How to Catch Soft-Shelled Turtles? A Detailed Guide to Practical Fishing Methods and Tips

The soft-shelled turtle is a kind of turtle with high nutritional value, generally seen in ponds and by rivers, so many people go to fish for them. So how do you catch a soft-shelled turtle?

1. How to catch a soft-shelled turtle?

1. Fishing time

Like fish, soft-shelled turtles hibernate in winter and do not eat. The best time to fish for soft-shelled turtles is from May to October each year, when the higher temperature makes them strongly want to feed. But after October, when the water temperature drops, the soft-shelled turtle's desire to look for food decreases a lot. In other respects, the fishing environment is basically no different from that for ordinary fish.

2. Prepare the bait

The bait recommended here is fresh pork liver. You can cut the pork liver into long strips, then add a suitable amount of commercial bait powder to increase the fishy smell.

3. Set up the fishing tool

It is a so-called “pin”, with an iron or bamboo wedge tied to one end (an iron nail also works) (the head is best sharpened), and a steel hook made of thin iron wire tied to the other end, which can have barbs.

4. Place the fishing tools and get ready to harvest the next day

We can go to the side of a pond or river in the evening to place the wedges, and go to collect the soft-shelled turtles at around 3 a.m. the next day. Generally, placing about 10 wedges at a time is about right. However, placing the tools and collecting the soft-shelled turtles must be done at night, so that others do not notice your actions; otherwise your soft-shelled turtles will be taken by someone else.

2. Which places are suitable for catching soft-shelled turtles?

1. Rivers and ponds designated as “schistosomiasis-control no-grazing zones”

Although these no-grazing areas may contain “schistosomes”, few people come to the rivers and ponds in these places to engage in activities, there are more fish in them, and quite a few wild soft-shelled turtles live there.

2. Rivers and hill ponds in remote mountainous areas

In some transition zones between mountainous areas and hills, fishermen are less involved and the environment is better, and there are also quite a few wild soft-shelled turtles in them.

3. Remote lake areas that no one has yet set foot in

In some counties and cities with larger water surfaces, some lake areas still have no people going to engage in activities, and these remote lake areas may also contain quite a few wild soft-shelled turtles.

Overall, catching soft-shelled turtles is the same as fishing, except that pork liver is better as bait, and when setting the hooks it is best to do so at night, and when collecting them it is best to do so in the early morning, so as to prevent others from taking them.