GatorBK

35 and we had our first child a month ago a pretty baby girl

I snag some . Its hard to get a hook to stick anywhere most of the time the hook just falls off them when you get them in. I tail hook a lot of them . Its tough to hold the rod in one hand and reach their head with the other when they are tail hooked . Its hard to explain the process of catching them but I sometimes have to wade in to get to the head of a tail hooked gator. If I hook a 10 footer 2 feet up his tail his head will still be 8 ft off the bank There is nothing like the power of a 10 plus ft gator. They also have legs so the big ones just bull down to the bottom and face you while you pull them in. The one advantage I have is If I get wore down I just hold pressure try to rest and the gator has to come up to breathe eventually. I have seen them hold their breath for up to 3 hours.

You might make a place where you can kneel and shoot from. I have a customized 10 ft gheenee Its like a cross between a jon boat and a canoe. I had them turn the front seat sideways so I can kneel in the front of the boat and still be sitting on the seat if I need to to shoot . I dont use a bow,but all my shots are no more than 2 yards the length of a bangstick. It also has a flip top on the seat for dry storage . It could be converted to a livewell Here is a picture of the front seat and a 10 ft gator I got out of my little boat Its perfect to kneel from . This boat is stable enough I can stand up in while being pulled around by big gators Here is a better picture of the front seat It allows me to have more length on the floor of the boat also for fishing rods , gators etc.

Hmmm who would have thought there would be gators around Lake Ockeechobee lol That boy is lucky the gator didnt really want him . There is no fighting off an 11 ft gator. It just gave him a chomp and shook its head and ripped his arm off .

Use live minnows for them . They are ok to catch when the bass arent biting Oh yeah dont lip them like a bass ;D

64lb and I forget the exact ounces Flathead from Santee SC I thought I did good, I took it to the tackle shop weighed it and they didnt even raise an eyebrow at it . They said they catch them all the time that size :-/ It was my biggest freshwater fish and I lost a few bigger than it was on that trip

I used to bass fish a lot in all types of weather now I have a job of fishing for nuisance gators . It is what I call hardcore fishing hooking into the tail of a 350 lb 10 ft gator . And they have legs to bull down in the mud with . I use an ambassaduer reel and wear them down or they wear me down . I often am just exhausted after fighting a large gator especially when its 90+ degrees. Here are a few I caughy and loaded myself the other mprning . 2 of these gators were stalking people walking their dogs in a local park. I suggest non hunters not view they are kinda graphic . The smallest was 7 ft largest 11 with ambassaduer 9000 reel I was even wearing my bass fishing T shirt that morning ;D http://i25.tinypic.com/51aa69.jpg http://i29.tinypic.com/2nuofwj.jpg

This one swallowed a 9/0 stump hook meant for a gator . It may be the world record for the Osceola common snapping turtle . There was no removing it

He came out of a canal that leads to the St johns river

Thanks I will have to call them . Jake P. I saw that record thats for a common snapping turtle its a different species than the Fl snapping turtle. It swallowed a big stainless hook meant for a gator so I had to put the turtle down . I hated catching him actually . I wish I could have saved him but the hook was deep. It was a male turtle so maybe it has passed his genes around the area . No telling how old one like that is

(Chelydra serpentina osceola) world record? I think I have caught the world record of this variety. I am posotive about the variety Any help would be appreciated .This is different than the Common or the Alligator snappers its a subspecies like an Osceola Turkey is different than an Eastern Turkey. This is different than the others and the biggest Florida Snapper anyone I know has seen here is another pic of it its feet are almost big as mine

Me at work today relocating a 3 1/2 ft gator I caught from under a car. That little guy wanted to turn and bite me when released him ;D http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=2s9vu2s&s=3

I thought I was snakebit the other day I was walking through tall grass with sandals and something stuck me in my achilles tendon that shot pain up my leg. It was a dang sea catfish that had dried out and was stiffened up. Its head must have rolled when I stepped on it driving a spine about an inch in my tendon . It took both hands to pull it out. My most painful bite was a 6 ft gator it bit through my thumbnail like hot butter it was nearly bone crushing. And locked on like a bulldog I pried its mouth off with my knife here is what that bite looked like after a couple weeks healing

This is a biggun

I call these Porcupine fish My wife caught this they are pretty common catch and I catch some plecostimis on ocassion they are taking over the St Johns river chain the locals call them Armored catfish but they are plecos like you buy at the pet store to eat algae on aquariums they are just 2 to 3 lbs instead if aquarium size. I have been seeing coi or giant goldfish in a canal I catch gators in they are bright yellow . I also caught an albino rainbow trout it was stocked from a hatchery in NC The pleco Oh yeah I caught this she gator a couple weeks ago they look strange with no tail and it had 1 toenail on one foot