by Joe
(Florida)
Q. What does it mean when you are bass fishing and seeing several turtles either sunning themselves up on logs or on the shore.
Is this an indication that the bass will hit a topwater plug or that they are feeding near the surface?
A. I won't act like I know the exact answer to that Joe, but here are my thoughts.
I haven't really heard of turtles being a feeding target for bass. So I'm not sure of the need for them to get out of the water or in essence "run away" from bass if they are in the water. Especially adult, hard shell turtles. This would make me think that groups of turtles would not really indicate that bass are in the area.
Now with that said, your question piqued my curiosity so I started doing some searching myself. I am sure you did the same and came across some of the same info I did.
Here are some interesting tidbits I picked up on from various other sites.
Turtles like to hang around logs and other structure giving them a quick and easy hiding spot seeing as how they are not the quickest of animals.
These sames logs along with structure in the area my very well hold big bass also. In this case it may be a good idea to try in areas where you see turtles hanging out.
The other thing is the thought that a bass might attack a small turtle not so much out of hunger but out of aggression, more specifically because it is a natural enemy of spawning bass.
I'm sure you came across the turtle lures. I think I'm going to give them a try.
Not sure if I answered you're question Joe but we'll see if anyone else has any thoughts on the subject.
Thanks for your question.