed to exist outside of captivity in the UK. Despite them being alien, no one seems to make much fuss about them. I suspect that if the were a fish, the EA/Natural England would be telling us that they are illegal to return to the water and must be killed.
 
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binka

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How do you unhook a terrapin?

Wear protective clothing, such as a shell suit of course :)

Taxi...
 
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108831

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Turn the terrapin onto its back in the landing net,this semi emobilises it,then use a barrel disgorger keeping a sharp eye on the beak,I've had the misfortune of catching two,here's hoping I don't catch another...
 
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john r stockburn

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sam vimes said:
It's not a good thing to leave hooks in anything. However, I'd be rather pleased if I caught one and it escaped, even by biting off. Terrapins are notorious carriers of salmonella, are often rather aggressive when caught and have a rather nasty bite. I'd not want to be poking around at a terrapin, especially at the sharp, pointy, bitey end. I've never really understood why the things are allowed to exist outside of captivity in the UK. Despite them being alien, no one seems to make much fuss about them. I suspect that if the were a fish, the EA/Natural England would be telling us that they are illegal to return to the water and must be killed.
Click to expand...



it is illegal to return them and should be killed
 
tigger

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Leave the terrapins and kill the wels cats!
 
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rayner

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I caught one on an expander, about the size of a saucer. Of course it didn't get returned safely. Bloke in the next peg tried to release it but decided against after a warning. He suggested I dropped it in the stream behind the pond it came from, idiot.
I first tried to cut off it's head with a pair of scissors, no chance. I then tried to stab it with the scissors point down the side of it's neck, another failure. I ended up stretching out it's neck with a pair of forceps and repeatedly stabbing it's neck with the scissors.
Not an easy task.
If I was to catch another one I would drown it in a full tub of water with the lid on, Horrible little sods.
It's pilchards who just drop them in local waters because they can't cope with them.
 
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108831

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Both the fellas I had were around 9-10in wide,12-14ins long and 4-5ins tall,real beasties,from waters around forty miles apart,need a big walk anyway...:rolleyes:
 
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103841

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I caught this one last Summer, it’s number one suspect for a new planted Lilly that’s gone missing on the lake.

yQBXLLa.jpg
 
Another Dave

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Mate, that's an impressive shot of your PB but the man wants to know how you unhook them.
 
103841

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Ah ok, forceps, still got nipped though.
 
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rayner

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s63 said:
I caught this one last Summer, it’s number one suspect for a new planted Lilly that’s gone missing on the lake.

yQBXLLa.jpg
Click to expand...

The one I caught looked nothing like this monster. It was just a brown colour without the tortoise looking shell.
 
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