Spiders Big Catch

When I was in college, Spider McGee, Charlie Fox, and I loved to fish off the log boom in the river near my house on summer afternoons. We'd sit and talk about life, drink hot chocolate, and occasionally catch a fish or two. But one day, Spider yelled, "Hey, I got something, and it feels big!"

Catching any fish-of any size-was always a surprise, but hooking something big was reason for genuine excitement. As Spider began to reel, his pole bent almost in half.

"This thing is a monster," he said, the drag on his reel screaming.

After twenty minutes or so, he'd gotten it close enough to the boom to get a glimpse of his catch. It was a snapping turtle.

"Ah, man, that's too bad," said Charlie. "I thought maybe you had Old Granddad there, for a second. Cut the line and let him go."

"Are you crazy?" said Spider. "That lure was given to my dad by his grandfather. It was hand-carved in Norway-and he doesn't even know I borrowed it! I gotta get it back."

"Well, how're you gonna do that?" I asked-and was soon sorry I had.

"I'll just bring him up to the edge of the boom, and you guys reach out and grab it," Spider said calmly.

Now, I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid.

I said, "No, no, no-you bring him to the edge of the boom, and then I'll try to pry the lure loose with a stick."

"OK, that'll work," said Spider.

As Spider struggled to bring the turtle close to the edge of the boom, Charlie handed me a long stick. I reached out, and the turtle's jaws instantly clamped down on the stick. I lifted him out of the water, and we headed toward the bank.

Once on shore, we set the angry turtle on the ground, but he refused to let go of the stick, the lure still dangling from the corner of his mouth. I reached out with my tennis shoe to nudge him in the back, and instantly learned several interesting things about snapping turtles. First, they're not as slow as you might think, second, they're very agile, and third, they're well-named.

In a heartbeat, the turtle's neck shot out, reached completely behind him, and bit through the end of my sneaker. Then, spitting out rubber and nylon, he turned and looked at us menacingly.

"OK, we need a new plan," said Spider.

"And a new pair of shoes," I added, looking down at my big toe, which was now plainly visible through the hole in my shoe.

"You hold his head down with the stick, and I'll reach out and grab the lure," Spider said.

It was an insane plan, but it was still a step in the right direction, I thought. At least, there wouldn't be any parts of my anatomy at risk this time. I took the stick and pinned the turtle's head to the ground while Spider got down on his belly and crept slowly toward the angry, struggling turtle.

It was then I learned even more lessons about snapping turtles. First, their front feet can be used a lot like a pair of hands, and second, snapping turtles are much stronger than you might think.

The turtle reached up and quickly pushed the stick away and quickly raised his head-now leaving him face-to-face with a very surprised Spider McGee.

The big guy screamed, which was probably the best thing to do at the time, since it caused the startled turtle to reach up with a front foot, pop the lure from its mouth, and then it whirl around and head back toward the river.

While all that was going on, the lure leapt through the air and finally came to rest-firmly lodged in Spider's left ear. He danced around in pain, but we finally managed to pin him down and cut the line from the lure. Then we packed up and loaded him into the car.

All the way home, Charlie and I would occasionally look back at poor Spider, sitting like a sad puppy in the back seat and wearing what looked like a giant hand-carved, bug-eyed earring. Then we'd look at each other-and laugh.

All that happened more than 30 years ago, and although Spider didn't know it at the time, he was a trendsetter. He was the first guy I ever knew to wear an earring, even if he'd had to get his ear pierced by a snapping turtle to do it.

I'm pretty sure they have easier ways of doing that nowadays.

From the book Spider's Big Catch
Gary E. Anderson
www.abciowa.com

© Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He's published more than 500 articles and four books. He's also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary's website at www.abciowa.com.

abciowa@alpinecom.net

---

Beyond Bodybuilding: Stranger in a Strange Land -- A Book Review

When America's foremost literary critic, Harold Bloom, professor emeritus at... Read More

Sportcraft Treadmills

Sportcraft Treadmills - Lowww EndSportcraft treadmills are late entries from... Read More

Book Summary : The E-Myth Revisited

Ever wonder why most small businesses-- no matter how huge... Read More

Product Review: Affiliate Mistakes Special Report

In his ebook "Affiliate Mistakes Special Report," Chuck McCullough teaches... Read More

King Bartholomew and the Jesters Riddle - Review

King Bartholomew and the Jester's Riddle by Pina Mastromonaco is... Read More

Stewie Griffin Depicts the Winter of Spenglers Discontent

Oswald Spengler predicted a protracted winter in The Decline of... Read More

Niche Site Confessions Revealed ? An Unbiased Ebook Review

If you're like me then chances are when it comes... Read More

Spiders Big Catch

When I was in college, Spider McGee, Charlie Fox, and... Read More

The Rich Jerk Review: New Agressive and Effective Internet Marketing Methods for All

The Rich Jerk "Making Money on the internet is Easy"... Read More

The Leadership Pill - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

The Leadership Pill is another volume for those of you... Read More

Lethal Option - Book Review

"This has to be one of the best detective novels... Read More

How to Survive Sudden Leadership Challenges - Covey Has Some Clues

I have decided to start with this text as simply... Read More

How Would You Move Mount Fuji? - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

For a number of reasons, today's hiring managers from Wall... Read More

IZEE Growing Up In A Logging Camp: Chapter One

Chapter OneI was ready to start the fourth grade, the... Read More

Star - Book Review

Tom Peters crafted a moving, educational animal adventure story in... Read More

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - A Review

If writing was a religion, it shall be easy to... Read More

The World is Flat - This Book by Thomas L Friedman has Taken the Online Entrepreneurs by Storm

The New York Times' columnist visits India often. I read... Read More

My Dad Wears Polka-dotted Socks! - Review

"Bright colored sheets just inside the sturdy book cover certainly... Read More

Jason Seeleys War - Book Review

"Jason Seeley's War" is centered in the heart of a... Read More

Constantine

Loosely based on the graphic novel Hellraiser, Constantine follows the... Read More

Book Review - Manners That Sell: Adding The Polish That Builds Profits

This beautifully laid out trade paperback has a gorgeous and... Read More

What Really Works - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

If you watch television, read the newspaper and/or magazines, frequent... Read More

10 Best How-To Books Ever Written

Somebody once said there are more book titles beginning with... Read More

Book Review: Karmic Relationships

Karmic Relationships: Healing Invisible WoundsCharles Richards, Ph.D. Jodere Group P.O.... Read More

Book Summary: The Rebel Rules

What does it take to get in touch with your... Read More

Alison?s Journey: Book Review

"The dedication in this book is a work of poetry... Read More

Life Lines

Joyce Meyers has been inspiring Christians for decades with the... Read More

Sorat and the Modern Day Evil

"Sorat's evil will be spread by his infernal army of... Read More

The Oz Principle - A Book Summary

In The Oz Principle, Connors, Smith, and Hickman brilliantly use... Read More

Giving Feedback or Writing Reviews of Bad Stuff

Some book reviewers say that when they don't like a... Read More

Enron Debacle: Review Of Kurt Eichenwalds Conspiracy Of Fools A True Story

Title: Conspiracy Of Fools: A True Story Author: Kurt Eichenwald... Read More

Empowering Teenagers - A Few Clues About Teens And A New Book

EMPOWERING TEENAGERSFrom a new book: "Adolescence is a difficult period,... Read More

Albany, NY Family History Reference Now Available Thanks To Author Joseph Yakel

"Personal research references, especially for families who once lived in... Read More