Turtle Harassment; Fishing Goes Downhill in the Heat

They are colorful, they're cute, but they
have been real pains in the butt in the
last three weeks. This one has been hooked
in the foot.  On the other hand,
carp fishing has gone downhill as the
weather has heated up.

Things are heading downhill, and the hill is steep.  The summer doldrums have arrived.  The water is warm, water levels are dropping and the weather is sultry.  The carp are just not active, particularly in the daytime.  It's a fish here and there in the morning and in the evening, but the numbers are way down compared to the beginning of the month.
What is super active in this heat these days are turtles...all kinds...snappers as well as sun turtles. In the last two weeks I have landed 12 snapping turtles and another half dozen sun turtles.  In addition, I have had another ten or so on before losing them.  In one particular spot I fished last week, the method ball would hit the water and within seconds, a turtle would be on it.  The sun turtles have an irritating trademark of being about to take the bait and even the hair stop right off the hair without even a twitch of the rod.  Occasionally, they get hooked. The snapping turtles are far more aggressive.  They will get into your bait and seem to get hooked most of the time in either the mouth or the foot as the rod tip keeps bouncing. These past few weeks have been the most active I have seen the turtles in years. Not good.