Using Alligators As A Reference 2024

Ponz reply :

If alligators are visible on top of the water does that mean that fish, manely bass, won't be by it because of fear of getting eaten?

J Francho reply :

I caught tons of bass in Santee-Cooper and there were gators everywhere.

evrgladesbasser reply :

Not true at all in my experience... in fact sometimes quite the opposite will be true.

White Perch reply :

Gators will eat a bass, but most of there diet comes from turtles and slower moving fish. I catch bass around gators all the time.

Captain Shane Procell reply :

When I see a gator I know fish are there as well. BTW, alligators love bass I'll show you what I mean.

FishinDaddy reply :

I use gators as well as birds to FIND fish. They are not there because it looks pretty. I rarely have problems with gators but I have been run off of a spot once or twice. I don't really like it when they try to get in the boat after my fish.

Bassn Blvd reply :

On 10/5/2011 at 2:15 AM, evrgladesbasser said:

Not true at all in my experience... in fact sometimes quite the opposite will be true.

Do you mean bass will sometimes eat the gator? HAHAHA

Hi Salenity reply :

On 10/4/2011 at 10:51 PM, J Francho said:

I caught tons of bass in Santee-Cooper and there were gators everywhere.

In a Kayak?

salmicropterus reply :

Agree with all the posts about gators being a marker for bass location. They are both in "live" areas with food supply. Maybe they do feed on the occasional bass but both are there for the same reason-not unlike bluegills being markers for bass

SirSnookalot reply :

Gators are there for 1 reason and that's to eat, bass are a part of their diet. On more occasions than I could count I have seen predatory mammals, reptiles and fish move my target species into hiding. One many may not think of are dolphins ( flipper, cute cuddly nuisance) clear out the game fish real quick, sharks too.

J Francho reply :

On 10/5/2011 at 9:08 AM, Hi Salenity said:

In a Kayak?

No, I was in my bass boat, but I know many that fish gator waters from kayaks.

endless reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 3:31 AM, J Francho said:

No, I was in my bass boat, but I know many that fish gator waters from kayaks.

I wonder how they felt when or if a gator tried to climb in a kayak? I would god can't say on site, lol. Are they laws carrying a rifle and shooting gators?? I just wonder and somewhat glad not to have to deal with them here in Va but I love visiting them in La.

BTW love the video Shane.Good luck with getting your $7.99 back, lol

J Francho reply :

Quote
I wonder how they felt when or if a gator tried to climb in a kayak?

Everyone says they don't, and are mostly afraid of people.

endless reply :

I heard about boats like in FishinDaddy post but never heard anything on kayaks and god that has to be a scary feeling if the bad doesn't happen. But it might be like you said J Francho unless like Shane said in one of his videos or post can't recall a while back it's the hand fed gators that he worries about.

Captain Shane Procell reply :

I would not feel comfortable fishing a Yak around alligators. I've seen too many go crazy at the sight of us reeling in fish. Thats scarry enough in a boat...can't imagine being a couple of inches out of the water and a gator chaseing my fish back to the boat

J Francho reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 4:41 AM, endless said:

I heard about boats like in FishinDaddy post but never heard anything on kayaks and god that has to be a scary feeling if the bad doesn't happen. But it might be like you said J Francho unless like Shane said in one of his videos or post can't recall a while back it's the hand fed gators that he worries about.

Check your email, LOL.

South FLA reply :

I would love to see a yaker come down to Shane's special spot especially during low water levels! I would film it, pay for the trip, and provide accommodations. In Shane's spot I had them swirl underneath my little 14' jon boat and charge boat trying to catch landed fish, totally unafraid of fisherman.

Now if you add some teal ducks and duck hunters to the equation all bets are off. Gators are about as brave as a little school girl dressed in a pink dress in a yard full of pit-bulls around duck hunters, don't ask why.

gar-tracker reply :

Its always those 3-4 footers that are a pain.

The only animal that makes me leave an are is an otter, they will clean out anything around.

Sam reply :

That was one of the best videos I have ever seen about bass fishing.

Keep 'em coming!!!

GLADES reply :

Speaking of the gators,I had a est 12-14 foot gator(huge head-mouth open slightly) surface a few feet in front of my legs as I was sitting in the front seat of my bass boat with my legs stretched out over the side at the intersection of Uncle Joe's cut/rim canal at Lake Okeechobee.I guess the wiggling of my toes was enticing

Up until that point all I saw was the run of the mill 5-8' gators. Needless to say, I retracted my legs from the side of the boat to under the seat for a while. You just never know what is lurking under there. I pass on the canoes and kayaks unless it is a neighborhood canal.

I have had some success fishing where gators are present and I have also noticed a lack of fish when they are not around. That said, I think it is a good sign to see some gators.

Great video Capt Shane, I enjoy watching your trips.

GLADES reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 7:23 PM, South FLA said:

I would love to see a yaker come down to Shane's special spot especially during low water levels! I would film it, pay for the trip, and provide accommodations. In Shane's spot I had them swirl underneath my little 14' jon boat and charge boat trying to catch landed fish, totally unafraid of fisherman.

Now if you add some teal ducks and duck hunters to the equation all bets are off. Gators are about as brave as a little school girl dressed in a pink dress in a yard full of pit-bulls around duck hunters, don't ask why.

