Good Fishing Weather For Turtles: The hot, steamy weather on Monday afternoon was not great for catching fish at Capon Springs, W.V., but it seemed to be just fine for hooking a jumbo-sized snapping turtle. This is one of those unusual fishing stories that I won't soon forget, and one of those rare occasions in which the big one did not get away. My kids and I were hoping to reel in a catfish but we ended up with a much larger fight than expected. Ultimately, the story ended well for the turtle; it was safely unhooked and relocated to a much larger body of water.This story begins Sunday afternoon when I was fishing with my kids at a pond in Capon Springs and Farms, a historic resort located in eastern West Virginia.
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The weather that afternoon was hot and humid and the fish were not biting. Mid-afternoon sunshine combined with August heat is not a good recipe for fishing. Despite the poor fishing conditions, my kids and I still managed to catch two channel catfish using grilled chicken for bait (leftovers from a previous dinner). We kept the largest fish, about 15" in length, and gave it to the Capon Springs kitchen staff to cook for breakfast. Catfish fillets, lightly battered and fried, are actually quite good when served with scrambled eggs and bacon. I had to try it myself to believe it.The weather on Monday was very similar to Sunday, perhaps slightly hotter, and we decided to try the same fishing techniques that rewarded us with the catfish the previous day. It didn't take long before we got a strike, but the fish got away with the bait. More grilled chicken was added to the hook and the line was cast back to the middle of the pond. I felt a gentle strike and I set the hook hard. The line didn't budge. I then felt two strong tugs and could see the fishing line moving slowly sideways across the pond. I gave the fishing rod to my youngest son to experience the fight of what I hoped was a giant catfish.
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