Has anyone out there had a run in with a gator while fishing. Just came back from the Santee, SC area fishing on the bank saturday morning and came really close to about an eight foot gator. Needless to say I gave him plenty of room. I never saw him until he hissed at me. He was right up next to a pontoon boat. Next time I will watch the bank a little better.
If you fish in the Everglades which I did for a number of years, you can’t help but run into them pretty much all the time. Usually if you leave them alone and give them their space, you won’t have any problems. That being said, they do get very curious when they hear spashing and keeping stringers of fish hanging off the side of a boat is a good way to attract unwanted attention.
Jim Smith
If you’re bothered by gators, don’t come to Louisiana…
I run into them all the time in Fl. and south Ga. I’ve never had one do anything other than charge me in the kayak. They break off at the last minute if you hold your ground. Apparently, they see the kayak as another competitor. On land, I’ve never had them bother me, except the one time I stepped on one (she was taking a nap in the sun) by accident. She went one way (into the water) and I went the other (up the embankment). I’m not which one of us was more scared. On the upside, I think I set a new 100-yard dash record.
. . . or Hilton Head !
I was walking the shoreline and fly-fishing in Miami one morning. I had been trying to keep an eye out for sunning ‘gators…but didn’t see this one until I was about 20’ away and it launched itself into the water. Startled me, for sure! It was probably only a 5-footer.
I remember camping and fishing at a lake in south Mississippi where the park manager warned us (being from upstate MS) about the gators in the lake, there were only 7 in a 90 acre lake. The largest was reported as being a tad under 19 ft., I saw a photo he was as long as a Chevy Caprice, but he warned us to be wary of the female with a nest on the back side of the lake. The big boy was named Oscar, I ask where he slept and was told “wherever he wants.”
Too many folks make the mistake of feeding the gators, which makes them think everyone has a snack for them. I stopped at a boat ramp just off Alligator Alley west of Ft. Lauderdale and had a gator slide up right under where I was standing on the bank.
None fishing but some while playing golf in Florida. I never, ever put my back to the water when hitting a ball there. I will move my ball…“don’t count that Spaulding, I was interfered with”.
Many years ago I had the pleasure of going into a slough(it is called the gator hole)where the gators were breeding.
What a sight–the males(?)would charge up out of the water then slide over and turn belly to another the female(?).
In this hole I caught 3 largemouth that day the 3 weight 24lbs.It seemed that when go into the gator hole and see
gators you always do well on big LM.The gator hole is on L.Eufaula ,Ala.
Feeding any animal that can hurt humans is a major mistake. They learn to associate humans with food, and also lose their natural aversion to people. This can result in unfortunate situations for other people, both for them, and the animals. Feeding a cute little squirrel is different from enticing a several-hundred pound predator.
If have have to feed something in the wild other than yourself, stick to ducks, rabbits and squirrels.
There were always obstacles that I expected when fly fishing…gators wasn’t one of them 
THAT, is the single biggest problem with 'gators. That, and walking your small dog beside the lake/river.
I have heard since 1964 when the family moved to Louisiana that gator really like to eat dogs. I have heard tales of them trying to flip jon boats when someone had brought a dog along. Don’t know if that is true but would not go out in a jon boat or canoe with a dog in it.
An 8-9 footer on bait casting tackle can be a hoot! They do take spinnerbaits!
aged sage
8-9 feet? That’s just a Texas Horny-Toad. :D:D:)
And red jigs with green grubs, also. Oh, and popping bugs too–caught a little 2 footer on one of those.
George
gigmaster:
How well I know. We went out of our way to avoid the 13-15 footers. We didn’t have an ice chest big enough to hold one this size with us.
aged sage
When I was in the Marines, one day I went into a Boot and Shoe store in Ft. Walton Beach, and saw a beautiful pair of alligator shoes that I just had to have. They were very expensive, and the clerk was completely unwilling to haggle at all. Finally, in frustration, I said, “Maybe I’ll just go out and get my own alligator, and have someone make me a pair at a decent price”. The clerk said, “Be my guest. Maybe you’ll run into the two Army Rangers that were in here earlier and said the same thing”.
So, I went out to the Military Reservation near Hurlburt Field, where I knew there were several ponds with alligators. After a few hours, I came across two men standing waist-deep in the water, and I thought, “This must be the two Rangers the clerk was talking about”. About that time, I saw a huge alligator, that must have been in excess of 10 feet long, slip into the water on the opposite bank, and head towards the two men. My heart jumped into my throat, and as the alligator was about to attack, I opened my mouth to shout a warning. Before I could make a sound, one of the men grabbed the alligator by the neck and strangled it with his bare hands. Then, both men dragged the alligator to shore and layed it out next to several other gators they had stretched out and lined up. After examining the unfortunate reptile, one of the men said, “Darn! This one doesn’t have any shoes either…” :lol::lol::lol:
Gators LOVE popping bugs… They’ll take 'em every time!
The trick is not in hooking’ 'em (that’s easy), but rather in retrieving your fly! HA!
However, please understand that the Louisiana game wardens frown upon anyone “messin” with gators…
Gators are way of life in Louisiana and are a good thing – they eat nutria and are delicious.
I’ve never seen one over 14’ but it was from a 21’ bass boat and that’s enough to make you have second thoughts about kayaking.
Don’t hang your stringer over the side of the boat because if it doesn’t attract gators it will call up moccasins. Pulled up a stringer a few years back and one as big around as a baseball bat was firmly attached to a large bluegill.
For sure, don’t throw fried chicken bones in the water. Saw a small (8’) gator attracted by bones thrown by a couple of kids fishing on a dock and he gave them a serious scare .
And yes, my grandfather lost two dogs to gators, a water spaniel and a boxer.