Syracuse.com - Ask the Outdoors Guy: Trophy pike in Onondaga Lake? Advice on keeping a snapping turtle as a pet?

[HuntingNY-News]

Arrigoni said snapping turtles have been known to live up to 50 years and grow up to 50 pounds in weight. Taking care of any animal that long and that size is a big responsibility, he added.

William Gilbert with one of the nine, northern pike he landed recently while fishing in Onondaga Lake. 

As an outdoors writer, I get all sorts of questions from readers about fish, wildlife and other outdoor matters.

This week, I received questions about northern pike in Onondaga Lake and advice on keeping a wild snapping turtle as a pet. The questions and my answers follow:

Q: I am a midwestern/southern fisherman here in CNY for business. I have a boat and have been using it in the Seneca River and northern bays of Onondoga Lake.

The last two weekends I have trolled through the northern inlet into Onondaga from the river using Rapala deep divers that look like perch. I have caught many yellow perch from 6 to 16 inches and 1.5 to 3 pound smallmouth doing this. I kept a few perch 13 to 16 inches to fillet and fry and they were very good.

I have also hooked into nine pike between 26 and 35 inches and taken pictures and released them. People at work have told me pike are also good fried, but I need to clean them properly. I watched a few videos on filleting them and removing the Y bones. I was just wondering it is normal to catch 30-plus inch pike in this area? And when is a pike "trophy" size? I have seen that the state record is 46 pounds, but what would a common size pike be for the area.

*William Gilbert, Jacksonville, Fla. (formerly of Springfield, Mass.)

A: William, sounds like you've been having a great time. A trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I wouldn't consider a northern pike to be trophy unless it's in the 40-plus inches. My biggest to date is 35 inches. Northerns like the ones you're catching are impressive, but not that unusual. On a side note, I'd advise checking the DEC fishing guide book about "health advisories" for eating fish out of certain bodies of water. Onondaga Lake has a long and storied history of being polluted. As you can see on the lake today, extensive measures are underway to clean it up. Nevertheless, the DEC's general advisory for eating a yellow perch or a northern pike out of Onondaga Lake is one meal (defined as a half pound of fish) per month.

Q: Last winter a friend found a quarter-size, snapping turtle in a road that was not near water. I took her in and have her living in an aquarium. She has grown quite a bit and is looking good except for the moss on her shell. Should I try to get it off or does it serve a purpose? Also, she is in a tank in just water, with a floating dock. Should she have access to dirt for the winter? I've been reading up on turtles. I've never raised them before. Any info would be helpful.

*Linda

This adult snapping turtle was estimated to weigh 40 pounds. 

A: Linda, as a general rule, it's never a good idea to take in a wild animal and try to turn it into a pet. In addition, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has strict rules about the hunting and possession of these turtles. They're one of two species of turtles that can be hunted in this state (the other is a diamondback terrapin) with either a gun or a bow. The season is July 15 to Sept. 30. The DEC regulations note the minimum size limit for possession of these animals is 12 inches in length (determined by measuring the length of their upper shell). The one you have is obviously much smaller than that and is currently being possessed out of season.

"You may not harvest, take, or possess any other turtle species at any time," the DEC website states.

Jim Arrigoni, a doctoral student in conservation biology at SUNY ESF, pointed out that such laws were not enacted to harass individuals who unknowingly take in wild animals out of curiosity or concern. They were passed to prevent persons from engaging in large-scale capturing or killing of the animals for use in the pet trade, to sell for food or other commercial purposes.

Arrigoni noted that it's not unusual for female snapping turtles to lay their eggs as much as a half mile away from water and that young turtles are more than capable of finding their way back. As for the moss (it's probably algae, he said) on the young turtles back, he noted snapping turtles and other turtles are prone to having all sorts of things growing on them.

"You could scrape it off with a tooth brush. It won't hurt it," he said.

As for giving it access to dirt or mud, Arrigoni noted that since the turtle is probably being kept indoors it probably would not go through its normal winter dormancy period, where it buries itself in dirt or mud and hibernates.

Arrigoni said snapping turtles have been known to live up to 50 years and grow up to 50 pounds in weight. Taking care of any animal that long and that size is a big responsibility, he added.

My advice is let the creature go now, before winter. Pick out a spot near a body of water. Mother Nature will provide.

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