Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 I live in the deep south and encounters with toothy reptiles are not uncommon . So much so that we sometimes let our guard down. After a horrendous day at work I decided to play with the gills in my pond and relax a bit. I noticed a small gator waiting for the fish feeder to go off at the end of the dock.He evidently learned this trick from the many turtles that live in the pond. I began to catch a few gills and was noticing the gator was watching the fish I was fighting with keen interest. One miss cast and the battle was on . Not a big deal as I had grabed my 7/8 wt this time as the bass were active . As I brought him to hand (I was not about to lose my fly) he started to make a distress cry. All my attention was on my hand placement , all the while unbeknownest to me , mama gator had come to baby's defense.As I took the small gator from the water I saw the head of what must have been an 8ft gator rise up only inches from me. It could have ended badly, but served as a reminder of something we should all remember. "be mindful of your surroundings". Here is a pic of the baby. He was released no worse for wear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smallieFanatic 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 Haha thats pretty good. What did you catch him on? Jan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yellow bomber 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 Big Momma must have given you quite a scare eh, got a lil somethin on your pants!! :cheers: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
letumgo 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 LOL!!! That's funny, yellow bomber. I was thinkin' the same thing after I looked at the photo. Fred - Your type of fishing is more dangerous than ours. Glad you your limbs are still all attached. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 I knew with all the comedians on here ,that I should have changed my pants. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chase Creek 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 I guess you have to be mindful wherever you live. Up North we have black flies that follow your car and throw rocks at you. Great story. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJD 0 Report post Posted May 13, 2009 Good story. I've unintentionally caught a few up to 3' on topwater flies. Are you sure it was the mama, and not a cousin looking for a canibalistic treat? One of the biggest predators of juvenile gators is adult males. You're lucky it wasn't going for the two-for-one special. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Futzer 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Fred, I want to fish with you! Gators in your pond, nice. I'll bring my 12 weight and the KFC streamers. JKing, Futzer. Happy you still have all your appendages intact. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brian Brown75 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 I ate alligator once in florida, nice catch im jealous Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Worstcaster 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Cool catch. There was a gator a few yeas ago in NY. It was released into the Delaware by someone who didn't want it anymore because it was too big. Approx 3-4 feet. A fly fisherman noticed it in the pool under the Lordsville bridge. There was a picture in the local paper. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Two years ago I lost my Golden Retriever "Bear" to an 11ft 3in gator. I know the exact length because I measurred the thing after I shot him. We have a rice canal that makes up the east border of my property where Bear would like to take a morning dip. The gator must have been waiting for him.I found him a hundred yards away from where he entered the water. The gator had already drowned him a was trying to stuff him under the levee. I shot the gator not out of revenge, but as a safety measure. A gator that size , residing this close to humans is not an acceptable risk , he could have just as easily taken a child dip netting for crawfish. As more and more anglers chose Kayaks as a mode of travel to fish the shallow marshes I think the number of gator attacks will continue to rise. Once an aligator reaches the length of 10 ft or more he can clear an area of sizable prey in a short time and will need to feed on something larger. I try not to become part of the menu. Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riffleriversteelheadslayer 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 hmmmmmmm fred stuffed gator doesn't sound very good but next time you get one of those big guys I will take some smoked and a size 50 belt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Actually Paul, gator is very good eating when cooked right. Couldn't keep the hide though. Or I'd be sporting some aligator boots myself. Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ibian 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Sorry to hear about your dog, and I too would of wet myself. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fred H. 0 Report post Posted May 14, 2009 Thanks Ian , and for the record the water on my pants is from the pond. Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
