GATOR! Holy $#%? | SouthernPaddler.com

GATOR! Holy $#%?

J

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Now that my heart is back to normal, I'll fill y'all in on my trip to the lake this morning. I paddled along the east shore of Lake Verret and the gators must have sensed the coming cool weather, because they were out and about. Saw 15-20 in the 6' - 11' range. They really give you a start when you come up and surprise them in shallow water. Whoooooshhh. Lotsa waves and splashing.
I was already a bit on edge after seeing a couple of 10 footers up close. I went to take a stroke on the left side and something caught my eye over my left shoulder. A BIG gator was looking right at me less than 2 feet from the boat. Imagine taking a stroke with the double paddle. Where the paddle leaves the water would have been centered between his nose and eyes. That put him less than 3 feet from my left elbow. I had just started my stroke , I sliced the blade straight up out of the water and back down with a splash. I guess it scared him...........don't know.........didn't hang around to find out. Sorry .....no picture...........I was a little preoccupied at the time. :mrgreen:

His head was noticeably longer and wider than my paddle blade........I'm figuring 11 feet and 300-400 lbs. I kinda know how lion hunters feel now. Animals that can eat you give you a new perspective on the outdoors.


Joey
 
O

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
If the Okefenokee ever gets some water in it , you need to come over and paddle there. It has some of those Gators in there that are about the same length as Mac's Canoe and it is a 16 footer. :D

I have a Big one on the Econ at a bend which he has claimed as his home. Not sure of his total length but I can say for sure it is long and his head is really BIG..... I give him a lot of room when in that part of the river , way over on my side and not on his. The Big Boy's got that way by staying away from us folks so I feel safer around them then the smaller ones but there large size is something that just makes a person go to the other side of the river.

By the way , after you noticed him .... How long did it take before your boat was air born , skipping over the waves and way down the lake away from him. :?:

I guess it scared him...........don't know.........didn't hang around to find out.
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Which brings me to another question , who sacred who. :lol: :roll: :wink:
 
J

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Chuck, didn't quite get airborne but it wasn't for lack of trying. :shock: I've seen bigger gators around the lake, but he just popped up from nowhere. I know he wasn't there when I took the previous left stroke. Four seconds later he was right there.

On the way back, I saw him again. I started to back out to make a big circle around him. I was just drifting backwards between back strokes when my paddle hit a small stump. Oh Nellie!! Pegged out the heartbeat meter! I'm getting to old for this chit.

Joey
 
B

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Joey, with all those gators maybe ya'll ought to take up a collection for Troy Landry to buy more bullets. :lol:
I just had one of those moments at my house. Rode the electric cart onto a moccasin in some tall grass by my pond. He didn't like that. Lucky for me he left as fast as I did, but still too close.
I have been wanting to come your way and paddle, but I might wait for cold weather. :roll:

beekeeper
 
J

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
Bee, you're welcome to come down for a paddle any time. Heck, any of you guys are welcome to come down and see some cypress swamps. It's alligator season now. Runs the whole month of September. Matter of fact, I saw one of Troy's lines hanging from a cypress tree baited with a 10" shad. I know it was his because he has the lease on this section of the lake.

Joey
 
B

beekeeper

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2009
1,917
59
Did the storm kill many fish over there. We went to Manchac area Sat. and the stench was bad. Lots of dead shad, etc. Water was black and dead. The effects of the salt water into this area is unreal. :shock: What used to be a cypress forest is turning into marsh and/or eroading away. :cry:
We moved to Tickfaw River and it was better, up river. More fresh rain water and less swamp there.

beekeeper
 
J

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
The water in the canals and bayous leading to the lake are black water. That water has made it's way over approx. a third of the northern end of the lake. I talked to a catfisherman at the landing. He had over 100 catfish dead in his cages in that area. Further south, I talked to a few sportfishermen that were catching quite a few. I noticed a distinct increase in gator sightings as the water got better further south.

Joey
 
J

jdupre'

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2007
2,327
40
South Louisiana
A little update on the alligator situation in Lake Verret. Troy Landry of Swamp People , tagged out early in the 30 day season last month. Total: 520 gators. Now some of these were taken 3 or 4 miles away in the Atchafalaya Basin, but the majority came from Lake Verret. The filming is over and I'm anticipating another interesting TV season of the show.

Troy and all of the local Pierre Part people are still amazed at the tourists that come in to get a glimpse of Troy. Picture two typical California "Valley girls" in white pants sitting on the nastiest, dirtiest, most smelly 12 ft gator while having their picture taken with Troy and giggling all the while.

Joey
 
K

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
jdupre' said:
<SNIP> Troy and all of the local Pierre Part people are still amazed at the tourists that come in to get a glimpse of Troy. Picture two typical California "Valley girls" in white pants sitting on the nastiest, dirtiest, most smelly 12 ft gator while having their picture taken with Troy and giggling all the while.
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America has no political leaders to look at for heroism; we gotta go to the swamp for our heroines, I guess.
 
K

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
Wannabe said:
I'll bet you can find better Americans in the swamp than you can in D.C.
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Yeah - and that's even BEFORE we talk to the people! Snakes and gators have more integrity than politicians.

99.9% of politicians give the rest of'em a bad name. (Somebody stop me here when I'm wrong.)
 
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