This was late September. I took a couple of days off from work to help my wife after the birth
of our new baby boy. The afternoons were just starting to cool off and you could feel a light breeze
blowing up the canal next to the trailer we rented. This was always my favorite time of the year.
Late afternoon and evening fishing was a real treat. With the days still longer and no change in
the clocks, it was nice for fishing.
Around 4:30, Roger called me to go fishing. A couple of the guys from the shop were going
out because the snook had started getting hot. Nothing finer than barbequed snook. I declined
because I thought I couldn't just leave Annie home alone. But, honestly, I was really getting bored.
My good intentions of helping didn't amount to squat, outside of keeping Annie company.
About 8:30 I heard a ruckus in the canal. Sure sounded like it could be a snook breaking
up some bait. My ears were peeled on the sound coming from the canal, as I half listened
to Annie talking about something. Then I heard a crash right near the coquina sea wall that
separated the lawn next to the trailer from the canal. I was sure it was a snook.
I got up slowly and walked over to the window and listened some more. Thrash,
splash, splash.
God was I bored just sitting in that house. I turned to Annie, who had already read my mind.
She said, "Go ahead." So I grabbed the rod and a mirro-lure and headed out the door.
By now it was pitch-black out. I couldn't even see the other side of the canal. The was
once an old drainage ditch that the State built and it had since taken on a life of its own.
I got as close to the seawall as I could and did a kind of short cast, because, like I said,
I couldn't see the other side and I didn't want to cast there in the dark. A short 15 or
20-foot cast and the M52 hit the water. I let it settle a little, and then gave a quick
twitch to the left and another to the right. I did this for the full retrieve and I thought
I could hear something behind it. So, I reeled in and recast. This time a shorter cast
of about 10 feet. The lure hit the water and on my second twitch the snook hit it with
all the fury of a lion pulling down a water buffalo at about 30 mph.
ZING! 50 feet of line peeled off in about 2 seconds.
God, this guy was strong and pulled hard to what I thought was the other side of the
canal. I fought this snook for about 15 minutes and finally he started to give in.
I got him over to the seawall, and held the rod up high with my left hand as I reached
down with my right hand to grab his tail. I didn't want to risk getting my hand near the
gill-plates because they are sharp as razors. I didn't have anything to really pull him in
with since I walked out the door with just the rod and reel and the mirro-lure.
There was the slightest hint of light coming from a street lamp. So I could see the
reflection of the line in the water and this huge fish just below the surface that I was
now reeling towards my right hand. As I bent down to grab the snook I was mortified
at what came out of the water. A five-foot alligator had my mirro-lure stuck to his cheek
and eyelid. He wasn't very happy.
This gator was coming for me so I threw the rod and reel into the canal and walked briskly back
to the trailer.
I went immediately to the frig and pulled out a can of beer. Chugged it down and
grabbed for another one.
Annie came in and said,"What happened? You look white as a ghost."
I told her the story.
That was the last time I went snook fishing after dark in the canal.
~ Doug
About Doug:
Capt. Doug Sinclair has relocated from New Smyrna Beach, Florida to
Grantsboro, NC. He specializes in fly-fishing and light tackle charters.
Doug charters the Coastal Carolina area of New Bern or Oriental.
Catch him on the web at
www.flyfishacademy.net or call him at (252) 745-3500.
Doug is also a Sponsor here on FAOL.
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