nc easter bass fishing

alligator!!! this was a huge gator for nc...at least 8-10 feet (my
conservative guess...but, then i was hyperventilating a bit at the time)
nose to tail, very fat. he was snoozing in the sun...eyelids closed. i
was walking the bank, paying little attention to anything but the water,
trying to place casts close to the bank 10-15 feet in front of me.
suddenly, there was an unusual smell...it was so unusual that it caused
me to stop and look around. i thought there might be a dead
animal...then i saw it. about 20 feet in front of me. my jaw dropped,
and i ran as fast up the grassy bank as any geezer hoping not to wrestle
with a gator on an easter sunday. i've no experience with gators up
close and personal, so took these two photos and retreated. he never
moved. i don't think he even woke up...

On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:25:16 -0400, jeff wrote:

alligator!!!

Shoot Jeff, that little guy is barely big enough to make Wayno a pair of shoes
and a belt. g
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

Charlie Choc wrote:
On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:25:16 -0400, jeff wrote:


alligator!!!


Shoot Jeff, that little guy is barely big enough to make Wayno a pair of shoes
and a belt. g

bring your kayak up and i'll point you in his direction. you measure
him. g

i was a long way from him when i stopped running and took the pic, using
the little olympus stylus camera close-up...just doesn't show the scale
accurately at all. he was huge!! hell, by tomorrow he'll be 15 feet.
wish i had gotten closer and taken more photos, but as bad as my luck
had been this weekend i feared he might think i was an easter meal.

i've never encountered an alligator in the wild and up close on land
(saw one from the boat once). i've not tried to run in a long time, and
i suspect "scurrying" might not be adequate in the event he decided he
wanted a closer view of me. it was very spooky to just walk up
unknowingly on the damn thing. ...and i was catching some fish too!

On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:09:06 -0400, jeff wrote:

bring your kayak up and i'll point you in his direction. you measure
him. g

Willi and I saw a bunch in the Everglades, and you did have to watch where you
were walking (and paddling). They said the only reported 'incident' in the park
was when a kid hit one on a bike. Here's a 'close up of one. ;-)
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

"Charlie Choc" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:09:06 -0400, jeff
wrote:

bring your kayak up and i'll point you in his direction. you measure
him. g

Willi and I saw a bunch in the Everglades, and you did have to watch where
you
were walking (and paddling). They said the only reported 'incident' in the
park
was when a kid hit one on a bike. Here's a 'close up of one. ;-)
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com



That's a cool picture. The last time I fished a tournament in Florida on
Lake Okeechobee, I had a 7 footer eat my Zoom SuperFluke. I was using a
flipping stick with 50 lb. PowerPro line and managed to get it up to the
boat three times before it broke off! I don't know what I was going to do
with it at the side of the boat, because I certainly wasn't going to try to
get my fifty cent lure back!

But they sure do fight good! :-)
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

jeff wrote:
alligator!!! this was a huge gator for nc...at least 8-10 feet (my
conservative guess...but, then i was hyperventilating a bit at the time)
nose to tail, very fat. he was snoozing in the sun...eyelids closed. i
was walking the bank, paying little attention to anything but the water,
trying to place casts close to the bank 10-15 feet in front of me.
suddenly, there was an unusual smell...it was so unusual that it caused
me to stop and look around. i thought there might be a dead
animal...then i saw it. about 20 feet in front of me. my jaw dropped,
and i ran as fast up the grassy bank as any geezer hoping not to wrestle
with a gator on an easter sunday. i've no experience with gators up
close and personal, so took these two photos and retreated. he never
moved. i don't think he even woke up...

Maybe the gator was dead, might explain the smell and it not moving

I can't remember ever smelling a gator that smelled like rotting meat

--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Mojo SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Nutri Shield insect repellent. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com

Rodney Long wrote:

jeff wrote:

alligator!!! this was a huge gator for nc...at least 8-10 feet (my
conservative guess...but, then i was hyperventilating a bit at the
time) nose to tail, very fat. he was snoozing in the sun...eyelids
closed. i was walking the bank, paying little attention to anything
but the water, trying to place casts close to the bank 10-15 feet in
front of me. suddenly, there was an unusual smell...it was so unusual
that it caused me to stop and look around. i thought there might be a
dead animal...then i saw it. about 20 feet in front of me. my jaw
dropped, and i ran as fast up the grassy bank as any geezer hoping not
to wrestle with a gator on an easter sunday. i've no experience with
gators up close and personal, so took these two photos and retreated.
he never moved. i don't think he even woke up...


Maybe the gator was dead, might explain the smell and it not moving

I can't remember ever smelling a gator that smelled like rotting meat


don't think so...one of his front legs was still wet. but, i don't
know. my first such encounter. it wasn't rotting meat...but a definite
odor that caught my attention.

jeff wrote:


Maybe the gator was dead, might explain the smell and it not moving

I can't remember ever smelling a gator that smelled like rotting meat


don't think so...one of his front legs was still wet. but, i don't
know. my first such encounter. it wasn't rotting meat...but a definite
odor that caught my attention.

As cold as it was, he was probably trying to get warm in the sun then, I
bet he could have barely moved since it was so cold


--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Mojo SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Nutri Shield insect repellent. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com

Rodney Long wrote:
jeff wrote:


Maybe the gator was dead, might explain the smell and it not moving

I can't remember ever smelling a gator that smelled like rotting meat


don't think so...one of his front legs was still wet. but, i don't
know. my first such encounter. it wasn't rotting meat...but a definite
odor that caught my attention.


As cold as it was, he was probably trying to get warm in the sun then, I
bet he could have barely moved since it was so cold



he looked like a sprinter to me! g no doubt he was basking in the
sun. i've no experience with gators...my bet is he was a man eater,
playing possum til i got close enough. g

i wish i'd been more stalwart now that i'm safely home...but at the
time, since i'd already been bloodied by a flounder, i figured i'd
better not test an alligator's patience.

jeff wrote:


he looked like a sprinter to me! g no doubt he was basking in the
sun. i've no experience with gators...my bet is he was a man eater,
playing possum til i got close enough. g

i wish i'd been more stalwart now that i'm safely home...but at the
time, since i'd already been bloodied by a flounder, i figured i'd
better not test an alligator's patience.

Probably a wise move :-)


--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Mojo SpecTastic "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread,
Nutri Shield insect repellent. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, and the EZKnot
http://www.ezknot.com