Okay guys looking for some advice/stories. Im an avid bass fisherman and all around fisherman and used to kayak fish but sold it on impulse awhile back and regretted it ever since (currently saving to get another ) I know a few times when I was in Horsepen and Mud Lake I would come across a few Gators here and there but never had a problem with them following me or being curious and coming over, always seemed to stay in their place or move on. I did however have about an 8' one come rushing down the bayou the other day while I was bank fishing when he heard a bass smack my frog and he even chased it up the bank as I reeled it in, I know he wasn't after me but it was still discomforting, see pic below.

My question to everyone is, when you've been out wherever it is that you fish salt or fresh, lakes or creeks, have gators ever given you any trouble or reason to be concerned when you've been out and if so how did you take preventative measures or avoid getting into a potentially dangerous situation? Have they chased you, come up to your boat, acted aggressive etc etc. I'd like to know what you guys do when you come face to face with one whether it has been on accident or they were in your path etc and what you carry or do if a situation was to/has occurred with one?

They wont stop me from kayak fishing I just got curious about it when that one chased my fish and when I saw a 10 footer the other day in Horsepen, right where I was fishing. I just wondered what steps or actions you would take or have taken against them when you felt threatened or in danger.

Thanks everybody, much appreciated for any feedback.
I circled the alligators head in red on the photo, I had no idea I even captured him in the picture till I zoomed in on it the other day. If you can, zoom in on the circle, he actually slid up the bank a little but once I saw him going for the bass I hurried up the hill away from him.

When I fished Sabine Lake back in 2007 I lost a couple of topwaters to small, 5 to 5 foot gators.

Then in 2008 I was paddling up a 15' wide slough leading to a back lake on Copano, was making a hair pin turn, and came upon a 6 to 8 foot gator sitting in the middle. Well, I surprised him and he quickly went under water making quite a commotion. I sat there frozen in my kayak thinking to myself, "Oh [censored], now I have to paddle over him!" I paddled my butt past him and went on fishing.

This past Oct. 23rd I was in East Pocket in ANWR off of St. Charles Bay, the tide was really high, so I decided to wind my way back to a back lake. ANWR is known for gators, but I had redfish on my mind. The creek to get to the lake was only a couple of inches wider than my kayak, less than 2 feet deep, and full of twists and turns. I was just about to make the last turn to get into the lake when I looked down into the water and spotted the tail end of a big gator. Now, the problem fishing back lakes at the coast is that they are one way in, one way out. I had to paddle back over this gator. I pulled my rudder, wondering how it didn't hit the gator the first pass over her. I start to paddle back over her looking down at her the entire time. The gator's back is just a few inches beneath the bottom of my kayak, and I estimate her to be in 10 to 12 foot range. She started to move and I puckered up. I got the hell outta dodge, stake out in the middle of East Pocket and regained my composure. That's the new #1 oh sh!t moment I've had in my kayak.

Now, having said all that, I wouldn't worry too much about gators coming after you unless you have a stringer of fish, or something they perceive as food. Female gators may attack if she feels you are a threat to her nest of eggs.

I'm actually more scared of snakes when on my kayak. Those bastards love to swim at kayaks.

Holy cow man those both sound crazy. That happened to me and buddy once in his tandem kayak, one came barreling down off the bank about 20' in front of us and we just froze, didn't know if we should go forward go back or what to do, I hate when they go under and you cant see them and don't know where they will pop up.
That second one you experienced sounds scary as h***. I don't think I would be able to paddle over it, Id be to nervous it would freak out and flip me over or something, that's insane man I can't imagine paddling over one and being able to see it in that narrow of a space and so little water.

My wife and I were paddling up in the Ft Worth nature center back in early March and saw 5 babies slide off the bank right next to us. We could hear them making the "chirping" noise like you hear on the nature shows. We got out of the area quickly as we didn't want to have to deal with the momma. Wasn't but a couple weeks later that those two poaching weasel bastards shot that 11' gator not far from there.

Fort Worth zoo. That's all I got.

^...................

dolphins make me more nervous than alligators do.

Mama says alligators is so onery cuz they got all them teeth and no toothbrush

I saw 2 in one day at Fork last spring. One was between me and a creek mouth i keep paddling and he sunk down, i paddled over him and keep fishing. He popped up between Tim and myself. Later as i paddled out he sunk down and I paddled over him again. Later that day we saw a large one on the bank.

Here is the one I saw on the bank.

That's the one eyed alligator that took Chubs' hand

I have been camping and paddled many miles a Caddo and have not been lucky enough to see any...







I also fish Fork a lot and have not seen any there either. I'm sure I'll come across a gator one of these days...

You want close to a 100% chance to see one go to Aransa Wildlife Refuge. I've see 50+ in a day there.