EyesUp83
Senior Member
What are the biggest mistakes people make when hunting for a BIG gator, and how to avoid those mistakes?
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Gator Hunting NO-how
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groundhawg
Senior Member
Single biggest mistake is not hiring a guide who has the right/best equipment and knowledge of the area you want to hunt.
shdw633
Senior Member
They don't treat it like they would if it were any other species. Many just show up and if they get a gator they are happy but if you want a trophy you have to spend a lot of time scouting, you can't get a BIG gator if there is not one there. You also have to make sure you have the proper tools for the job. You don't need a guide unless you don't want to put the time in or purchase the necessary equipment to have the success you are looking for. I have never hired a guide and have caught several over 9.5 feet including an 11.5 footer.
Para Bellum
Mouth For War
Gas and binos. Find the one you want early before he gets pressured. Approach slow and easy. Throw the hook good the first time.
EyesUp83
Senior Member
I think all these are good points and each piece of advice caters to a certain type of hunter... the person who gets the best guide for the biggest critter as well as the person who goes DIY and therefore calls any gator approaching over 8' a trophy.
No doubt a local guide with a good reputation is your best bet in 90% of scenarios.
What about the DIY hunter... what are his/her biggest mistakes? Treble hook to small, rope too thin, etc?
No doubt a local guide with a good reputation is your best bet in 90% of scenarios.
What about the DIY hunter... what are his/her biggest mistakes? Treble hook to small, rope too thin, etc?
groundhawg
Senior Member
All good points but if you are only going once every 4 to 6 years, depends in Georgia which area you want to hunt, then have to see is investment in time and equipment is worth it. Big E if I had to pick only one mistake that might cost you a chance at an alligator it would be using to much light at night. You can, and many have, take one during the day but if they have received much pressure you have to be lucky and good.
shdw633
Senior Member
That is a great point. We go every year down here in Florida so it's worth the investments in both, not sure I would do that if I was only going every four years. Experience also plays a lot in that as well. I remember my first time going and I was glad I was with individuals that knew what they were doing, not a guide, friends. It's not a game out there that you want to be learning on your own because you can get seriously hurt....and not just by the gator.
Para Bellum
Mouth For War
Not having enough small castable treble hooks. You'll lose quite a few. 1/4" line is plenty on the big hooks although some on here will swear by Mule Tape. Buoys or boat bumpers are great on the line ends too. Just in case. Use the trolling motor, be patient and trust the bubbles.
Para Bellum
Mouth For War
You can also make good harpoons and snares out of PVC to save $.
fatback
Senior Member
Being able to make accurate casts with the treble hook, at distance is critical.
shdw633
Senior Member
You can also learn different techniques. We have done probably everything you can do to catch one but we prefer to use beef lung attached to a small two inch dowel on a fishing pole to catch our gators. Once they eat it we simply sit over top of them until they have to come up and then harpoon them. Depending on the size of the gator we may try to hook them while they are on the bottom. We put on a good sized lung to discourage little gators from eating it. As always check your local regulations to insure it's a legal technique in your area. It's a pretty relaxing hunt.
crackerdave
Senior Member
Beef fat works well,too.
EyesUp83
Senior Member
I was talking to a guy yesterday who said something similar. Perhaps its obvious but, how do you know if you have a good gator chewing on it vs a couple big catfish?
shdw633
Senior Member
The bait floats on top of the water and big gators swallow it whole and usually move off. A small gator or fish will give you that tap, tap, tap you are thinking of but a big gator just grabs it and swallows it. In the daytime we just watch the bait from a little over 100 yards away, at night we wait for the line to start peeling off the reel and then just engage the reel and follow the line over to where the gator is, he will dive and stay on the bottom and the tension on the line tells you that it's a gator. The object is not to pull the bait out of the gators gut, it's only there for you to know exactly where the gator is. Once you have the gator directly below you then you can either wait him out, which can take a LONG time or try to get him with a hook.
EyesUp83
Senior Member
What size treble hooks are you referring too? After reading your post I've seen (on YouTube and advertised) everything from 2/0 @ 1/2 oz to 14/0 @ 7oz. Are you hand casting or casting from a surf rod?
Para Bellum
Mouth For War
I like 10/0 trebles and Power Pro braid for casting with the fishing rod. Then once pinpointed, a 20/0 treble on 1/4” line for hand casting and wrestling. Once hooked with the 20/0, we snap a boat bumper onto the end of the line just in case you have to let go.
