Fl Guys - How Do You Avoid Being Gators Lunch?

[bassinOUT89]

On December 8, 2015 at 1:06 PM, A.Do? said:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/08/alligator-kills-florida-burglary-suspect-hiding-cops/76966512/

 

pretty crazy.

Really? They killed the gator?

[AQUA VELVA]

I would be more worried about large anacondas that were bought as pets and then escaped or were released by their owners who no longer wanted them. Florida now has a breeding population of these large constrictors and they are eating anything that they can catch.up to and including the swamp deer.

[Florida Cracker2]

Well I haven't seen any anacondas...or pythons sunning themselves on my dock. But I have a gator that persists on getting up there no matter how many times I chase him off or whop him on top of the head with a 10' 1/2" pvc pipe....he keeps coming back. Eventually I will have to have him taken to Arcadia to be processed. 

[Nitrofreak]

I'm a Va. Boy too, I avoid them by keeping my happy arse in Va.!!

[N Florida Mike]

My dads from the VA mountains.He always wanted to go back to stay but he sadly never made it.

[Nitrofreak]

27 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

My dads from the VA mountains.He always wanted to go back to stay but he sadly never made it.

Where about ?

[N Florida Mike]

Tazewell county

[Nitrofreak]

That's just south of Hicksville isn't  it ? 

[N Florida Mike]

I think its west of Hicksville.Sw of bluefield.

I see you're from Harrison burg.That's in the Shenandoah isn't it?

[Nitrofreak]

14 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

I think its west of Hicksville.Sw of bluefield.

I see you're from Harrison burg.That's in the Shenandoah isn't it?

Yes, it sure is, are ya familiar with anything in the area ?

[N Florida Mike]

Not too much.My dad and me went through it once and saw some war sites.Mainly new market battlefield.We also went down to saylers creek and Appomattox on that trip.The Shenandoah valley is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

[Nitrofreak]

Well, if you were in New Market you were 12 minutes from my house LOL !!

It truly is a beautiful place to live, it's unfortunate however because Harrisonburg is expanding and becoming more like the city my family left back in the late 70's, your father had a beautiful area of his own as well, there are some breath taking views down around that area as well, one reason why I truly love the state of Va., you don't have to go far to find yourself away from everything.

[0119]

I'm more afraid of people than I am the gators. Especially the ones who blow by full throttle only feet away pretending they don't see me.

[Maggiesmaster]

I fish in central Arkansas and have only seen a few gators in the water.  However,  when bank fishing around here we keep a CLOSE lookout for cottonmouths.  I suspect you Florida fishermen do the same!

[BassinLou]

3 hours ago, Maggiesmaster said:

I fish in central Arkansas and have only seen a few gators in the water.  However,  when bank fishing around here we keep a CLOSE lookout for cottonmouths.  I suspect you Florida fishermen do the same!

Absolutely!! 

[Bassfishin91]

On 11/10/2015 at 3:34 PM, atomicfriday said:

Ditto to everything davecon has said. I've lived here my entire 26 years of existence and only the Yanks are scared of 'em . Go on a canoe float down the Peace River and you will see all the good ol' boys chest deep partying in black, gator water. I've done it once or twice myself. Really the only ones that ever pose a threat are mama's or ones that are used to being fed, otherwise they are looking for an easy snack.. we are another, very comparable sized predator.

lived in Florida my whole life and been fishing and camping at peace river at least twice a year for the past 5 years. I've swam in the river, bathed and conoeing in the river and never had a problem with the gators. Also been camping at Flamingo state parks and didnt have an issue either. Leave them alone and they wont bother you.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

Everything mentioned previously works pretty well, at least until your fishing partner (husband in my case) flips a 2 ounce weight int that "dark patch in the brush," which turned out to be between the eyes of an 12' gator.  Any witnesses would have seen two people running in place and no where to go when it exploded out of there, ending with me perched on the back seat like a rooster. 

[Swamp Rat]

I am mainly a kayak bass fisherman, and fish in the Everglades mostly, and really have no issues with gators. I have been followed by one for 50-60 yards, and when he got a little too close, I bopped him on the head with my paddle. He left the area in a hurry. Thinking he might be plannin g my demise, so did I...however I realized that my truck was back the other way. Oh well, when I came back through, I saw the same gator and paddled toward him. He swam pretty fast to the safety of the tall reeds.

My main concern is the snakes. I previously was paddling a Diablo kayak, very nice kayak with very low freeboard...you probably know where this story is going. I am going along fishing, catching a few smaller 1-2lb bass when I wanted to change lures. I reached to the front of the kayak for my tackle bag, and a relatively large water moccasin was coiled up...ummm.....flipped him out with the paddle, but I never saw him slither on. My buddy was fishing from his kayak when he had a small anaconda fall in his boat from an overhang. What he did next was sort of hysterical to me, but not to him. He always carries a 12ga shotgun with him in the boat. See where this is going? Yep...he pulled it out, shot the snake, and blew a hole in his kayak. I was laughing my a$$ off, but he finally realized what he did, paddled as fast as he could to the bank, and said these words..."I am a dumb redneck, aren't I?"...moral of the story? There is none...he went home and his wife was in tears laughing when he walked in the door. Yep, I called her and gave her a play by play description of his day...she asked him if he wanted to have the kayak mounted. He didn't talk to me for a few days....lol.

