ninja turtle

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paul clarke

Guest
anyone seen the story on page 7 of the sun today. a chap in lincs has caught a 23lb turtle whilst fishing , using mussels as bait . how scary must that have been !!!! anyone caught anything as weird as that ? paul
p.s it doesn't say how much he "shelled" out for his ticket !!!( yeh , i know , i need to get out more...)
 
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EC

Guest
Have heard of the odd 'turtles head' or 2 coming out of the Mersey!
 
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simon hall

Guest
Saw the story. Sod that. I know in a lake a few miles away from me there are big terrapins. Berwick Ponds in Essex
 
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paul clarke

Guest
simon , Berwick is only up the road from me. how big are the terrapins ? i havn't actually seen one there but i may have to keep my eyes open now !!!
 
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Tony wainwright

Guest
A few years ago my local pond(in Bromborough, Eddie, if you know it) held a population of about 8 or 10 turtles/terrapins. Kids used to catch them quite often and I did hook one once. apparently they are not averse to doing a pike and taking birds off the surface.
There used to be a one legged coot (called Eric), which lived there but whether that was the work of a pike or a shelly (NO not a scouser in a shell suit), we'll never know.
 
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simon hall

Guest
Paul,

The terrapins I have seen over berwick were about 10 inches wide. So quite big, You can sometimes see them on hot days near the logs on the island. My father has accidentaly caught some huge crayfish over Berwick which he has photo's of. Looked almost as big as a lobster the size of it. I have heard there are some big catfish in berwick? Have you seen any come out of there? I use to fish it a few years back for the pike.
 
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Fred Bonney

Guest
Are memories,fishing Berwick Ponds in the 60's,no turtles then.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I was fishing the Ouse last summer, had a take on a livie. Hit it, felt a few bumps and it came off. Reeled in half a livie which something had cleanly cut in two.
 
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paul clarke

Guest
simon , i havn't personally seen any of the catfish come out of berwick but i've talked to enough people who have caught cats there. they now go to about 27-30 lb apparently and get targeted quite often .

Fred , what was berwick like then ? i started fishing there in about 1987 but i'm interested to know what kind of fishery it was like in the 60's , cheers , Paul
 
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Barry Kneller

Guest
In the early sixties Berwick had a reputation as one of the best Tench fisheries in the south east. 6lber's were regularly landed (6lb was a huge fish in those days - the record was only about 8lb 8oz) I only fished it twice & blanked both times (apart from little rudd & roach) but I believe most of the big tench came out to bread flake, float fished at mid water. Bottom baits being mostly ignored - this info came from successful locals & the bailiff. Didn't help me tho'. Mis-information perhaps.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
I've caught quite a few snapping turtles in my life - fairly hooked in the mouth too. They have a liking for bread flake and sweetcorn.

They are pretty ferocious little sods too.

The most horrifying thing I ever caught - on a fly - was a metre and a half long green mamba. It fought just like an eel. Had to kill it unfortunately or it might have killed me.

Actually I like snakes and would never kill one purposely.
 
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paul clarke

Guest
Ron , you seem to have fished far and wide and have some very interesting stories. ever thought of writing a book about them or am i being an ignoramus and you've got a best seller out there already . linked to another thread , maybe you could make it one of your impending retirement pledges , Paul
 
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Shrek

Guest
Blimey Ron, are they as lethal as a black mamba? Also, do they have green mouths? Reason I ask is that's why black mamba's are so called, they mouth is black inside.

Sorry if this is OT, but herpetology is something I'm into as well.
 
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Shrek

Guest
Blimey Ron, are they as lethal as a black mamba? Also, do they have green mouths? Reason I ask is that's why black mamba's are so called, their mouth is black inside.

Sorry if this is OT, but herpetology is something I'm into as well.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
They are very lethal indeed but nothing like as aggressive, or as big as a black mamba.

They are bright green and very difficult to detect amongst foliage. Do a google search for them.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Adrian,

Along with fishing I also have been very interested in snakes. Living in Africa for 27 years gave me a wonderful opportunity to study them. I also was very keen on arachnidae. Africa has a wealth of spider life. There are probably something like 200 species there that still require classification. Some of them are quite large and dramatic, others are so tiny you need a microscope to see them.

Better watch it now or this thread has deviated too much
 
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Shrek

Guest
Never did care much for spiders !!!!

Did you ever come up against a puff adder?
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Many times Adrian. They have wonderful camouflage and tend to bask in the sun without moving. They are resposible for more snake bites in Africa than any other species as people tend to tread on them. The venom is cytotoxic, ie: destroys cells.

They are also very good eating - honest :eek:)
 
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