Click HERE FOR PICTURES

Alligator Attack

Urban fishing show is heading to the outskirts of Orlando, Florida to again take on some huge alligators. This is not your normal fishing episode where you watch old men catch panfish! This is the Urban Fishing Show's version of fishing! We track down monster American alligators in order to get close enough to make a cast. Have you ever felt an angry alligator attack a fishing lure then tug on the end of a fishing line? Unlike a huge tarpon or trout pulling out drag at screaming rates, these huge beasts descend to the bottom of the lake and slowly walk away. This is an adventure I will never forget!

Harpoon and Fishing Equipment:

From New York City to Orlando, Florida the flight is only two and a half hours. This is just enough time for the anticipation to really set in. I start to make a check list of all the equipment, "fishing rod, treble hook, duct tape, harpoon and tips, knife, 1,000,000 candle watt flashlights and a bang stick with bullets! Each item with a direct purpose and action.

American Alligator History:

The Florida Alligator was among the species originally listed on the endangered species list back in 1967. Due to unregulated interstate trade of alligator hides these amazing creatures were on the brink of disappearing forever. Want to make people stop poaching? How about making the penalty for poaching a class 3 felony. Yep it is the same as robbing a bank! In only a few short years, the alligators were starting to thrive and repopulate areas where they had previously disappeared. With gators making a full recovery from endangered to threatened and finally to being overpopulated in some areas, the state took steps to control nuisance gators while also seeing the impact hunting would have on the population. By removing large territorial alligators from certain areas, the population of smaller younger alligators surged and further increases the alligator numbers. Florida is now recognized as an example of how active scientifically driven management can bring a species, like the alligator, back from being lost forever.

Alligator Habitat - RED EYES AT DUSK:

The sun is setting over the tree line with blazing oranges, reds, and yellows reflecting off the water. From an hour before sunset to an hour before sunrise the adventure is on. Slowly we scan the water’s edge with the 1,000,000 candle watt flashlights in search of the red reflecting eyes of the gator. Raccoons and frogs eyes glow bright neon green. In the cloak of darkness, the gator is the ultimate predator waiting for fish, turtles or birds to venture too close. We are going to take advantage of this aspect by casting large lures within striking distance.

The gators hold close to the weed beds in complete stillness unknowingly giving away their position with their reflective eyes. Within 10 minutes we have seen over 5 alligators. Each one slowly disappearing into the dark water before we can sneak close enough. We are waiting for one to venture out of the cover and into the center of the lake.

First Alligator Attack:

We are anxious to see if we could find a large male to beat our previous record of 11 feet 4 inches. Searching around the lake we suddenly see in the distance a pair of red eyes appear only 50 yards in the distance then disappearing again under the water. A moment later the eyes reappear and I make a cast. Lifting its head out of the water I see a 4 foot gator snap at the lure. Luckily, it misses the lure and saves us from trying to unhook this small gator.

Alligator in the Sand:

As we continue to search, we see the bright red eyes of a gator lurking in a patch of cypress tree roots. Turning off the engine we drift towards the alligator and watch as the eyes sink under the water column. Unable to make a cast we grab the harpoon and inch towards where the eyes disappeared. Suddenly, we see the submerged alligator lying against the murky bottom of fallen trees and sand. The black and white stripes that hide it so well in the weeds make a dark silhouette against the white sand. This is a very large alligator and exactly what we are looking for on this trip. We push ourselves closer to the alligator. I raise my arm and throw the harpoon. Thoughts go through my head, "Did I misgauge the refraction of the water and overthrow?" Suddenly, the water erupts and the line attached to the harpoon flies out of the bucket and disappears along with the alligator into the water. The indicator buoy rockets out of the bucket nearly hitting me. Fish On or more appropriately Alligator On!! As the buoy enters the water it disappears for a moment and then reappears. The alligator, in its bid to escape, swam through the maze of mangrove roots and pinned the buoy against a branch. I watched as the line tightens. If the harpoon tip is not secure then this is the point where the tension will cause the gator to pull free. The line remains tight!

Alligator On:

Knowing that this gator was at least 30 feet away I stick my arms in the water to try and free the buoy. With no success I untie the rope and use a snag hook to grab the other end of the line. Once the line is free I retie the buoy and slowly apply tension. Suddenly, the line cuts through my hands as the alligator tries to pull away. The force is unlike anything else I have felt while fishing. This is an animal that if you make a mistake can easily take off an arm.

