No, it wasn't me the gator munched on!

Hi Folks,

It's all over the news that a gator munched on someone in the Santee Cooper
Lakes Sunday. Yep, it was right here on Lake Moultry, just a few minutes from
my house. The gentleman in question was 59 years old, and was snorkling
right through my fishing hole up in the lilly pads at the time. I have often
fished that very spot and almost always have seen one or more gators to
include the 12 footer that got him. Grabbed his left arm and spun until it
literally came off. Nurses picnicking on the bank saved his life. The gator was
shot and the arm recovered. A little prudence could have avoided the whole
incident. Warm regards, Jim

Let's see:

Jeff - 5'10" 170lbs, not a particularly muscular example of the species.

Gator: 12' 1000lbs (?), muscle, teeth, claws.

I think I would just stay in the boat.

Snorkling around big (or small for that matter) gators just does not sound like the smartest thing to be doing.

Jim,

Didn't figure it would be you but that's good to know. I never wade south of the Mason-Dixon Line 'cept maybe in the surf for snooks. And that's not even a sure thing with sting rays and sharks and jellyfish and stuff.

Bob Bolton

It might get a tad chilly up here once in a while but at least it keeps the gators away. Hope the guy recovers all right and I'm glad it wasn't you Jim.
Keep your toes out of the water seems like a good policy to practice down there.

Hi,

Glade it wasn't you Jim, wouldn't want to lose you. As for that man, well i think he has learned his lesson albeit the hard way unfortunately. What on earth was he thinking, or was that the problem, he wasn't?

Cheers

Glad it wasn't you, Jim.

Hope the guy recovers and has learned his lesson. Do not swim in gator waters unless you are willing to pay a potentially big price for it.

Even this Yankee knows enough to stay out of the gator's water.

Jim,

After having the pleasure of fishing Sante Cooper with you last year, I never even considered the possiblity that it was you. You showed much too much respect for the large 12+ foot gator we came up on sunning on that sandbank. I'm sorry that the man was attaked, but at some point you have to use a bit of "common" sense and snorkling in shallow weedy back waters of a lake that has a healthy population of large aligators is not a very smart thing to do.

That being said, we all do stup[id things at times and I hope that the man recovers from his injuries and others learn from his mistake as well.

Jim Smith

Jim,
I'm glad the gator didn't get you! BUT! I will reconsider my snorkeling trip to S.C.!
Doug

Jim Smith,
I hear you! I also fished with Jim & also saw about a 12' gator. The day we were out, there were some folks swimming by the boat ramp....I remember thinking..."Not ME folks!". To me, that's a fishing lake, NOT a swimming lake.

Jim Hatch....Please tell me the guy wasn't a local with knowledge of the gator population.
Mike

Jim ... you don't suppose it was this guy, do ya ...?



http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...r_hunter_1.jpg




Was just wonderin'.



Dale

More info on the injured gent. Not a local, apparantly a military retiree
visiting from out of state. Was trying to catch catfish by hand. Instead,
he came up with a 550 pound 12 foot gator on his arm. Turned into a
bad day for him.

Jim S., the gent was in the black water swamp at the Navy Rec area we
fished the first evening of your visit. Same pads we fished. Warm regards,
Jim