Alligators may be most associated with Florida, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only state these monsters roam.
Alligators are found throughout the south eastern region of the US, as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Texas. They live around lakes, rivers, and pretty much any body of freshwater with enough food to support them.
Typically, they eat fish, birds, snakes, small mammals, and turtles, but on occasion, they will take out a smaller and unexpectant member of their own species. In fact, according to LiveScience, 6 to 7% of young alligators are eaten by a larger alligator.
A video was captured in South Carolina showing just this, and while of course it’s wild by its own right, the size of the larger gator is almost unbelievable.
We can’t see the full length of this guy because he’s half in the water, but the girth of his head and neck make me think he was 12 feet at minimum.
Have you ever see a gator with a head like this? I lived in Tampa for 4 years and saw a ton of gators, some very big ones too, but none that come even close to this guy.
He easily swallows the smaller one, who certainly isn’t a newborn and was probably near 6 feet long, but was not nearly enough to fight off one of the largest, most menacing creatures on the entire face of the planet.
When you’re down south, the best thing you can do is just stay out of the water…
Kayak Fisherman Is Dragged 15 Miles By A 500-Pound Marlin
This is the dream.
I mean 15-miles, that’s a long way to get pulled by a fish. But a man would like to think that if the fish is pulling you that far, it’s one helluva fish.
A fish far larger than the boat your on, in water that’s plenty deep and rough… this isn’t exactly my idea of a relaxing day of fishing, but an exhilarating one nonetheless.
Going and targeting Marlin on a fishing boat is one thing, going after them in a kayak is pretty badass.
The video starts with a group loading up to do some Marlin fishing in Panama. They head out and one of the kayak fisherman hooks into a good one.
The boys are fired up, a proper fishing trip.
The marlin starts to pull the fisherman and there’s not a whole lot he can do about it except enjoy the ride.
The best part of the whole video is when the fish finally shows itself. It’s far from the end of the battle but the Marlin comes fully out of the water. Everyone loses their minds and it’s hard to blame them.
When’s the last time you had a 500-pound fish on and have it jump clear into the air? That’s not an everyday occurrence even for someone who targets these fish often. All while in a kayak too?
Although the video is 30-minutes long, it captures the 6-hour fight pretty good.
Eventually the fisherman gets onto a power-boat because the fish had pulled him 15-miles out from the shore. He gets it into the boat and the get some awesome shots as they release it back.
What a fish.
That’s one of those bucket-list items that is now added to the extremely long list.
Kayaker Fisherman Finds Surprise On The End Of His Line
The most exciting part about fishing is that you never know what you’re reeling in until the defining moment when your catch breaks the water.
Is it a bass? Is it catfish? Maybe a turtle? Could it be an old tire? Or a garbage bag? Perhaps a sunken log?
If you’ve fished some of the places I have, like Washington D.C.’s tidal basin, the possibility of a bloated dead body may even cross your mind.
The mystery of what you may pull up from the depths is what makes fishing so magical. Even when the fish aren’t biting, the possibility of potentially hooking so many possibilities hidden under the water is what makes fishing so magical.
I imagine it’s more terrifying than magical if you’re expecting a fish and instead wind up with your hands just a few feet away from an agitated alligator with a hook in its mouth though. This dad was checking some noodles with a youngster in the back and got the surprise of a lifetime.
“I think we got a garfish dude!”
“Be careful…”
“Oh My God! That is a big-ass gator buddy! That is a big-ass gator!”
That kid on the back of the kayak may never go fishing again after this experience.
