Growing up in Louisiana, we fished the Biloxi marsh, southeast of New Orleans, almost every weekend with my uncles and cousins.

 

Only one time did we encounter an allagator when we got too close to her nest. She hissed and we backed off.

 

At no time were we ever concerned about gators while fishing out of those 16 foot wooden skiffs. And never saw or heard a gator other than that female.

 

So on Swamp People tonight the guys were catching very large gators in the Biloxi marsh.  Shook me up thinking we had no idea there were gators in the marsh or gators that big in the first place; only came in contact with one gator in all those years; and had some fantastic days fishing for big reds, speckled trout, sheepshead, drum, croakers, and then pulled 14-foot and a 16-foot nets behind the skiffs to shrimp when the shrimp were running.

 

Great memories even knowing now that the gators were probable watching us as we fished and shrimped.

 

 

we are Glad you weren’t gobbled up as a young Sam!!!!

 

They shot the world record where I camp/fish every year. We knew there were big ones but not quite that big

 

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

we are Glad you weren’t gobbled up as a young Sam!!!!

 

They shot the world record where I camp/fish every year. We knew there were big ones but not quite that big

 

Just doesn’t feel right that the record didn’t come out of Florida.

Just now, bigbassin' said:

Just doesn’t feel right that the record didn’t come out of Florida.

I think there are bigger ones in FLA, they just don’t have as good of hunting seasons 

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I think there are bigger ones in FLA, they just don’t have as good of hunting seasons 

It probably lives in a small cypress lined lake with no public access and 4 homeowners on it that aren’t interested in gator hunting. Seen some studs in lakes like that.

9 minutes ago, bigbassin' said:

It probably lives in a small cypress lined lake with no public access and 4 homeowners on it that aren’t interested in gator hunting. Seen some studs in lakes like that.

That world record was killed in quite a maze of cypress in Alabama river. Every time I fish amongst the cypress I see and hear monster gators 

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

we are Glad you weren’t gobbled up as a young Sam!!!!

 

They shot the world record where I camp/fish every year. We knew there were big ones but not quite that big

 

That’s one heck of a lizard! Closest thing to that size we have up here is a bull moose, but they can be dangerous too if you get in their way during the rut. 

I saw one on the Kissimmee River about where it dumps into the Big O one time and I swear it was a Stegasuarus. 

The biggest d**n thing I ever saw besides two women fighting over the last pronto pup at the state fair once

On 12/23/2022 at 8:32 AM, TnRiver46 said:

we are Glad you weren’t gobbled up as a young Sam!!!!

 

They shot the world record where I camp/fish every year. We knew there were big ones but not quite that big

 

How long was it? Because a 19.2 came out of Louisiana years ago.

 

30 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

How long was it? Because a 19.2 came out of Louisiana years ago.

 

15’9”, 1100+ lbs . I think it’s the biggest one ever successfully hunted, not just the biggest one that ever existed

 

 

The story pops right up when you google world record alligator, Mandy stokes shot it with a .20 gauge 

https://www.fieldandstream.com/story-behind-sci-world-record-alligator/?amp

World record Alligator - Yeah, I see it’s now recognized as the official biggest. For many years, it was the 19.2 in Louisiana. 

I don’t like how they change the criteria that judge the biggest. I guess they didn’t feel like it was official enough by modern standards.

There have been numerous 13-15 footers taken in Florida that probably didn’t messure up to their standard either…

 

There's some bigguns down here in the south Florida Everglades. There's also some giant snakes that eat them! Can't get my head around that one but when I see the size of some of these captured pythons with a big gator outlining their fat belly, then I know for sure that it must be true. So be mindful of what's in the water but also be mindful of what might fall out of them there bushes!