# Sea Turtle caught at Surfside Saturday



## SurfHippie (Apr 7, 2015)

I went and hit the surf Saturday at Surfside the the third free beach entrance from 6:30am to 2:00pm. Not much fishing action to speak of, but around noon I noticed one of my deep lines baited with cut mullet went slack. I picked the rod up and began reeling it in and I would feel an occasional tug along with alot of "dead weight" coming in. When I got about 10 foot from my leader a small sea turtle popped up. he had the leader wrapped around his front flipper and shell. We quickly grabbed ahold of his shell and unwrapped him and set him free. Everyone was upset that I didn't keep him long enough to get any pictures, but I know the status of these guys. He did have small metal tags on the trailing sides of his front flippers, but again, I didn't hang on to him long enough to get any information. His shell was maybe 18"-20" from head to tail, and after doing some good ole internet research, I believe that it was Kemp's Ridley. I was just glad that I could set him free, no harm done. Has anyone else ever had any thing like this happen in the surf?


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## toyotapilot (Jun 11, 2004)

kind of sounds like one that was probably released this last week in Galveston. If you call the number from the turtle signs all over the beach they are more than happy to come out and collect the turtle to make sure it isn't hurt. Especially if you hook one, there is never a risk of getting fined if you call and let them know you hooked one. Just don't try to remove the hooks...


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## SurfHippie (Apr 7, 2015)

Fortunately he wasn't hooked. I was more concerned about the group of people gathering around traumatizing the little fellow. He took off quick and responsive when I let go of him. It's almost like looking at a human when you look one of those guys in the eyes.


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

Here are the signs that the Houston Zoo helped install a while back.
Turtles are very common these days and that's a great thing. Anytime you do catch a turtle call the number before you release. NOAA has a huge Turtle Barn in Glaveston and can be anywhere they need to be in just a short period of time.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

SurfHippie said:


> It's almost like looking at a human when you look one of those guys in the eyes.


Was surf fishing off Bolivar a few years back and had a large turtle (don't know what sort) poke his head up about 30 feet from me. He was looking at me and me at him. He swam in a semi-circle around me popping up occasionally to look at me. I continued fishing, casting 180-degrees away from him. Anyway, I understand the feeling of "the look". Was surreal.


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## [email protected] (Jan 14, 2005)

I saw a turtle brought in and released on East McFaddin beach last Saturday. I saw this take place at a distance and have no information of its condition.


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## bigfost (Oct 11, 2004)

It's not unusual. There are normally several turtles caught each spring and early summer along the Bolivar peninsula and the McFaddin wildlife refuge.

I have personally caught three or four, with the largest being around 100 lbs. Every one I know of has been released with minimal damage.


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## Lucky (Sep 1, 2005)

I found one that was struggling to swim in HI early this year. I retrieved him only to notice he was bitten twice by a shark. I called the turtle rescue and they came to get him. Unfortunately they had to put him down because he was missing two fins.


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## gbcfishing (May 19, 2011)

I wasn't aware of the "immediately Report All Sea Turtles" but I knew/know how endangered they are. Two summers ago, I was about 300 yards from San Luis Pass (Surfside side) and a group next to me caught a pretty good sized one on their rod & Reel in the surf. They called me over, and I could tell they didn't know what to do. They didn't speak much English. So...I told them, as best I could in my limited Spanish, that they had to let it go. I took the hook out and carried it to the water and released it 
myself.


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## SurfHippie (Apr 7, 2015)

I agree with you gbcfishing, I had no idea that I was to immediately report it either, but I now have the number saved in my phone should this happen again!


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## t-will (Nov 9, 2013)

I had a turtle pop up beside me at SLP this weekend


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

SurfHippie said:


> I agree with you gbcfishing, I had no idea that I was to immediately report it either, but I now have the number saved in my phone should this happen again!


I work for the Zoo and NOAA brings injured Turtles to our Hospital each week. 
I have access to stickers as well if anyone is interested.