Must be the loaded 12 gauges..

I like the pit bull analogy. They act like angry pit bulls with no fear.Falling in the water in that canal would be bad.

SirSnookalot reply :

I was followed around by a good size gator the other evening, what made me extra aware was this was a golf course gator, they see people all day. The ones that have no fear are the ones to stay away from.

Lesley reply :

On 10/10/2011 at 9:56 PM, GLADES said:

Speaking of the gators,I had a est 12-14 foot gator(huge head-mouth open slightly) surface a few feet in front of my legs as I was sitting in the front seat of my bass boat with my legs stretched out over the side at the intersection of Uncle Joe's cut/rim canal at Lake Okeechobee.I guess the wiggling of my toes was enticing

Up until that point all I saw was the run of the mill 5-8' gators. Needless to say, I retracted my legs from the side of the boat to under the seat for a while. You just never know what is lurking under there. I pass on the canoes and kayaks unless it is a neighborhood canal.

I have had some success fishing where gators are present and I have also noticed a lack of fish when they are not around. That said, I think it is a good sign to see some gators.

Great video Capt Shane, I enjoy watching your trips.

OMG this post gave me cold chills. I fished some lakes around Gainesville in FL as a child and remember seeing the gators. I even fell in Newnan (?) lake and freaked out. I was about ten years old. So, yeah.... having one come up to see your toes....Ugh!

zenyoungkoh reply :

@Captain Shane The alligator that swallowed your trap, probably has already passed it, sifted it, retrieved it, polished it and is using it to catch more bass now!

John G reply :

Great video Capt. Shane. Do you ever see any pythons in the Glades?

wrat reply :

My buddy had an 8-10 footer come right up and into the back of my stratos following a bass he caught thanfully my buddy stayed calm and the gator just kinda slid back into the water...this was at Loxahatchee during mating season so they were a bit aggressive

Orpssab reply :

When i'm in South Florida I fish alot out of a one man pontoon bass boat to get into all the out of the way canals. And yes Shane is right, I've had to put the trolling motor on high to escape gators! Also, be aware when fishing Lox or Big O from a bassboat. Gators will sometimes suspend right under and travel along with you. Always lift the bass in the boat withyour rod. Never put your hand in the water trying to lip a Bass! Gators will snap at the bass and your hands if your not careful. Hey, You gotta love South Florida! The playing field can sometimes get even! LOL

MagicMoment reply :

I remember I was fishing at night once and was loading my boat at the dock around 11pm. I looked down towards the brake lights on my trailer to see about a 10ft gator submerged not even 8ft away. Scared me worse then anything i've ever encountered so I went in my truck to grab my pistol.

But I prefer the gators over cottenmouths anyday. I had my fish on a stringer once fishing from a jon boat and looked down to see the snake latched on to one of my fish. Scary stuff

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

The gators have a special affection for topwater frogs like the bronzeye. they like buzzbaits a whole lot too it seems.

Gotfishyfingers? reply :

On 2/7/2012 at 6:24 AM, Bassin_Fin@tic said:

The gators have a special affection for topwater frogs like the bronzeye. they like buzzbaits a whole lot too it seems.

Heck ya!!

They will come from a far to. Like Gar-tracker said, if you see otters, i would leave, they eat all the fish!!!

BassHunter954 reply :

On 10/6/2011 at 4:42 AM, Captain Shane Procell said:

I would not feel comfortable fishing a Yak around alligators. I've seen too many go crazy at the sight of us reeling in fish. Thats scarry enough in a boat...can't imagine being a couple of inches out of the water and a gator chaseing my fish back to the boat

this is true i wouldnt feel comfortable in a yak either but gators are wild in any way fish or not i just had a gator almost attack my 12ft jon boat just because i came from under a bridge that was scarry..

SirSnookalot reply :

I've drastically curtailed my bass fishing due to my ever growing nervousness of snakes, it just isn't worth it. I'm fishing but a few locations that I feel comfortable with, but nothing is foolproof.

JohnnyBigger reply :

On 10/5/2011 at 8:18 AM, Bassn Blvd said:

Do you mean bass will sometimes eat the gator? HAHAHA

believe it or not but bass will eat baby gators

rad07h reply :

Hey Glades, that canal your talking about that Shane fishes I swam across! Well halfway across anyway (long story). Talk about top 5 scariest moments of my life lol!! And I thought I was the only one who knew about that canal and then I met captain Shane and he was on tv fishing it and now you! What a small world. Haha

GLADES reply :

On 2/8/2012 at 12:44 AM, rad07h said:

Hey Glades, that canal your talking about that Shane fishes I swam across! Well halfway across anyway (long story). Talk about top 5 scariest moments of my life lol!! And I thought I was the only one who knew about that canal and then I met captain Shane and he was on tv fishing it and now you! What a small world. Haha

Hey Rad,

The canal that Shane fishes is still a secret to me. I don't know where it is exactly, but I think I know the general area. Shane's canal is so full of gators, it would be suicide to swim there.

. The story I told about the huge gator occurred west of Clewiston in the rim canal next to uncle Joe' cut.

Helluva_Engineer reply :

I've always tended to find bass right up around the alligators, but leave when the alligators start trailing the boat movements.

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