Fishing Around Gators

[Mobasser]

Being from Missouri, the only alligators I've ever seen were in a zoo. I've always wondered what it's like fishing down south where gators live?                 Will gators attack large surface baits? How close have you ever been to gators while fishing?                    Have you ever had an alligator come at you, or attack you? For those that fish in gator country, tell me about your experiences, fishing around alligators.

[BayouSlide]

 

Typically encounter gators sunning or swimming while fishing here in Louisiana. All of them, like this big guy today, dead ahead, will submerge and disappear when you get too close. Never seem to find any bass in their vicinity, go figure ?

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Will gators attack large surface baits?

 

Yeah buddy! Buzzbaits, frogs, anything on top.

 

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

How close have you ever been to gators while fishing? 

 

Close enough to smack em with a boat paddle 

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Have you ever had an alligator come at you, or attack you?

 

Nahh! Never 

[813basstard]

It’s very rare we never see one on every fishing trip. Couple things I’ve learned:

Don’t spook them. I had one surface facing away from me in my Jon boat. He was 11-12 foot. Turned around and we locked eyes for about 3 seconds..he thrashed away with such power it water came inside the boat and splashed us. 
When walking the bank, always walk at an angle towards the water, not straight down because you can walk up on them and not even see them. If I get to close and they don’t see me, I make my presence known by making noise. 
 

The 3-4-5 footers will chase anything you throw out there.

They are like the old guy on the end of the street. Don’t say much. Don’t start nothing, but when he says ‘keep it moving, I don’t want any trouble’, you do that.

99.9% of the time, you barley notice they’re there. 
 

[Aaron_H]

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I've always wondered what it's like fishing down south where gators live?

 

There are gators in just about every pond I fish. Heck, I've had 7+ footers in the canal in my backyard. For the most part they are shy and wary. They don't want to be anywhere near you if they're not conditioned to people. Even the big ones are usually scared of people and will spook off if you get too close.

 

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Will gators attack large surface baits?

 

Oh big time. They'll attack anything running across the surface that they think they can get.

 

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

How close have you ever been to gators while fishing?

 

Within a few feet of some smaller ones. I try to give the bigger ones more berth, but sometimes have to get a bit close to them when they're sunning up on the banks.

 

3 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Have you ever had an alligator come at you, or attack you?

 

Yeah three times, all three were the same gator but on separate days. Just a smaller guy, 4-4.5 feet long, first two times was coming after bass I had up on the bank and was getting unhooked. It came charging up the bank at me, so I stretched my arms out and hollered at it, spooked off back in the water. Third time was later in the evening, I saw it sitting out in the middle of the pond for a while, then it decided to quickly get reallll close. No fish this time, I guess it associated me with the food by then though. Ended up hitting it in the head with a big stick once it got too close and it spooked bank to the middle of the pond and stayed there.

 

In hindsight, I should've called FWC and had them remove it, but I haven't seen that gator there in a long time.

 

Only time I've ever been run out of a spot by a gator was a few years ago. Was fishing a pond in my neighborhood where are have been some big DD bass caught. There's always been one resident gator there that's around 6-7 feet that always stays far away from any anglers. This time I was down by the bank and I saw a gator on the other side of the pond that had to be 11 feet long. As soon as it noticed me it made a bee line for me, no skittishness at all. Decided I'd go fish some other spots for the rest of the day.....

 

For the most part, though, I don't pay them any mind. Pay attention to where they're at and then go about my business. 99.9% of the time they're not gonna bother you.

[Chowderhead]

You guys are braver than I will ever be - don’t know how you do it. 

[Koz]

I've had more than my fair share of gator encounters while bank fishing, some of them funny and some of them scary. You can find them looking through my previous posts. A few years ago I also posted a mini guide in these forums about fishing in gator territory. Rule #1 is "head on a swivel."

[GreenPig]

Just grab them behind the head and get them in the air and you'll have control of them. If they're bigger than the one in pic below let your buddy grab them.? 

[Don51]

Scroll down! There is a 3 page post about fishing around gators.  

[BayouSlide]

Gators definitely respond to commotion on the surface. My errant cast to a log once ensnared a large anhinga (a slender, long necked diving water bird). It dove and I reeled it in to the boat so I could cut it free. A 4 ft-or so gator made a beeline towards the splashing (the anhinga wasn't cooperating with the rescue) but fortunately I was finally able to free it from the line before the gator arrived on the scene for his free lunch.

[TnRiver46]

There have been 6-8 in my boat as accidental catches, luckily my buddy unhooked them all or cut the line after trying to unhook them (while I was panic stricken standing on the outboard). The little ones bite lures, the big ones completely ignore them 

 

[Dinky]

Never really had a problem here in Florida with gators. Agree with advice  the posters above gave- be alert and try not to startle them. And don’t swim in the Harris Chain. 
The spring and early summer are the critical times along the banks and canals where they will have their nests, which they will protect with a vengeance. And they are much more territorial around these areas after hatching.

