Backed the boat in a little before first light and as there was ZERO wind we headded for open water. About sunrise we spied a big one about 300 yards from shore. Set off in his direction with the trolling motor. Got about 100 yards from him before he sounded. As he was in open water we had no reference point as to where he actually went down but being hard headded we started casting about.
As we're fruitlessly dredging the depths for him we see the one in the picture come to the surface another 400 yards to the west of where we were.
Set after him on the trolling motor again. He too goes down while we are over 100 yards away. But to his bad luck he went down not to far from a hoop net set up. Using the net float as a reference point we got close and started casting about.
Now hoop nets are set with long lead lines, usually with a marker float on the main line and then a small float atop the net itself. Because of this setup it's easy to tell which was the line runs off the net and therefor you have a better chance of avoiding it......if you know what you are looking at.
So we cast about on the side of the net float where we though he had gone down. It was about 9 feet deep. After about 5 minutes we decide that based on the way he was facing when he sounded there was a good possibility that he was actually on the oposite side of the net.
Passed over the net line and then started casting about again. After about 10 minutes I suggested that he had indeed swam off and that we should try for another one that had surfaced a few hundred yards away. I had even stowed my rod and was headding towards the trolling motor when Yul says that he has the gator.
I suggest that he is wrong and that based on how his line is going into the water that he has managed to snag the net line. I even go so far as to tell him to try and shake it off and I actually started moving towards the spot with the trolling motor so we could get it unhung..........
And then the net line started swimming off!!
Yul had the gator hooked on 30# test on a light spinning rod so all we could do was follow and wait for him to stop so we can get a bigger rod in him. We knew it was a big one because it stopped after no more than 50 yards.
It just sat on the bottom while I got a bigger rod and snagged him with it. What was amazing is that he still did not take off. So I start putting a lot of pressure on him trying to hoist him to the top.
He comes up slowly but does not swim. Meanwhile Yul, still keeping the light rod tight, fishes out the harpoon and just as the gator reaches the surface next to the boat he lets lose.
Now when a fresh gator, especially a big one, is hit like that all heck can break lose. This guy went nuts. He pulled the boat a LONG ways before he started to tire.
Finally got a second harpoon in him......and then a few minutes later hit him with the bangstick.
And then the work began.....hauling that thing in the boat.
11' 7" and about 500#.....very fat...... Young gator based on size of head and good condition of teeth and hide. Really FAT!!
And yes, you are right.......it looks like Yul is making sure it's dead while he puts the tag in. Not a bad thought either as one of this guys teeth is broke off in the side of the boat......
As we're fruitlessly dredging the depths for him we see the one in the picture come to the surface another 400 yards to the west of where we were.
Set after him on the trolling motor again. He too goes down while we are over 100 yards away. But to his bad luck he went down not to far from a hoop net set up. Using the net float as a reference point we got close and started casting about.
Now hoop nets are set with long lead lines, usually with a marker float on the main line and then a small float atop the net itself. Because of this setup it's easy to tell which was the line runs off the net and therefor you have a better chance of avoiding it......if you know what you are looking at.
So we cast about on the side of the net float where we though he had gone down. It was about 9 feet deep. After about 5 minutes we decide that based on the way he was facing when he sounded there was a good possibility that he was actually on the oposite side of the net.
Passed over the net line and then started casting about again. After about 10 minutes I suggested that he had indeed swam off and that we should try for another one that had surfaced a few hundred yards away. I had even stowed my rod and was headding towards the trolling motor when Yul says that he has the gator.
I suggest that he is wrong and that based on how his line is going into the water that he has managed to snag the net line. I even go so far as to tell him to try and shake it off and I actually started moving towards the spot with the trolling motor so we could get it unhung..........
And then the net line started swimming off!!
Yul had the gator hooked on 30# test on a light spinning rod so all we could do was follow and wait for him to stop so we can get a bigger rod in him. We knew it was a big one because it stopped after no more than 50 yards.
It just sat on the bottom while I got a bigger rod and snagged him with it. What was amazing is that he still did not take off. So I start putting a lot of pressure on him trying to hoist him to the top.
He comes up slowly but does not swim. Meanwhile Yul, still keeping the light rod tight, fishes out the harpoon and just as the gator reaches the surface next to the boat he lets lose.
Now when a fresh gator, especially a big one, is hit like that all heck can break lose. This guy went nuts. He pulled the boat a LONG ways before he started to tire.
Finally got a second harpoon in him......and then a few minutes later hit him with the bangstick.
And then the work began.....hauling that thing in the boat.
11' 7" and about 500#.....very fat...... Young gator based on size of head and good condition of teeth and hide. Really FAT!!
And yes, you are right.......it looks like Yul is making sure it's dead while he puts the tag in. Not a bad thought either as one of this guys teeth is broke off in the side of the boat......
Thanks for getting that one out of the swimming hole!!!