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

---

Niche Site Confessions Revealed ? An Unbiased Ebook Review

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

Please Don?t Just Do What I Tell You, Do What Needs to Be Done - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

Please Don't Just Do What I Tell You, Do What... Read More

Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery - Article 2

Just think. If the Vikings had made just that little... Read More

The Isaiah Effect, by Greg Braden

Why do some prayers seem to be answered while others... Read More

Book Summary: The 17 Indisputable Laws Of Teamwork

To achieve great things, you need a team. Building a... Read More

The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation - A Book Summary

Everything an individual or company does or produces contributes to... Read More

Reality Checked - Book Review

Reality Checked ? Life through Death, is a moving saga... Read More

Book Summary: Effective Networking For Personal Success

We are all "self-employed" now.Today there is absolutely no job... Read More

E-books in Your Life

E-Books are making a big impact in the way we... Read More

Alison?s Journey: Book Review

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

My Dad Wears Polka-dotted Socks! - Review

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

Nice Girls Don?t Get the Corner Office 101 - A Book Summary

Dr. Frankel clearly identifies the common mistakes ?101 in all-that... Read More

Review of Alicia Maldonado: A Mother Lost by Ardain Isma

This modern, aristocratic book portrays real-life events and how hard... Read More

Profitable Growth Is Everyones Business - A Book Summary

The days of ruthless downsizing and drastic cost cutting are... Read More

Headlong Into Quicksand: The Tale of Today in America

America´s 220 years of Democracy (of its 400 years) is... Read More

Entrepreneurs Reach Record Income Levels Using New EBook on Adsense and Adword Techniques

The "Rich Jerk" has created quite a stir on the... Read More

The Rich Jerk - A Study in Anti-Marketing

I've always been fascinated by "anti-marketing", and how powerful its... Read More

Dragon Tales - Book Review

Dragon Tales by Mary C. Fairbanks is truly and entertaining... Read More

Her Backyard: Book Review

Her Backyard by Doreen Lewis is an adventure, romance novel... Read More

Multi-talented Author Joseph Yakel Releases Both Historical and Comedy Works

Author Joseph Yakel is leading a two-pronged charge to provide... Read More

Putting it on Paper - Book Review

"Dawn Josephson, author of 14 books, has written a fantastic... Read More

Bob the Dragon Slayer - Book Review

This very fun, exciting, fast-paced, warm novella - Bob the... Read More

Kmarts Ten Deadly Sins - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

Kmart's Ten Deadly Sins: How Incompetence Tainted an American Icon... Read More

Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery

Did Columbus first discover America?Did the Vikings first discover America?Did... Read More

Story Structure - Three Heroes

Three Heroes Story Structure follows the Hero's Journey mould but... Read More

Give a Little - Book Review

This 310 page saga is Scott Underhill's second superbly written... Read More

The Power of 2 - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

The Power of 2: Win Big with People in Your... Read More

Book Summary: The E-Myth Revisited

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

Dark Autumn - Book Review

"Now this could definitely be a movie! Dark Autumn is... Read More

Washington Historian Remembers Harriet Lane, the Greatest First Lady

Washington Historian Remembers Harriet Lane, the Greatest First LadyWASHINGTON DC:... Read More

The Birth of I Confess

I dreamed since I was fourteen years old to spend... Read More

Book Summary: What Is The Emperor Wearing?

This article is based on the following book:What Is The... Read More

Execution... I Mean The Book

Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan have created quite a stir... Read More