Fishing in  Banana Bay on Lake Harris several years ago in April/May I was slowly working a grassy bank and noticed a log several yards ahead… except the log seemed to slowly move. The next thing I noticed was I was surrounded by midsized gators with more slowly swimming out from the grass filled shore line. 
Finally realized there were likely a bunch of nests in there and these females had come out to protect them. 
I just sped up with the trolling motor and moved a bit farther off the bank and further down the bank until I was away from that area. Message received. 
 

[Koz]

On 2/22/2022 at 5:08 PM, TnRiver46 said:

 The little ones bite lures, the big ones completely ignore them 
 

Yeah - I'm going to have to disagree. Here's about a 7 foot munching on one of my former Booyah Pad Crashers.

 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

Yeah - I'm going to have to disagree. Here's about a 7 foot munching on one of my former Booyah Pad Crashers.

 

You never know about those medium ones……..

[Dinky]

10 hours ago, Koz said:

Yeah - I'm going to have to disagree. Here's about a 7 foot munching on one of my former Booyah Pad Crashers.

 

 

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

You never know about those medium ones……..

10 hours ago, Koz said:

Yeah - I'm going to have to disagree. Here's about a 7 foot munching on one of my former Booyah Pad Crashers.

 

He’s only after the protein. Lol. 
You have pretty much nailed it on Florida gators: They are nothing if not unpredictable. 

[roadwarrior]

Are you working as a marshal for any tournaments in Florida?

[N Florida Mike]

Lots of encounters with them because there’s lots of them here. Was I ever attacked? No, not even while wade fishing the St Johns. As I’ve told before, I did get hemmed in once by 2 nine footers. They weren’t trying to get me, I was just there in the river when they came out. 

I had the kids out swimming while I fished once, and one started coming our way- rapidly… I got the kids up on a dock, but as soon as the splashing stopped- he stopped.

Ive encountered some on the bank , and they ran into the water every time. 

I was camp counselor for a private school one summer. One trip was to the okefenokee swamp. There are millions of them in there. I walked up on a 10-11 footer that was being pelted by sticks, rocks, even apples from a group of our kids, while the counselors sat 100 ft away and didn’t seem concerned. The kids were getting up to a few feet away from the gator. I hollered at them ( and the counselors). That gator could easily have gotten a kid that time.

There at the boat launch my sons friend caught a big mudfish. It was flopping around on the bank and he started to jump down and get the fish. About that time a 12 footer suddenly came out , snatched the fish , and disappeared. If Chad would have jumped down at that moment…

 

The biggest reason gators approach is because some dummy has fed them before, or they got attracted by splashing.

I respect them but am not much concerned with them. 
As long as you don’t bother them, they normally wont bother you. At least that’s been my experience.

[wrat]

had one chase a fish up on to the back of my boat as my friend was reeling it in he (the gator) was practically on the back deck my friend froze and the gator slid back in to the water, was an interesting experience, other then that they dont bother me much, on Okeechobee they are very wary of people other places where stupid people have fed them well............

[FL_Angler]

The babies love going for my top water lures and that’s about it. Never had a big gator come up to me and I fish in a kayak. Like someone else said, they usually submerge and swim away when you get close. 

[Hook2Jaw]

They mostly to underwater and head somewhere else.  I've had one sow come off the bank and beeline at me, but I was near her young.  You ever seen a 10' Pelican kayak move like it's got a 250 on it?

[crypt]

50 years of fishing in Fl. and never had a gator get in the way of fishing. have had a few chase a buzz bait,topwater lures,but never was in any danger. keep head on a swivel when bank fishing.snakes are sneakier than a gator, and I HATE SNAKES.......

[soflabasser]

I have fished and dived in waters with alligators and learned that they will leave you alone if you leave them alone most of the time. During mating season alligators can be much more aggressive. The female alligators protect their nest and it would be best to stay away from an alligator nest. The male alligators are known for approaching fishermen during alligator mating season so you have to constantly pay attention to your surroundings. Kayaking in waters with big alligators is not the best idea but lots of people enjoy kayak fishing in waters with big alligators.

[avid]

I’m In SW Florida so virtually all of my freshwater fishing is around gators   
they will hammer a top water   I have fun sometimes when a gator lazers in on my top water   I’ll wait for him to get pretty close then pop it over his head    It’s pretty

 amusing to see them absolutely confused ? ???

[Don51]

As previously stated mating season is starting. The males are staking out their territory now. Give them a wide birth as you will be considered an intruder and driven out. Alligator mating is a wild scene! 

[thediscochef]

?

you know what, I think I'm doing just fine without fishing near gators. I'll settle for the snakes and smaller fish. Snakes are a thing but I can handle that; I'm rarely ever far enough from medical attention that they could really put me in danger. They also make solid cut bait and can be filled with shads that make good cut bait. 

A gator could pull a man underwater and keep him there. May also make solid cut bait, but I don't know that I want to find out about that.