Ohio’s Wildlife Variety: The Eastern Spiny Softshell

Turtle

Recently we’ve gotten lucky enough to catch a few interesting creatures so far this summer. One species which I believe needs a little more attention, is the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, (Apalone Spinifera). Although it is not a fish but rather a reptile, this softshell turtle is quite unique in itself. They are one of the largest freshwater turtle species we have in North America. The most distinctive characteristics of these turtles are the flat, leathery soft shell they have, which features cone-like spikes on the top of the carapace (upper part of the shell). This allows the spiny softshells to bury themselves under the mud as a defense mechanism along rivers, ponds, and lakes. The turtle’s nose is elongated similar to a pig snout, their webbed feet assist the softshell with swimming and also in burying themselves to hide from predators. If threatened, they will burrow themselves under the mud and sand with only their heads peeking out as they watch their surroundings while hunting prey such as invertebrates like crayfish, small fish, mussels, and insects. They also eat aquatic algae plants. Their webbed feet also make them excellent swimmers, they can reach speeds of up to 15 mph! They spend most of the day warming in the sunlight and foraging for food. The adult female’s carapace is larger in size averaging 7-19 inches in length, while the male’s range smaller measuring 5-10 inches. During mating season in the summer, the males will court the females by nudging her. If the female approves her mate, the male hovers and swims above her. Female softshells lay between 4-38 eggs in shallow soft soil usually in sandy banks. The eggs hatch sometime in August or September and the turtle will live about 50 years in the wild. The Eastern Spiny Softshell ranges in colors of brown, yellow and shades of green. They are colored to their habitat surroundings for camouflage and different due to breeding genetics. Males are known to generally keep the same color pattern from birth, but hatchlings can be spotted, and females tend to darken as they get older. These turtles also have pale colored and black lines that run down from their head to the neck. Eastern Spiny Softshells have the ability to breathe air and while underwater by exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide gases. They have the capability to maintain their metabolism to aerobic giving them a better advantage while hibernating during the winter. The Spiny Softshell turtle has a broad range throughout most of the United States as well as parts of Canada, and south into Mexico.

Although they are not endangered here in the U.S., they do face threats of deforestation and habitat destruction and are listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and are a specially protected species under the Ontario, Canda Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Author: Allison Benoit. Pictured: Gabbie Benoit Benoit Fishing Outdoors https://youtube.com/@benoitfishingoutdoors https://m.facebook.com/ groups/1171466856857523/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF

Two decades of maybe fishing

A guide for new dads and moms about what to expect from the next 20 or so years of fishing experiences or lack thereof.

During a brief summer break trip with my kids to Kelley’s Island last year my oldest son saw people getting off of a boat with stringers full of Walleye. We had been fishing all day for smallmouth off the pier near the state park beach with no success, while my younger kids played at the beach. The fact that there were actually fish in this lake and that somehow everyone else knew where to go and what to do to get them, was not lost on him and he immediately began questioning me about how we could get in on some of that action.

It’s no secret that fishing with kids is not really fishing at all. I know I said I was fishing that day but really, I was untangling lines, serving up snacks, and walking between where my other kids were playing and occasionally putting a line in the water. This is the only kind of fishing I have done at all over the last 14 years with the one glorious exception of a trip to the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota with the Boy Scouts in 2017, but I digress. What follows is a guide for what every young parent needs to know about how this sport you love changes during the years when impressionable, needy, short people start following you everywhere and calling you ‘dad’ or ‘mom’. 0-2 years - Kids cannot fish during these years, don’t bring them. You can still fish as normal during this time if you can get away. You will need to adjust to having more responsibilities and less time. Consider taking up night fishing or some other time when someone else is watching the little ones.

3-5 years - Boys or girls both are curious to know what you are doing; they will want to come with you (literally everywhere you go) and you may want to consider getting them their first pole. You might be able to fish for 15-minute stretches as long as you have snacks and there is something else for them to do like a nearby playground. The most important fish catching happening during this time will be that bluegill that they reel in and scream at.

6-13 - You will not fish during this time - especially if you have multiple kids coming with you. This is the age where the kids thinks they know what they are doing just enough for you to have to drop what you are doing every 5 minutes or so to untangle lines, deal with snags, restring poles, or up and move locations due to the sheer numbers of rocks thrown in the water. Just get comfortable with the fact that this trip is not for you.

After age 14 they are a bit more self-sufficient, and you may be blessed with a child that can figure it out before this but either way count on more than a decade of not doing this sport the way you are used to. This, however, is not to say give it up. In fact, as sportsmen and women we have a responsibility to the younger generation to give them the experiences that create a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and wildlife conservation. With the numbers of anglers and hunters dwindling * it’s more important than ever to make sure children are exposed to the experiences in nature that fishing is really all about. So enjoy the decade or two of taking your kids out to the lake, untangling lines, worming hooks and watching in dismay as more rocks are thrown in the water, because it will pay off with eventual experiences like the one pictured where we finally took my oldest on his first walleye charter for his 14th birthday and he even caught the first walleye, forever solidifying his love of the sport and appreciation for the amazing fishing opportunities here in our backyard.

Article by: Adam Philpott

Adam Philpott is a casual angler with lots of kids. He never gets to fish. adamjphilpott@gmail.com

*https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/e-team/sharp-decline-in-huntingand-fishing-licenses-hurting-conservation-efforts-in-ohio