Froggy -

That sounds more like a crawdad than a turtle. When a turtle bites, even a fairly little one, it doesn't let go. He'd likely have had a piece the shape of the working end of needle-nose pliers missing if it was a turtle - at least for any of the kinds common in my area.

If it was a crawdad, whether it was a female would remain a mystery even if "he'd" caught it. Only the other crawdads can tell which is what, unless it's a "she" carrying lots of eggs.

John