Judging by this viral video, fishing in the Florida Everglades isn’t as relaxing as you might think.
The “Sunshine State” might be known for its sunny beaches, but anytime I think of the southern state, I envision all of the creatures down there that could kill me. Like how Australia is famous for having deadly and dangerous wildlife, Florida (at least parts of the state) is jam-packed with creepy killers like alligators, crocodiles and pythons.
Florida’s invasive python problem is a big deal (you can read more about that here), and often times, videos are captured of pythons going to battle with gators. However, in this video, the main focus is alligator versus fisherman. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to risk your life while wetting a line… this is it.
It’s estimated that there are over 200,000 alligators living in the Florida Everglades. That’s obviously terrifying, and when you factor in the other creatures that call the area home – like crocodiles, pythons, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes – it’s a wonder that humans even venture into Everglades National Park at all.
The Florida man in this video had no idea he was accidentally reeling in bait while working a spot in the Florida Everglades. Video that was taken as he worked to land a snook he had on the hook showed that a gator was also fishing in that very spot… and because they tend to be opportunistic feeders, the prehistoric animal decided it would try to go after the fish that was already caught.
Here’s what the Florida fisherman had to say as it all played out in real time:
“Oh s**t. This f***er is coming after me, dude. Want the fish? I’m putting him back in the water. Holy s**t. That’s a big boy.”
There’s no doubt that it was a smart move to throw the fish back into the water. I will say… him struggling to pick up the fish off the ground was as close to a horror movie trope as it gets in real life. Abandoning the fish altogether might have been the safest move, but chucking it back seemed to stop the gator in its tracks.
Clearly that wasn’t the first time the alligator had tried to steal a fish. That was the behavior of a swamp puppy that’s successfully stolen a fish right off the line, or even been fed a fresh catch before. Fortunately, this Florida man escaped without getting too close to the 6-foot gator… but he admitted in his caption that it was a close call:
“That was a close one today, you always have to keep your head on a swivel when fishing in the Everglades.”
Lots of anglers in the comments telling the Florida angler to “tighten his drag,” and can’t say I disagree… snook are known to fight pretty hard, but that wasn’t exactly a big one. Maybe he’s using super light line… I don’t know. His response to one commenter was “I know what I’m doing” so take that for what it’s worth.
I’m not sure I’d even enjoy fishing if I had to worry about alligator attacks on top of it. But that’s when I have to remind myself that these are Floridians we’re talking about here. They probably high five an alligator in their driveway before they head out to work in the morning. Florida men and women are so acclimated to seeing gators in their everyday life to the point where seeing one – or even getting charged by one – is just another day in paradise.