When people ask me if I am afraid of gators fishing from a kayak, I just explain to them..."No, I graduated fro the U...I am a Hurricane, Gators fear me..." 

[Karma]

On 11/2/2015 at 2:46 PM, davecon said:

Oh, and by the way, don't ever take a dog with you on or near the water. Dogs are to gators like ice cream is to fat women, just can't resist.

 

reminded me of a humorous story.

My boss and I went on lunch break, picked up some popeyes and drove to a nearby park on the edge of a lake. Hadn't been there long and an RV pulled in, obviously well to do folks from the north east. Just to be honest, Florida natives, are not fond of snowbirds. Anyway the woman, mid 50s or so got out and started walking her little toy dog around the edge of the pond when my boss said "mam you probably shouldn't be doing that, we have alligators around here." She stuck up her nose at him and made a snobby comment for him to mind his own business. He rolled his eyes and we went back to munching down our lunch. A few minutes later, CRASH! and a blood curling scream, a gator grabbed Fluffy, leash and all. My boss and I both burst out laughing, couldn't help it.

They occasionally get under the cars in the employee parking lot and we have to go out there and chase them off for the women. None of them are very big, 4 feet tops. Most of the time they see us coming and run, a few times we have to grab their tails and drag them. Only once have we felt the need to call Fish and Game.

The only time I have ever had any trouble with them was when we found some babies and we started handling them. Had been there maybe 2 minutes when we heard momma growling and making a beeline for us from a hundred feet or so away, start the engines and moooove!! lol.

[SFL BassHunter]

On ‎9‎/‎5‎/‎2016 at 7:09 PM, Swamp Rat said:

I am mainly a kayak bass fisherman, and fish in the Everglades mostly, and really have no issues with gators. I have been followed by one for 50-60 yards, and when he got a little too close, I bopped him on the head with my paddle. He left the area in a hurry. Thinking he might be plannin g my demise, so did I...however I realized that my truck was back the other way. Oh well, when I came back through, I saw the same gator and paddled toward him. He swam pretty fast to the safety of the tall reeds.

My main concern is the snakes. I previously was paddling a Diablo kayak, very nice kayak with very low freeboard...you probably know where this story is going. I am going along fishing, catching a few smaller 1-2lb bass when I wanted to change lures. I reached to the front of the kayak for my tackle bag, and a relatively large water moccasin was coiled up...ummm.....flipped him out with the paddle, but I never saw him slither on. My buddy was fishing from his kayak when he had a small anaconda fall in his boat from an overhang. What he did next was sort of hysterical to me, but not to him. He always carries a 12ga shotgun with him in the boat. See where this is going? Yep...he pulled it out, shot the snake, and blew a hole in his kayak. I was laughing my a$$ off, but he finally realized what he did, paddled as fast as he could to the bank, and said these words..."I am a dumb redneck, aren't I?"...moral of the story? There is none...he went home and his wife was in tears laughing when he walked in the door. Yep, I called her and gave her a play by play description of his day...she asked him if he wanted to have the kayak mounted. He didn't talk to me for a few days....lol.

When people ask me if I am afraid of gators fishing from a kayak, I just explain to them..."No, I graduated fro the U...I am a Hurricane, Gators fear me..." 

Go Canes!

I've always been intrigued by the Kayak but have always been a little too chicken to get on one. I know I am clumsy and I am a heavy weight. So I always look at those things and go, "na that thing won't survive me." But last night I found a youtube channel and this one guy is a tall heavy set guy and he does kayak fishing videos. I guess it really all depends on the kayak. Some like you said are lower to the water, others are higher, some are more stable and some even have higher chairs to sit in.

As far as gators, I'm not really afraid of them but I rather they keep their distance and I will gladly keep mine.

[geo g]

In the last few years I have had several close encounters with gator.  Because I was in my 18 foot bass boat I was not concerned.  In a Kayak I would definitely be concerned.  Both times it was during breading season and I believe it was a territorial display. 

We were rapidly approached by a 10 footer who followed for us for quite some time.  It kept getting closer and closer and finally made a burst of speed right next to the boat and slapped the side of the boat with a hard tail slap.  It then swam off.

Another time a 8 footer swam up to the boat and ran right into the trolling motor with its mouth.  Thank God it didn't bite the T/M.  I would not want to be in a Kayak for that.

Alligator Alley is full of gators of all size during low water levels in the glades.  I think both of these occurrences were territorial in nature.  They just didn't want us in their area.  We agreed!!!!!!