We throw the buoy and reposition the boat to better angle ourselves to pull up the alligator. As we clear the remaining weeds we slowly start to regain line. We try to pull the alligator towards the boat, but instead the boat moves towards the alligator. After several minutes the line points directly downwards. The alligator is right under the boat and hidden by the underwater grass! We pull the line upwards and the alligator takes off with surprising speed. Now it is towing the boat. We gain more line and the outline of the gator is revealed by our lights. A large head and massive body with legs folded inwards with a powerful tail pushing it forward. The alligator starts to tire and is directly under the front of the boat.

Crush bone and rip flesh:

We have caught many fish on the Urban Fishing Show from trout in Connecticut to bluefish in New Jersey, but this time there is the real risk of severe injury. This alligator, while tired from the fight, is still very deadly and its jaws close with a force at over 2,000 psi. Plenty of power to crush bone and rip flesh in a second. This is the most dangerous part of the entire encounter. We try to position the alligator so that we can place a shot with the bangstick. My dad grabs the bangstick and describes the process as he loads the .44 caliber bullet into the chamber. The bangstick is a long pole with a bullet attached at the end. As the bangstick is pushed downwards a metal tip sets off the bullet and fires directly downwards. He lines up his shot directly behind the head plate and in-between the ridges on the back. Several times a year, people aim too high or the alligator moves causing the bullet to ricochet off the bony head shield back at the shooter. For this reason it is essential to keep the alligator at least a foot under the water for protection. As the bangstick fires the normal crack or bang of a gun firing is not heard, but instead a muffled pop indistinguishable from the sound of a gun firing.

Evolution of the American Alligator:

The alligator has evolved little over the past 200 thousand years with fossilized bones still looking as they were only 10 years old. These are very tough creatures and even after a bangstick there is a very good possibility that the alligator is only momentarily not moving, stunned from the blast. After duct taping the mouth, I sever the spinal cord and put the tag in the tail. This alligator weighted over 100 pounds and was 7 feet 2 inches. Female alligators can grow to as large as 9 feet while males grow in excess of 13 feet and can weight almost half a ton.

With one in the boat, we were anxious to see if we could find a large male to beat our previous record of 11 feet 4 inches. As we glided across the calm water the full moon starts to break through the clouds; thus removing the cloak of darkness and causing the large alligators to disappear further into the brush. After an exciting trip we made our way back to the dock and wrapped the gator in a big tarp surrounded by ice.

Alligator Processor - Frolick Gator Farm:

The next morning, still exhausted from the night before, we headed down to Christmas Florida to Frolicks Gator Farm. This processor takes care of all aspects of cleaning the gator from the hide to tendering the meat. I was trained to always use as much as possible from whatever you take, be it fish, deer, or alligator. The hide will be turned into leather purses, wallets, and key chains. The head will be mounted along with the feet. While the meat will be made into cube steaks or served as gator bites. As we pulled our alligator into the walk in freezer, we stare in awe at a monster 11 foot gator. This big guy shows off the massive size that males can grow. There is no doubt of the damage that could be caused as we open the mouth to see all the teeth and hear the bone crushing sound as the mouth closes.

Alligator Graveyard:

Taking some time to talk to the son of the owner we learned that the recession had hit even here in the small towns of Florida. This will be the last year that this gator processor will be open. The farm raised gators have been sold off, while hides from last year still remained stacked in the walk in freezer. The price for a hide has fallen to nothing and the meat distributors have said they will not need any more alligator meat. This alligator farmer has been in business over 40 years, but nothing could have prepared him for these changes. He is visibly upset as he tells his story to the camera for the Urban Fishing Show. Next year we will have to find another processor to help us with our huge gators.

This has been another amazing trip filled with family time and an awesome adventure. We were lucky enough to get one of these huge creatures and hopefully the information that was collected from the paperwork will be used to help ensure healthy populations of alligators. Thank you for tuning in to the Urban Fishing Show and we hope you enjoy the PICTURES

Tight Lines and Screaming Reels,

Dave

WATCH NEXT EPISODE HOOKED ON BLUES Season 1 Episode 4 ALSO BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR OTHER ALLIGATOR FISHING ADVENTURE

AND

PICTURES OF ALLIGATOR