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## Fishingmatt (Aug 16, 2012)

Yesterday about 40 miles offshore, a massive sea turtle was swimming around a rig. probably 4ft long. It swam around the rig, looked at us, and dove down to never be seen again


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## sharkchum (Feb 10, 2012)

This is what I do with the turtles I catch. http://www.food.com/recipe/buccaneers-turtle-steak-cayman-brac-style-341596 . I know a lot of people think the turtles are cool, but if you call in a report about turtles on the beach the feds will come in and shut the beach down. They shut down half of Sargent to vehicle traffic because some idiot thinks sea turtles are nesting there. Take my advice, if you want to keep your surf fishing spots than don't report sea turtle sightings.


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## Fishin' Soldier (Dec 25, 2007)

I was wading the surf today and had one about the size of a dinner plate pop up and swim around me for a little while. Cool site.


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## Ragecajun (Oct 31, 2011)

*I snagged one at San Luis Pass last week*

I had one get the claw of his back flipper snagged on my weight drop line. I reeled him in, cut the line, but still needed help from another fisherman to get the line off as I held him. I had my eight year old snap a pic before he was put back in the water unharmed.


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

t-will said:


> I had a turtle pop up beside me at SLP this weekend


We had one pop up by us at SLP a few weeks ago too.


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## Goose Lover (Jan 23, 2012)

Some people don't "think" turtles nest on Sargent Beach. 

Turtles do nest on Sargent Beach. 

Once you get past the old Cedar Lake Cut where the large pilings have been driven into the high beach you are on the San Bernard NWR.

And with the new court rulings\ redefining the open beaches act they can likely shut down all traffic all the way to the waters edge.

You should be thankful they allow vehicle traffic there. And you should help report turtle sightings. 

Just stay off the high part of the beach where the turtles next and everything will be good with the refuge management.


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## Sharpest (Mar 31, 2014)

I went down PINS last weekend to the Port Mansfield jetties and there were a metric ****load of Kemps Ridleys around the jetties. There are quite few of them around the Port A jetties but there were probably 10x more at Port Mansfield. I swear I could see at least 5 at any given time the entire time I was there. I saw a turtle of some sort come up that had like a 3' wing span, it was deffinitely not a kemps ridley. It wasnt close enough for me to tell if it was a logger head or leatherback but it was cool regardless.

At one point, when I was down by the water, I just happened to notice behind me there was a Kemps Ridley stuck in the rocks. It looked like a wave or wake had washed him up in there and he was in a pinch. Pretty sure he was a goner without some assistance so I pulled him out and tossed him out into the open water. I've been fishing on the coast my whole life and have never got to put my hands on a sea turtle, it was pretty cool. The irridescence of the shell is absolutely stunning.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Back in the 70's I lived on SPI. There was a lady there we called the turtle lady. She spent most of her time on the beach during hatching season helping the little turtles find their way to the water. Really, nice lady.


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## waterspout (May 21, 2004)

They are releasing them all over right now fyi. Corpus this past Monday!


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## bbgarcia (Mar 23, 2008)

See the Kemp's turtles very frequently at Surfside Jetty. They are usually swimming within casting distance of the rocks. Cool sight to see


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## Rawpower (Jul 4, 2011)

I was fishing at Surfside a couple of months ago and saw a turtle in the surf. I usually see them in Port Aransas. This was the first time I saw one here at Surfside. I was fishing the second sand bar and the turtle came up and looked at me and then went on its way. It was kinda cool.


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## sharkbait-tx70 (Jun 28, 2009)

*turtles*

The turtles are pretty cool. The turtles seen mostly in the surf and around the jetties are green sea turtles. The ridleys are an offshore turtle and the most endangered of all sea turtles.. When they hatch the males never return to land and the females only return to nest then head streight back offshore. My dad retired several yrs ago and volunters at the national seashore with the turtle patrol. He rides down pins several times a weeek and helps find the nest, harvest the eggs, then helps release the hatchlings...only 46 nest found this yr on the Texas coast is what i think i heard. The ridleys that nest here in Texas now are from turtles that were brought here and released on these beaches in the early 80's from mexico because most all of the Texas ridleys had been all but wipped out....When they hatch and make the walk to the water they implant on that stretch of beach and that is where they return to nest..Thats why when they do the releases of the hatchlings they do them close to the ranger station at the park hoping when they return in ten yrs to nest they will do it close by. Only 1 in 100 released makes it to adulthood. Even less of the wild hatched make it.. I have done a couple of rescues and even saved a large green sea turltle about 200lbs from drowning. It was all wrapped up in fishing line and stuck in the rocks at the jetties in port A . We swam out cut it free and got it to the rocks. We called the rescue because it was in such bad shape. While they thanked us they told us it is a federal offence to even touch them or handle them because of them being a marine mammal and next time just call and wait on them...We saw a guy get a ticket for chasing one down and catching it by hand in the surf. i guess he caught a rangers eye...... from what i understand the fine is no joke........


