j_seph
Senior Member
AKA @REDNECK1
We went down Sunday afternoon with high expectations yet planning to except defeat. This was my 3rd time gator hunting and the 1st two were nothing but wasted time and money. Chris came highly recommended and I now see why! We got down and Chris already was getting some food prepared for what we expected to be a long night ahead. We headed over to launch the boat after eating and headed out on the water. We came up on one in the 1st 20 min that was acceptable to what I was looking for. Then he gave me the bad news that it was on the Florida side and nothing we could do until it crossed over on the GA side. Almost heartbreaking but I am glad that he follows the law to make sure his clients are legal. We kept easing toward him on the GA side as he slowly swam that direction. Seemed like that sucker knew the state line cause when he hit it, down he went. Another heartbreak moment, he told us we would wait and see where he came back up at. About 30 min he popped up 200 yards where we had just came from but on the GA side. We headed that way and he managed to get a cast at him but missed, man what a roll that sucker made, heartbreak #2. So we sat and waited and watched seeing 2 or 3 smaller ones. Then he said don't move, this sucker had obviously stalked us and popped his head up 20 yards from the boat. He tried to get a hook in him once again, heartbreak #3. We sat looking and waiting and watching some smaller gators in binos when I said this fool gator is going to swim straight to us. He looked and my buddy did as well and said that is him. We got the hook in him and he handed me the rod and nothing but drag and hardest pull I have ever had. We managed to get 2 more rods on him and was amazed how he'd pull us with 3 holding onto him and you could not control the beast. After a hand line into him and another with a bouy just in case we managed to dispatch a nearly 11 footer. We were done and by 8:30 PM so no late night for us on the water and thank God for that as the mayflies were like none I had ever seen. Reminded me of the plague of locust mentioned in the Bible. Best of all is I got to create another memory and a little bit more of a bond with my step-son and my buddy.
We went down Sunday afternoon with high expectations yet planning to except defeat. This was my 3rd time gator hunting and the 1st two were nothing but wasted time and money. Chris came highly recommended and I now see why! We got down and Chris already was getting some food prepared for what we expected to be a long night ahead. We headed over to launch the boat after eating and headed out on the water. We came up on one in the 1st 20 min that was acceptable to what I was looking for. Then he gave me the bad news that it was on the Florida side and nothing we could do until it crossed over on the GA side. Almost heartbreaking but I am glad that he follows the law to make sure his clients are legal. We kept easing toward him on the GA side as he slowly swam that direction. Seemed like that sucker knew the state line cause when he hit it, down he went. Another heartbreak moment, he told us we would wait and see where he came back up at. About 30 min he popped up 200 yards where we had just came from but on the GA side. We headed that way and he managed to get a cast at him but missed, man what a roll that sucker made, heartbreak #2. So we sat and waited and watched seeing 2 or 3 smaller ones. Then he said don't move, this sucker had obviously stalked us and popped his head up 20 yards from the boat. He tried to get a hook in him once again, heartbreak #3. We sat looking and waiting and watching some smaller gators in binos when I said this fool gator is going to swim straight to us. He looked and my buddy did as well and said that is him. We got the hook in him and he handed me the rod and nothing but drag and hardest pull I have ever had. We managed to get 2 more rods on him and was amazed how he'd pull us with 3 holding onto him and you could not control the beast. After a hand line into him and another with a bouy just in case we managed to dispatch a nearly 11 footer. We were done and by 8:30 PM so no late night for us on the water and thank God for that as the mayflies were like none I had ever seen. Reminded me of the plague of locust mentioned in the Bible. Best of all is I got to create another memory and a little bit more of a bond with my step-son and my buddy.