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## SteveZissou (Apr 23, 2015)

I called to report one that was very lethargic and close to drowning back in December/January when the water was still cold. It was floating by the 1st boat ramp at the TX city dike.



sharkbait-tx70 said:


> We called the rescue because it was in such bad shape. While they thanked us they told us it is a federal offence to even touch them or handle them because of *them being a marine mammal *and next time just call and wait on them...We saw a guy get a ticket for chasing one down and catching it by hand in the surf. i guess he caught a rangers eye...... from what i understand the fine is no joke........


I'd question their knowledge of the animal kingdom if someone told me that.

can anyone ID what species this guy is?


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## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

Hooked a really large one in Rockport a few weeks ago, thought it was a large stingray and was able to horse it up to the surface. He had gotten foul hooked in the flipper.


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## sharkbait-tx70 (Jun 28, 2009)

SteveZissou said:


> I called to report one that was very lethargic and close to drowning back in December/January when the water was still cold. It was floating by the 1st boat ramp at the TX city dike.
> 
> I'd question their knowledge of the animal kingdom if someone told me that.
> 
> can anyone ID what species this guy is?


Ha ha thats exactly what i said. I said they may be protected but they are not mammals....That looks like a green sea turtle to me I maybe wrong though,. There were alot that got stunned in that cold snap...


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## lapesca67 (Apr 9, 2008)

Saw two in the back of snake island cove in west bay over memorial day weekend. That was a first ever sighting that far into west bay for me....its pretty cool for my kids to see them because they were non-existent when I was their age.


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## Momma's Worry (Aug 3, 2009)

*turtle*

saw a large dead one floating bout 3mls east of Sabine Pass a couple years ago.....a large number of shrimp boats were working the area at that time ..


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## Steelersfan (May 21, 2004)

As the folks in the outer banks what they think of the feds, turtles and nesting birds....

I love to see the turtles as much as anyone but, the feds go WAY overboard in many instances.


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## JustSlabs (Jun 19, 2005)

I have seen several in east bay and a couple in the surf this year. Even saw one going through rollover up against the bulk head with about a 12" croaker in it's mouth. Not sure what kind they were but they all were reddish color and their heads were a goldish color. One of the ones in the bay was was a couple feet in diameter....it was pretty big.


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

I wouldn't report to the turtle folks unless I found an injured, live turtle. No way would I report catching one while fishing unless it was seriously injured


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## Steven H (Jan 15, 2006)

Saw one about the size of a dinner plate in my yak while fishing SWP last Sunday morning!!


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

sharkchum said:


> This is what I do with the turtles I catch. http://www.food.com/recipe/buccaneers-turtle-steak-cayman-brac-style-341596 . I know a lot of people think the turtles are cool, but if you call in a report about turtles on the beach the feds will come in and shut the beach down. They shut down half of Sargent to vehicle traffic because some idiot thinks sea turtles are nesting there. Take my advice, if you want to keep your surf fishing spots than don't report sea turtle sightings.


I have to disagree with this recipe. It is actually more oily than described, as veal.


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## Sharpest (Mar 31, 2014)

Steelersfan said:


> As the folks in the outer banks what they think of the feds, turtles and nesting birds....
> 
> I love to see the turtles as much as anyone but, the feds go WAY overboard in many instances.


How so?


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## 535 (May 23, 2004)

Sharpest said:


> How so?


 the feds restricted vehicular beach access at outter banks due to nesting birds


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